Photography is Fun


	The Camera Chapter Last Updated: 12th March 2010 Written by: Siegfried

	At some point in my photography website and hobby career, I realized that the only way I will be able to talk about different cameras, was to own and really use as many different cameras as possible. I thought it will be possible to have different cameras from suppliers but quickly learned that this expectation I had would not work, especially when one has a full time daytime career. I then started with a small budget on the side with which I started buying and selling used cameras. I saw it was possible to buy and sell on the 2nd hand market and with a bit of effort one only win or lose small amounts at a time. The key to this plan was patients plus one has to accept one will not have the latest and greatest always.

What also helped in my quest for using different cameras was to focus on one brand only. I decided to target Olympus and because Olympus and Panasonic uses the same 4 thirds standard I also tried some cameras from Panasonic.

In terms of Canon and Nikon I was fortunate that my son is a pro photographer and he always allowed my to take a walk with his equipment and doing that I gained a reasonable experience with cameras like the 40D from Canon, the D300 from Nikon and the 5D MKII from Canon.

Over a period of 24 months using the described method I was able to try and use the following SLR bodies from Olympus. I started with the E400, then E410 and I also tested the E420 extensively. I used the E330, the E500 and the E1.

Then on the newer models I used the E30 for a short period, the E520 and I was fortunate to get hold of a brand new E3 through a special promotion Olympus had.

Recently I bought the E510 at a really good price and because I have such a high opinion of the E410 I decided the E510 will become a permanent future body of mine.

On the Panasonic side I bought the L10 when it looked as if it was coming to its end of its life cycle. Great camera and great image quality. After extensive use and evaluation I decided to let it go again and in its place I tried the new G1 for approximately 8 months.

That I recently sold in favor of a the EP-1 from Olympus.

On the one hand I was really looking for that perfect image quality and on the other hand I was gaining good experience on the different models. Today I believe I better understand what the differences are between all these models plus I know if the one is really that much better than the other. For example if I had to choose between the E3 and the D300 then over and over I will go back to the E3. Not only does it compete head on head with the D300 in my opinion, in most aspects, it simply out performs the D300 by a safe margin. With the right glass fitted, the E3 is capable of producing frighteningly good image quality.

You are more than welcome to page through the pages I prepared on my website. This is not a review site and it will never be. Here I talk about the cameras because I really like using them, I realize that there are problems but I ignore them and instead I improve my Photoshop Skills.

Its true that the Olympus cameras has a unique and special image quality. How they do that I am not sure. It could be a combination of good colors combined with good details and the overall experience one has when using these great cameras.

Its also true that the Olympus lenses are just awesome. Recently I was fortunate to purchase a older 50 - 200mm pro grade lens from a pro photographer. Its been used and one can see, but fit it to the E3 and start firing away and its just awesome to experience the speed of this lens and the fantastic sharpness it has.

Siegfried