Building your Olympus Kit

[yummymummy]

Hi there,

Newbie here with hopefully an intelligent question lol
I'm looking to move to a D-SLR and beginning of this week went to my local camera shop going to look at dare I say it a Nikon and a Cannon! However my head has been turned by the E420. I liked the way it felt and handled. So I came home to have a think and see if I could a cheaper price on the net. I had a live chat with someone from Warehouse Express and mentioned the E420, and they said that I would be limiting building on my kit as there aren't as many lenses for the Olympus as other brands. I know this is a long way in the future and for now I should concentrate on getting to know the camera and how it works etc. So Olympus owners have you found your kit limited or should I go with my instinct and go for the E420?

Thank you in advance

Wendy

[pauljolee]

Hi Wendy and welcome to the forum.
There are plenty of more qualified Olympus owners on here to offer advice but I can offer my own experiences.
I bought into Olympus not knowing anything about photography and to be honest I didnt realise this was more of a niche brand with their 4/3 system than maybe other manufacturers.I bought a twin lens kit to get me started and as my experience grew so did my lens colletion! I have never had a problem obtaining lenses as Sigma also manufacture a wide range for the 4/3 mount(if you are unaware of the 4/3 system and mount please take note)
Recession and exchange rates have artificially inflated prices so dependant on which lens you have got with your camera it may well be worthwile riding this out.As an example one particular lens I bought last year is now on average £300 more expensive this year
So to sum up for me no I have never had a problem obtaining lenses but these are only my personal experiences
Hope this helps
Regards

Paul

[pauljolee]

Incidentally if budget permits would it be worthwile looking at the E520 as you get Image Stabilisation and a few other extras in with the deal.Look here for price comparisons
http://camerapricebuster.co.uk/cat21.html

[Zou]

Olympus have a wide range of lenses for the 4/3 format, Panasonic have a few, and Sigma have a good number too. There are no tilt/shift lenses that I am aware of, but failing that, they have every type of lens required by 99.9% of people 99.9% of the time. And if you don't know what a tilt/shift lens is (as a beginner I doubt it, but I hope I'm not patronising you) you certainly don't need one. Actually, a good number of folk with them don't need them either, but I digress... There are a number of flash options, including macro ringflash. So the salesman is not quite talking out of his a*se, but probably gets better commission on other brands.

If you like Olympus, go for it - you won't be let down by the size of the system.

[Barney]

So the salesman is not quite talking out of his a*se, but probably gets better commission on other brands.

I'd say that he is more likely to just believe the general misconception that only Nikon and Canon carry a wide range of lenses and accessories. Certainly these two do carry the largest selection, but that's not to say that other manufacturers don't offer just about everything you could need as a keen amateur.

[LargeFormat]

There are no tilt/shift lenses that I am aware of

Even though I use a 4x5 for its tilt and shift facilities you can do so much in software that the unavailability of such lenses in 4/3 is unlikely to be an issue. (You could us one of the OM lenses 24mm or 35mm with the adapter to give 48/70 equivalent).

It's always said on this forum, what it feels like in your hands is what matters.

[pauljolee]

It's always said on this forum, what it feels like in your hands is what matters.

That philosophy would have saved me a costly divorce

[Photocracy]

Hi Wendy,

I have an E420 and love it . I also had an E500 before it (an earlier Olympus model) and loved that too - so much so, I still have it and still use it. I think I could say with some confidence that you will not find the availability and scope of lenses for the E420 to be limiting at all.

Have a look HERE. All of the lenses shown on that site will fit the E420 although, if you bought them all, you would need a mortgage to do so .

As has been said, if you would like image stabilization you might like to also consider the E520 or the newer E620. I manage ok without it. I just find something to rest the camera on instead when shooting in low light. I find the size of the E420 to be a fantastic advantage as I take it with me to places I just wouldn't bother to with a larger camera and lenses.

If you have any questions, just ask.

[yummymummy]

Thanks everyone for your advice and warm welcome

I've decided to go for the E420, so I'm looking forward to it being delivered and having a play with it over the weekend. I love my gadgets lol!!

When I'm feeling braver I'll post some pics up!

Thanks again

Wendy

[Mad_Sunday]

I have owned an E510 for almost 2 years and yes the choice of auto focus lenses for the 4/3 cameras, is less than that for Canon/Nikon users. However, if you can twist a focus ring with your fingers (ie focus manually) your 4/3rds camera will then become suitable for more lens types than any other. Have a look at this slide show I made today with an old Soligor (made by Tokina) 75-260mm lens I bought on ebay for £6.86! Thats six pounds and eighty six pence in case you thought you miss read it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mad_sun...84003724/show/

The shots are taken at 75, 100, 150, 200 and 260mm focal lengths f8 iso 400 and untouched by photoshop etc.

Pete

[parisian]

There are a plethora of lenses available (with adaptors) for the Olympus system even Leica the very best of the best.
Get to know your camera Wendy, learn it's abilities, learn your abilities. Discover any weak points and find the work-arounds.
Then and only then, start looking to increase your lens collection.
Far too may people buy a camera and then rush out to buy more and more lenses only to discover that they rarely, if ever, get used.
Welcome to the forum.

[Manofolympus]

There are a plethora of lenses available (with adaptors) for the Olympus system even Leica the very best of the best.
Get to know your camera Wendy, learn it's abilities, learn your abilities. Discover any weak points and find the work-arounds.
Then and only then, start looking to increase your lens collection.
Far too may people buy a camera and then rush out to buy more and more lenses only to discover that they rarely, if ever, get used.
Welcome to the forum.

And also discover what particularly interests you photographically-since this will influence what lenses you need