350D or Olympus E-500?

[NoiteInsana]

Hello!
I was just surfing on the pixmania website (a european photography shop) and I came across something that got me questioning which one of the cameras is best:

this international shop makes distinction of categories of cameras

- the 350D is on the "digital reflex cameras for the big public"-section
- and the Olympus E-500 is on the "digital reflex cameras for experts"

I don't get it.. Do you agree with this distinction, is the E-500 really better than the 350D???

I want to buy one of them & they are both my price range.
it would be nice to hear your opinions ;)

[Jon]

Where did they list the 20D/30D? It's a better feature list on paper than the 350D, but I suspect that they may be more influenced by the 350D being the low-priced Canon while ther are cheaper Olympuses on offer.

[roanjohn]

HUH??!!! I don't think the E-500 is targeted to the pros. IT is an entry level camera for Olympus.

If I can give you one great advice......it would be to get the XT.

Ro1

[Laffctx]

XT all the way. Period!

[Profzinc]

Get the XT. It's a better camera dude!

[dpastern]

The E-500 is a nice camera, but not what I'd usually indicate as being "pro". Certainly no more "pro" than the 350D. That said, you could most certainly use either of them in a "pro" basis - remember it's the photographer, not the gear that takes the photo. It's a tough decision, I'd most probably go the 350D, but that's cos I like Canon gear and have a fair number of lenses to suit. If I was starting out afresh...I'd really have to sit down and play with both cameras and make a hardline decision on which camera suits me better. Take into account accessories, you want a system you can grow with. Also, if you outgrow the E500, what's the scope for upgrading to a "bigger" camera? With the Canon range, you can - 20D > 30D > 5D 1D series. What about the Olympus series? What about lenses - if you go the Olympus series and buy some lenses, and decide to go with another marque (Canon/Nikon, not Pentax, they're a dead route if you ask me) later on, you'll have troubles selling them I suspect. The big two on the market are Canon and NIkon, between them they most probably have 95% of the Digital SLR market sewn up. Think about that.

My advice is to check out:

E-500
eos350D
D50s

That's at the basic level. If you want to spend a few more $$$ for a bit more future proofing, and sophistication, consider the:

E-330
E-1
eos30D
D70s

Compare the accessories for the two marques:

http://www.olympusimaging.com.au/servlet/ContentServer?productpage=Series&cid=1085553154819&pagename=Olympus%2FPage%2FProducts&context=Products%2CDigital+SLR&productId=1134104429933&sectionId=1085025989222

and

http://www.canon.com.au/products/cameras_lenses_accessories/extenders.html

Another thing, you're going to find more people using Canon or Nikon gear, that means more "online" help which could be invaluable.

Just some food for thought!

Cheers,

Dave

edited: Added some more information.

[NoiteInsana]

Where did they list the 20D/30D? It's a better feature list on paper than the 350D, but I suspect that they may be more influenced by the 350D being the low-priced Canon while ther are cheaper Olympuses on offer.

Oh I understand.. it's a plausible theory...

they listed te 20D/30D on the experts section.

thank you..


and between the two you would advise wich one?
my favourite in terms of touch&carrying it is the XT

but the lower price is really tempting:lol:

[NoiteInsana]

thank you for the advice..
it is my favourite

[NoiteInsana]

thank you, your answer was quite useful: indeed you point out very import aspects in choosing the camera

in my opinion we also should go for the one we know we will fall in love for
and I think the canon is my favourite :D

another thing that slightly bothers me is the fear that this reflex might be rapidly overcome by better cheaper models.
I mean, there are a lot of people that bought the 300D- rebel and that could have waited a year or two for the far more better yet same price range 350D

is this fear real for you for example?

[NoiteInsana]

the price from the XT has been constantly lowered the last few weeks..
that might be a turn-on
but as well a turn-off: the camera is not competing with the better models..
should I invest the money on lenses or cameras?
my range is around the 1000$
i'm studying and can't afford the whole bucket :/

[rlhphotos]

Get the XT just the body and a good lens and youll be good to go.. Im not a fan of the Olympus Cameras, I liek their point and shoots and the DSLRs are fine but in comparison they have nothing on canons..The Histogram on the e-500 I thought was not so great and I didnt overall like the camera feel and menus any more than the XT.

[Tee Why]

Both are great entry level dslrs. Either one will just fine for most shooters.
I'd go on features/price more than anything.
One thing to remember is the system. Canon/Nikon has the most lenses, accessories, etc. They also have various levels such as entry (350D), mid level (30D), serious amateur (5D), Pro Sports/Photojournalist (1D Mark II N), and Pro Studio (1Ds Mark II) cameras to upgrade into where as Olympus really doesn't. If you want to go up from entry to mid level or pro grade bodies, you have to chage systems, which is a pain.

[blacksmurf]

The DPreview in-depth review of Olympus camera:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse500/
includes several pages of comparison,
and in the conclusion:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse500/page26.asp
the EOS350D is often mentioned.

I found the EOS350D great for my needs, and when it's price falled down
(same web site mentioned at the beginning of this thread - good prices, not as the comments)
I bought a second one, to have a backup camera and/or avoid lens swapping too frequently.

[spoonbill1970]

Before buying from Pixmania, check reseller ratings. Heard many complaints about this store:

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller4577.html

Happy shopping

[Andy_T]

You should consider that this is a European shop, but an American website.
My best guess is that mostly those who really had a problem with them take the effort to write a review on www.resellerratings.com. So they have a total of 33 - very negative - reviews, most of them complaining about inadequate logistics/poor handling of problems.

On the German price search machine www.preistrend.de (http://www.preistrend.de/shopinfos.php?hnr=212&back=%2Fpreisvergleich.php%3Fx%3D72497403%26back%3 D%252Fsuchen.php%253Fq%253Dcanon%252B350d%2526s%25 3D0%2526a%253D%2526z%253D%2526x%253D0%2526y%253D0) , however, they have a slightly better rating ... 157 ratings with a majority of 'thumbs up' ... but still about 30% of the people complaining about them. Not great, but certainly better than the rating at www.resellerratings.com.

To the original question ... get the 350D!!!

The Olympus is very much a proprietary system that has some ~10 lenses or so for it (many of which are quite expensive in the $2000+ category) and some more from Sigma. Not at all comparable to Canon. OK, you can also use the older lenses, but they might not be so great on the small sensor( 2x crop instead of 1.6x crop as with Canon).

Best regards,
Andy

[Col_M]

I agree with the statement that you're buying into a system more than a camera, the Canon EF system is well catered for. I would go for the canon over the olympus if i was in your shoes.

[chris clements]

Pixmania is not a site anyone should be using to compare cameras.
Some might add "or to buy from either".
Once you've done your research (& if you don't mind getting a manual in Latvian, or no manual at all), then by all means purchase from them.

[NoiteInsana]

well.. I just have to find the money for those..

what would you choose between 60 2.8 macro & the 85 1.8 - for portraits!?

[NoiteInsana]

thank you very much..
this felt nice to read.. I agree with you on the pixmania subject... It's obvious most people will not care to rate the shop if they are satisfied..
I'm not to worried about the shop, the price is good enough for me.

and yes, you are definitely right about the lenses etc..
I'm definitily going for the 350D because I love it so much.

[NoiteInsana]

X) well I heard about the manual problem...
my ex-boyfriend bought a compact from pixmania and the manual was in french.
I don't understand how that is possible.
There is a law in portugal that every thing must have manuals/instructions in portuguese.
but well..
besides that.. the prices are really tempting :P