Olympus E-500 EVOLT vs. Canon EOS 350D?

Question

What are the pros and cons of both cams
from personal experiences.
Please advice on the lenses that olympus and canon offer.

kick the bias-ness aside please =")

Thanks!

Answer 1

I faced this exact choice about 6 months ago. I selected the Olympus E500 2 lens kit. I've been a serious amateur photographer (and a Canon guy) for over 30 years. Why did I go Oly?

Believe it or not, it wasn't the lower price of the Oly. I'm fortunately at the point in my life where the difference in the price of the two doesn't matter all that much.

The cheap Oly kit lenses are a bit (just a bit, but every bit helps) better than the cheap Canon lenses. Actually the Oly 40 - 150mm (35mm equiv of 80 - 300 mm) zoom lens is VERY good. And the Oly professional lenses have the same reputation for quality as Canon.

The Oly E500 was significantly lighter in weight than the Canon. Two ounces or so don't sound like a lot of weight, but it can feel like a ton if you are hiking in the woods or walking around city streets for a couple of hours.

The E500 has a self cleaning sensor, the 350D does not.

I also liked the 'feel' of the E500 over the Canon. I know that's a very subjective thing. But the feel is really important and is often overlooked by the newbie. The E500 felt good in my hand where the Canon 350D made my hands feel cramped. I knew I'd never be comfortable using the Canon, and a camera that sits on a shelf isn't worth much no matter how 'good' it is.

I also felt the Olympus worked better with my eyeglasses. I like to shoot with my glasses on, not perched on the top of my head. (I like to SEE!). The Oly viewfinder is slightly smaller than the Canon, and this slight 'tunnel vision' allows me to see the entire frame with my glasses on. The Canon is a little cramped for my tastes.

The Oly did have some negatives compared to the Canon, and they may be more important to you than they were to me.

1) As noted above, the Canon has a bigger viewfinder. Many people prefer to have the biggest viewfinder possible and I do too. But I've already explained why I chose the smaller Viewfinder.

2) The Oly is noisier than the Canon at ISO settings over ISO 400. This isn't sound I'm talking about, it's actually a grainy like pattern in the shadows of photos. This can be managed in programs like Photoshop and special anti-noise programs, but if you KNOW you are going to frequently shoot in EXTREMELY low light, you should select the Canon. (better to have less noise than to be able to manage the noise) I decided that this didn't matter to me, since I NEVER shot film at ISO higher than 400 anyway. What and how I shoot, just doesn't require super high ISO.

3) Canon cameras have many more options for add on lenses than Olympus cameras. Almost every lensmaker offers lenses for Canon, but Olympus only has lenses available from Olympus , Sigma, and Leica (exclusive to the Olympus/Leica/Panasonic lines of cameras,which all share the same lens mount). I felt this was an adequate level of choice for me since the lower end was covered by Sigma, the middle by Oly, and the high end by Leica. I felt that any additional lens I was likely to need would be available to me. But that extra level of choice is important to some people.

It's been about 6 months since I chose the Oly E500, and I still believe I made the correct choice. If you want to see some photos I made with the E500, follow this link:

http://www.photo.net/photos/GlenBarrington

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I've been trying to decide the same thing. The canon seems to give better results, which is what it's all about, I suppose. The Olympus is a bit cheaper, with two kit lenses, but the other four thirds lenses are expensive. The canon can use other makes of lens, such as sigma/tamron, which are good lenses at a reasonable price. Canon have also caused a bit more confusion by bringing out the EOS 400D now!

Answer 4

Olympus E-500 EVOLT Review: 17. Photographic tests: Digital Photography Review
Olympus E-500 EVOLT Review: 17. Photographic tests: Digital Photography Review ... Olympus E-500 vs. Canon EOS 350D (Digital Rebel XT) vs. Olympus E-300 ...www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse500/page17.asp

Answer 5

Olympus E500 Review

Answer 6

I opted for the Olympus evolt e500 and have not regretted it for a moment. I have discussed my camera with an Uncle who is a professional photographer, and his opinion was that mine was better than the Cannon and that he felt I had made the right decision.

I have a 14-45mm lens and a 40-150mm lens. (equivalent to 28-90 and 80-300 in other lens. ) I also have a macro lens and a wide angle lens. Between the main two they pretty much cover most situations and I have had very good results with them.

Answer 7

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=oly_e500%2Ccanon_eos350d&show=all

The Olympus seems to have a leg up as far as specifications go, but in the big picture (pun intended), I'd look to the future and say that the Canon lenses would make all the difference for me. I'd buy Canon.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

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