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General discussion

Olympus e-420, or something else?

by shanafourde Jun 18, 2008 5:25AM PDT

Right now I have a Canon Elph, but the action photos just aren't that great. I chose it because I take a lot of photos at renaissance faires and I need to be discrete. My photos span from action to people to landscapes and vacation shots. I have an old Canon Rebel 35mm, which I really love, but obviously I need a digital camera.

I saw the Olympus e-420 and was attracted to it because of it's size and the fact that it is a DSLR that isn't too pricey. Do you think this is the way to go or is there another DSLR or point and shoot that would be better?

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3 Posts
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really depends
by kalel33-20416052469708587370302374692233 Jun 18, 2008 6:38AM PDT

What type of action are you looking at doing? Are you trying to keep it under a certain budget? Is image stabilization important? Do you have more than just the kit lens with your 35mm Rebel?

The E-420 can produce very good shots, and could be a very good choice for you. There are others out there such as the Nikon D40x and D60, Canon XTI and XSI, and The Sony Alpha series. The Olympus is a very compact DSLR that is easy to carry around.

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by shanafourde Jun 18, 2008 6:54AM PDT

I just have the kit lens for the Rebel. The action shots I take are usually sword fighting (ren faires) or rugby matches.

I don't want to spend more money than I need to, but I don't have a specific budget.

Would you agree that it would better for me to get a lower end DSLR (like the Olympus) than to get a higher end point and shoot (like the Canon G9)?

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Canon lens
by HTHMAN Jun 18, 2008 9:22AM PDT

The Canon may be a good choice for you if your old lens fits. Keep in mind that the sensors in DSLRs are smaller than 35mm film. Usually the focal length is increased by a factor of around 1.5 to 1 depending on the camera. So if you have the 28-90 kit lens, on the DSLR it would effectively be something like a 40-135 zoom. That would compliment the kit lens that comes with the Canon DSLR.

I had several lenses for my Minolta Maxxum 35mm so I went with the Sony Alpha that accepted these lenses. I now have a range of 18-450mm on this body.

Most of the kit lenses are pretty slow. If you want to catch fast movement on the DSLR, you will either have to crank up ISO to 1600 or 3200 or try to find a used lens with a wider aperature that will fit and work on your body.

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