atn 35: my first olympus dslr, an e520
About the photo at left: every photographer / studio has their own way of doing certain things, little tricks that help their particular workflow. At our studio we sometimes have multiple photographers working out of multiple camera bags so things like media cards can end up floating around loosely. A couple years ago we realized that the slots in a 35mm slide protector page fit our compact flash cards perfectly. Ever since then there’s been a slide page taped to the side of our camera cabinet, providing a perfect home for loose media cards. After we download the data on a card it gets put back here as a “home base”. This way they’re accessible to everyone and not hidden in the pocket of a camera bag somewhere.
Are you ready to start looking back at 2008? A number of prophotolife readers have identified The Boston Globe’s “Big Picture” section as a favorite for photojournalism. The Globe has just published the first part of “the year 2008 in photographs (1 of 3)”. There are 40 photographs in all and I admit to viewing each photo and reading every caption. Thanks to the working photographers that captured these images I know more about the world than I did before viewing them. I’m looking forward to the next 2 parts of the series.
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Guess who just got a new camera? After talking about getting a new point and shoot I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a camera (actually, a DSLR) I’ve been curious about for some time: the Olympus E-520 w/ 14-42mm lens
While thinking about getting a new camera I went to some resources that are often overlooked, the camera manufacturers own websites. It’s obviously a competitive marketplace and the camera makers are trying to run special promotions and provide information that brings added value to their consumers. If you haven’t checked out the manufacturer sites in a while they have more info these days than just camera and lens specifications. There are also shooting tips, special promotions and rebates aplenty. Here are some highlights from the major camera makers:
- Nikon Digital Learning Center
- Canon Digital Learning Center
- Pentaxian (this section of the Pentax Imaging website highlights 4 pro shooters who use Pentax, complete with a video, photo gallery and equipment list for each)
- Olympus Digital School in conjunction with Photoflex – bonus: there’s also a drawing for an Olympus e420 and various studio lighting outfits.
- Sony is the latest to the digital SLR game and if there’s any sort of photo educational info on the site I couldn’t find it. But…WOW…do they ever make a lot of electronic products.
That’s it for this week, time to do some last minute Christmas shopping and charge up the battery on this Olympus! Have a good weekend and we’ll see you next week…
- Jim T.
For some reason I thought you had already gotten the Olympus DSLR. I remember you talking about using something different than Canon or Nikon. I’m sure that you will have fun with it for your project.
Hmmmm … I wonder if I could convince the wife I need a D700 and lenses for a “special project”.
Craig, you have a great memory. Back in the summer there was a great deal on Olympus E410 cameras and I was intent on pulling the trigger. Then I waited (and waited) to see how the “better dynamic range performance” of the E420/520 would work out. Now that they’re being discounted, well, I ran out of excuses.
And I think a D700 and lenses are the perfect prescription for professional development.
Have been using an Olympus E500 for the last 3+ years. When deciding to purchase a DSLR, the choice was between a Canon 350D, a Nikon D70s and the E500. To tell you the truth, it was the compactness of lenses available for the E500 and the size of the handgrip that sold me on the E500. Not much is said about ergronomics in the camera review websites, but the handgrip of the D350 was too thin and the handgrip of the D70s was too big and the camera just too heavy to lug around all day. The E500 was just right. With the release of the E30 by Olympus, the expected price drop of the rest of the E-series line will increase my decision of upgrade my E500
Jim,
A few months ago I picked up a E520 as my first dSLR. I figured it would be a good starter camera as I figured out what kind of photography I wanted to do etc. My research said the price was great and the feature are as good or better as a similarly price “big three” camera. I’ve been getting into low light photography and have found that it works quite well. Although there is the hit at higher ISO, I find I can do quite a bit at 400 and below due to the image stabilizer. I be honest I’m considering sticking with Oly for the long term. Once you have some play time with yours, I’d love to hear what you think.
Cheers,
Josh
Jim,
first of all, thank you for running this great site, I think I found you looking for some photo tutorials, and then – as many other people here – spent the afternoon watching them. Your attitude and ideas towards photography are fresh air amongst the tons of magazines and websites.
Today’s article was great for me having the Boston BigPicture link in it, some really fantastic images there. Really inspiring.
Oh and good luck with your new cam! I am getting a Rebel next week (is it Chrismas?
) as my first DSLR and can not wait to get out there!
Viktor
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Sony’s educational site is this one http://backstage101.learningcenter.sony.us/all_courses/p/campusId/2103 It isn’t quite good though
Hi Jim,
Great content, as usual. I just wanted to thank you for the cool suggestion as to what to do with all of those 35mm slide sleeves. That is a very useful suggestion, not just for the sleeves, but because my cards are typically scattered out on my desk.
Thanks
Adrien
I also have an E-500. I feel like being an Olympus user is a bit lonely sometimes. I am currently trying to find out how to get my FL36 flash to fire off camera. Do I really have to buy expensive wireless equipment to get something that works?
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