Ali,
I was seriously considering an E-500 until yesterday.
I took some time at the local camera shop to spend
some time with the E-500 and the Konica Minolta 5D,
and although I haven't taken the plunge for a DSLR
"yet", I'm afraid that I might defect from the ranks
if Olympus doesn't come out with a replacement for the
E-1 soon.
The E-500 was a joy to handle and the rear LCD beat
the KM 5D hands down, but the viewfinder is a concern
to me. Being over the hill (I'm now 51 and going
downhill fast :-), my eyesight isn't what it used to
be, and I'm spoiled having spent the past 25 years
looking through my OM-2n viewfinder.
The viewfinder on the E-500 (for me at least) is
pretty much as Phil Askey describes it, "Looking
through the viewfinder is unfortunately like looking
down a tunnel, the actual focusing screen is very
small. I found it difficult to check the focus
distance (when focusing manually for instance) and
also to even make out smaller detail, it's the
smallest viewfinder I've seen on any recent digital
SLR..."
For me, it's a deal-breaker. I'm going to stop in at
another shop tomorrow to take a look at the E-1 and
the Konica Minolta 7D (and a second look at the E-500
& KM 5D if they have all four units available).
I want to make sure that the DSLR I finally purchase
both handles close to as well as the OM-2n, and has
the best viewfinder available (well, at least the best
for a DSLR under $1500).
As long as you've got sharp eyesight and you don't
have an issue with using the E-500 without eyeglasses
(I found the eye relief lacking some too), I believe
that the E-500 the best deal out there by quite a
margin. Everything the salesperson at the camera store
told me yesterday (I know her and she's fairly
knowledgeable) is that the ZD two lens kit (14-45 &
40-150) beats out all of the other manufacturers' kit
lenses easily when it comes to optical performance.
So, there's my opinion today. If I learn more at the
camera shop tomorrow, I'll update you.
- Craig
--- Ali <oly-zooko@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Although I came across some negative stuff regarding
> the E-500. I
> realize that not everyone is going to share the same
> opinion.
>
> I still believe its a good choice. Just curious if
> anyone else is
> planning to obtain an E-500?
>
>
>
> ==============================================
> List usage info: http://www.zuikoholic.com
> List nannies: olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
> ==============================================
>
__________________________________
Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click.
http://farechase.yahoo.com
==============================================
List usage info: http://www.zuikoholic.com
List nannies: olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
==============================================
|