E-520 Question

[Chris204]

I'm new to the forums and I'm considering purchasing an E-520 as my first SLR.

I've noticed on some SLRs that there's a snapping noise when a photo is taken. Maybe I'm not using the correct term for that, but does the E-520 provide any sort of sound effect when taking a photo?

Thanks

[Foxcow]

That is the sound of the lens in action. While some point and shoot cameras will have the sound effect through a speaker, you will hear it for sure on an SLR.

[sunsetter]

I am sure you will like the E520. I have the E330 and FE-340 and really like the Olympus equipment. They are out front on lots of new inovations such as live view and many others.

[KodiakStar]

Indeed, with the E series it is not just an mp3 sound effect

I know that Windrider has a E-520, so you could look to her for examples of shots taken with it.

I have the E-510 (before the 520 came out) and love it. Wonderful cameras.

However, if you are going to invest the money into Olympus, I would buy the body alone if you could, along with the 14-54mm lens. I bought the two lens kit (14-42, 40-150) but wish I had done more research on the lenses first.

While the Olympus kit lenses are considered best quality for the value, the shots with the 14-54 are so much sharper, and from what I have read, focus quicker and works better in lower light.

For a bigger jump, the 12-60mm is supposed to be great as well.

So... a preemptive "welcome to the family"

[Chris204]

Thanks for the information. I appreciate all of your input.

I'm very fond of Olympus cameras. I'm currently on my third Olympus digital camera, but simply a point and shoot model.

Hopefully I'll be just as impressed with the SLR.

[KodiakStar]

You will be! I went from a SP500-UZ to the E-510. It was a bit of a learning curve, but it has been a very enjoyable ride!

For future reference:
http://flickr.com/groups/olympusesystem/
Great active flickr group with lots of good information and helpful people

http://flickr.com/groups/e-510/
Smaller, quieter group for 510/520 but fun to look through the shots

http://forum.fourthirdsphoto.com/
Not to take traffic away from DPS, as it is wonderful for learning how to shoot, but fourthirdsphoto has a sale section with some good prices on gear, as well as a lot of knowledgeable people on the systems. DPS is far better for getting critiques though.

http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/43/
Great site with a ton of information about the cameras, lenses, and getting the settings adjusted for the best shots.

[BarbV]

I bought the E-520 this summer and I love it. I'm new to digital SLR so I looked for a good entry level camera that would last me a few years. I looked at the Nikon D40/D60 and the Canon Rebel Xsi/Xti.

They were all comparable in price. I went with the Olympus simply because it had the best deal at the time....two lens included in the package. 14-42mm and 80-300mm. Both lens are o.k. but not what I want for the majority of my shots. But I love the size of the preview screen.

Since then, however, I've decided that the optimum lens that I'm looking is an 18-180...so that will be my next purchase. Hopefully Santa is listening...!

[Chris204]

I went to my local Best Buy today to see the E-520 in person and I noticed the zoom wasn't that great.

In fact, my current FE-210 can get up much closer to subjects. Is this how the default lens on the E-520 performs?

I'm not sure which lens was on the camera, but I see that I get a 14mm-42mm lens and a 40-150mm lens in the package. While I study up more on lenses, can anyone tell me what each of these lenses is equivalent to in terms of comparing them in optimal zoom terminology?

Thanks

[KodiakStar]

Most likely they had the 14-42 on. It is a very wide angle lens. Let me russle up a couple comparisons

[KodiakStar]

I'm sure there are other places that show the focal lengths a bit better, but I don't have the camera here, nor links. However here are some recent shots

35mm Macro F3.5 (fixed length)


14-42mm @ 42mm


40-150mm @ 79mm


40-150mm @ 98mm


Sadly, from this spot I did not have any at 14mm, or at 150mm, but you can see a good medium range of the type of shots that can be covered by the two kit lenses. I will search my stream for some that show the difference between 40-150.

the 40-150 is a decent mid range telephoto, but is by far not a super telephoto.