Upgrade for E1 and E500's

[tinhat1]

I'm in the process of deciding on which updates to go for to bring my camera kit into the 2010's.
I currently have 2 x E500's and an E1 with a selection of lenses (all olympus)
The other half regularly uses one of the E500's so I think I ought to keep one E500 as its very difficult to retrain her.
I use the E1 with the other E500 as a backup, although neither has failed.
I was thinking of an E3 body and an E620 body, I presume they all olympus E series lenses are compatable.
What do I take, Wildlife (particularly birds), Landscapes, family events (weddings, parties etc)
some motorsport.
What would you do?
Thanks

[chris-p]

I think I'd do exactly as you've already suggested! Lens wise all the 4/3 mount stuff will fit so all your Olympus digital lenses will be fine.

If you can stretch to it you could go for an E-3 and and E-30 but there isn't much difference between the 30 and the 620 as they use the same sensor and processing engine.

The main differences are:
The E-30 shoots at 5fps (the E-620 does 4)
The E-30 has a pentaprism viewfinder which is better than the pentamirror on the E-620
The E-30 has an 11 point all cross type AF system (7 point, 5 cross type on the E-620)

The E-620 has a slightly better LCD screen and wireless flash control

It depends whats most important in terms of specification and also what your budget is!

[tinhat1]

Chris,
Thanks very much for the info.
I'd looked at the specs but not captured this info.
I have a reasonable budget so I think I'll definitely go for the E3 body.
FYI budget is about 2.5 K (this includes PX or resale of E1 and E500 bodies and any surplus lenses)

Is it worth going for the SW lens as part of the kit, does it make a substantial difference in focus speed, some of the little birds are QUICK.
Personally I like the E1 as I have big hands, my other half has very small hands which is why she likes the E500.
Does the E30 use the same body as the E3?, it would make it easier to swap cameras in a rush, its not easy going from E1 to E500

If the E3 turns out to be as reliable as the E1 I'll probably never use the E620 or E30, except for the parties and events, its always useful to have a second camera to hand.

I have a little mju 400 that is getting very long in the tooth but its waterproof and slips into the motorcycle jacket pocket and has never failed me, wet cold or not.
If I did'nt go for the E30 what could I replace the MJU 400 with that would be a servicable and waterproof backup. Note I like the slide action of the MJU but the screen is now too small (I'm getting old!!!!!) are PENS waterproof?
Thanks very much for the advice much appreciated

[chris-p]

I've never used the SWM lenses so I really can't comment. If Ian is around he'll have more hands on experience with them that I do. I did have a 50-200 f/2.8 (the non-SWM version) on my E-510 and never any problems with "slow" focusing!

The E30 doesn't use the same body as the E-3. The E-3 is magnesium alloy and the E-30 is a glass fibre reinforced pastic. Both are sturdier than the E-620. The E-30 is the closest you're going to get in size and weight to the E-3 (other than having a second E-3!).

DPReview has some good in depth reviews of all the cameras you're looking at (links are here for the E-3, here for the E-30 and here for the E-620)

Compact wise, Olympus do a couple of "tough" compacts but they don't do a waterproof PEN. I remember reading a story that a member of Oly staff rinsed an E-3 under a tap at the official press release when something was spilt on it but it's not something I'd try at home.

Sticking with Olympus, have a look at the mju Tough 3000 which is new out and around £200 and the mju Tough 6010 which is a little older and better specced for around £220.

[ianpinion]

I'm here Chris!

Now the SWM version lenses are much quicker than the standard, in fact an SWM lens on an E3 body has one of the fastest focusing speeds attainable of any current camera system. It's still impressive on the E620 despite it not having anything like as many focus points as the E3. The standard lenses don't perform too badly, but they can be a little on the noisy side.

[chris-p]

Ah, I remember the E3 "fastest AF in the world" claims. If I remember correctly it was an E3 with a 12-60mm. It was never verified of course, but frankly it depends on how you set the AF system up.

I've got no experience with the SWM lenses but I never had any major problems with the non-SWM lenses. Then again, I suppose its what you're used to - I had a screw drived K-AF mount 35mm SLR before the E-510 and that took twice as long to focus and sounded like a dentists drill!

[ianpinion]

Yes, I suppose it's all relative to what you've been use to using as you say Chris. One other thing I have noticed though is that the autofocusing appears to be more accurate on the better lenses. I find when the light levels are quite low the SWM lens does perform much stronger, but then the lens also has faster glass which must help too. You also get a lens that is dust and splash proof too when you invest in the Pro Quality lenses like the 12-60mm

[Oly Paul]

Ian the E-3 and E30 handgrips are interchangable if that helps, as someone who has the E-30 and E-620 I can say there is a very disernable difference in handling and perfomance although both are very good.

Size and weight of the E-30 is the same as my E-1, the E-3 is a lot bigger and heavier

The E-620 goes with me when I want to travel light all other times its the E-30.

[ianpinion]

Originally Posted by Oly Paul

Ian the E-3 and E30 handgrips are interchangable if that helps, as someone who has the E-30 and E-620 I can say there is a very disernable difference in handling and perfomance although both are very good.

Size and weight of the E-30 is the same as my E-1, the E-3 is a lot bigger and heavier

The E-620 goes with me when I want to travel light all other times its the E-30.

Why would that help me? I have an E620 and an E410 as back up. What we are talking about is the performance differences between SWM and non-SWM lenses.

[Oly Paul]

Originally Posted by ianpinion

Why would that help me? I have an E620 and an E410 as back up. What we are talking about is the performance differences between SWM and non-SWM lenses.

Sorry but from this part of the conversation it seemed you were undicided between the e-620 and e-30 as a second camera

"If the E3 turns out to be as reliable as the E1 I'll probably never use the E620 or E30, except for the parties and events, its always useful to have a second camera to hand."

So my comment was based on that if you chose the E-30 as a second body with the E-3 the handgrip would be interchangable between them. Also I personaly think the focusing motor in my E-30 is a little faster than in my E-620.

And yes SWM lenses are quicker than the none, it is more noticable on the longer lenses.