Olympus E510 vs Nikon D90

[jack the ripper]

I just bought a cheap used Olympus E-510 for £220 with the 14-42mm lens and basically its only a temporary camera until I get a better one, but I was wondering, how much better would the image quality be between my E-510 with the 14-42mm lens and a Nikon D90 with the 18-105mm lens or maybe the Canon EOS 50D with the 17-85mm lens. My 10 year old daughter has suddenly got right into photography now since I got my E-510 and so I was thinking about november time giving it to her and getting either a Canon EOS 50D or Nikon D90 myself because she wants to take pictures all the time with my camera lol.

[chris-p]

It's not really a fair comparison as the cameras and their respective kit lenses are of different "levels" and from different times. Compare a D90 with an E-30 and thats a bit more fair.

But I had an E-510 and now I have a Nikon D90 so I can compare them back to back...

In terms of the cameras themselves, the D90 wins hands down on most things but it's not really a surprise. I get less noise with the D90, faster frame rate, quicker and more accurate AF, better build quality, a larger higher resolution LCD screen, a top plate LCD, image stabilisation I can see working, lens rings that rotate the way I want them to (it's opposite to the Olympus), greater control over just about everything in camera and (for me) better ergonomics. The single biggest difference though is the viewfinder. The E-510 uses a pentamirror, the D90 has a proper pentaprism. It seems twice the size and 4 times brighter.

These things are either personal preference (I prefer the lens based IS/VR system as you can see it working through the viewfinder) and some are simply down to spec and class (like the viewfinder or build quality) as the D90 costs over twice what an E-520 costs and (therefore) probably 4 times what a E-510 is going for now...

Lens wise, the 18-105mm is a good kit lens and it's certainly sharper than the 14-42mm Olympus lens. It's also a more useful range of focal lengths.

If you're considering upgrading, why not go for something like an E-620 or E-30? The D90 is due for replacement any time soon anyway...

[ianpinion]

Hello Jack,

Well before you go choosing a new camera, it's a very good idea to physically try them out for yourself to see how you get on with them. You see, the layouts, menus and balance changes from camera to camera. Now depending on what size your hands are, you may find that some cameras have their buttons placed perfectly to fit the ergonomics of your particular hand size, whilst others just feel completely wrong. It's why Chris chose a Nikon when he changed from his old Olympus and others picked a Canon. It's very much a personal choice and sometimes it's the only way to choose between different cameras.

All of the major camera manufacturers current models are capable, in the right hands, of producing high quality still images. If you invest in some of the better quality lenses, the results improve even further, once you have acquired the required skills to get the optimum results from them.

The other thing you should consider when making your decision is to make sure you compare camera models that are of equal parity, because each manufacturer produces a range of models that start off from a basic entry level camera and go right up to the very high spec models aimed at the professional photographers. There's also a whole raft of subcategories that fill the gaps between the two extremities and it is so easy to try and compare one camera to another which aren't directly in competition with each other. You have to choose cameras from the same classification, otherwise you won't have a level playingfield on which to base your findings. To do this, you have to check the individual specifications and find the models with a similar level of features to each other before you can compare them properly. Look at things like the ISO ranges, the number of Auto Focus Points each has and the range of shutter speeds available etc.

Finally, don't rule out looking at the Olympus E30 or E620 if you're looking to step up from your E510. Both these cameras use the new 12.1MP sensor, which for image quality is a big step up on what your E510 is capable of producing. When I compare the results from my old E410, which has the same sensor as the E510, to what my E620 can produce with the same lens, the images are much sharper and more contrasty as a rule. The much improve image processor it uses also helps to tip the balance in the E620s favour too. The other bonus is they both use a similar menu system to what you've been used to using and the controls are almost identical to, so you should be familiar with them.

Anyway, I hope that's given you some food for thought before you go and make this important decision.

[jack the ripper]

I wasn't actually comparing them as equals, I just meant how much better is the D90 than the E-510. I've also wanted a Nikon D90 since I first saw one but couldn't afford it at that time. I'm using a Samsung LE32A556 32" full HD 1920 x 1080 widescreen tv as my computer monitor. I have calibrated it a while ago using a THX dvd disc but that I think, only calibrates it when its used as a tv and so i'll have to get myself a colourimeter sometime this year to calibrate it again because I dont watch tv at all now, I only use it as a pc monitor now, but via one of its the HDMI inputs out of my NVidia graphics card. Its not a proper HD card but i'm gonna get myself a HD graphics card this year so I get the best image quality I can when watching dvds and also viewing my photography images i've taken.

I haven't tried the Canon EOS 50D, but I have tried the Canon EOS 40D out when it was still being sold new in PC World and liked it, but I like the Nikon D90 more which I tried out also in PC World about a month ago. I was looking at the Tamron 28-300mm VC Di AF zoom lens and have read damn good reviews of it being the best long range zoom lens for use as a general single lens but i'm not sure because I remember you guys on here telling me something about those kinds of lenses aren't much good due to distortion etc...

[matt wilson]

I have a 50d and initially had the 18 200 lens .

I love the camera but as the other chaps it's essentially down to what feels right for you.

I still have the wide range zoom but rarely use it as it's nowhere near as good at either extreme.

It's a case of making a lens that is a jack of all trades and master of none.It's physically very hard to make such a beast.

I went from a Canon bridge and found the menus and software very similar which also influenced my decision.

Whatever you decide good luck (finally although you can try cameras in PC world you can get much better value shopping around ,my local store even let me go out and take some shots prior to purchase and undercut on price )

[Sue Allen]

I've used various Olympus, Nikon and Canon cameras and much of it does come down to personal choice - very little between Canon and Nikon, Olympus is a bit more of a system that suits some brilliantly but has a few limitations for some things. Not used a 50D but I did have a 40D for nearly a year and a D90 for the same sort of time and I think the main things when choosing between the two really are handling and lens range - For me the main advantages of the Nikon are very good high ISO performance and I just prefer the way Nikon do things like buttons and menus. If you're into any kind of action then Canikon do tend to beat Olympus in terms of speedy AF etc. - unless you go for the expensive SWD lenses - on the plus side Olympus have a certain quality about the images that's hard to beat and of course, that in body stabilisation that could prove useful. Not sure I'd want to invest heavily in the 4/3 system long term much as I like it. Another plus is that their kit lenses are probably the best around though.
Not sure I'd recommend the Tamron 28-300mm - a friend has one which she's going to sell and I've tried it out for a couple of days before putting it on ebay. AF is very slow, the VC mechanism works well but the whole experience compared to Nikon's lovely smooth AF-S VR lenses is'nt very positive. There is a major tendency to lens creep too which is very annoying. Considering the price new I definitely would'nt bother [but if you really want one in Nikon fit...cheap..!!]

[jack the ripper]

Ok I might give the Tamrom a miss then. After reading good things and reviews, i've decided to go for the Nikon D90 with the Nikon 16-85mm f3.5-5.6G VR lens and then later on get myself the Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 SP Di lens.

[chris-p]

Originally Posted by jack the ripper

I was looking at the Tamron 28-300mm VC Di AF zoom lens and have read damn good reviews of it being the best long range zoom lens for use as a general single lens but i'm not sure because I remember you guys on here telling me something about those kinds of lenses aren't much good due to distortion etc...

As Matt & Sue have said, I'd probably avoid the Tamron lens. Personally, I don't see the point in spending that much on a camera body and then strangling it with "all-in-one" zoom lenses. It might get good reviews against other lenses of the same type but you'd find that your current Olympus 14-42mm is sharper at those points where they overlap.

I'm not sure I follow your logic on the TV/monitor side of things... HD is pretty low resolution in comparison to just about every digital camera. Full 1080p HD is the equivalent of 2 megapixels. You're not going to gain much when it comes to photos...

[Sue Allen]

A word of warning about the Tamron 70-200mm f2.8. I used one on a Pentax K20D and found it super sharp and, bearing in mind Pentax AF is'nt the fastest, fairly nippy to AF. Tried one in Nikon fit when I got my D90 and it was pretty useless for any kind of action as the AF was very sluggish. I believe there's some difference in the AF mechanism of the two systems which accounts for this. Also read an article by the owner of a lens hire business which had stopped buying the Tamron 70-200 because of quality control issues. The Sigma 70-200mm HSM is probably a better option - I love mine even if it's a bit heavy!

[jack the ripper]

I just said about my tv because its bigger to use than a computer monitor and when I got it I thought I might as well use it because I only had a crap £130 17" computer monitor that wasn't even hdmi and it hurt my eyes to look at it too. I've decided to go with a New Nikon D90 in november because my 10 year old daughter is bang into photography now so she wants my Olympus E-510.