Hi - I'd like to buy a digital SLR, having used a Ricoh Caplio compact for the last two years and enjoyed fiddling with the results using The GIMP (too cheap to buy Photoshop!).

I'm very interested in the Olympus E500 as I have a number of Olympus OM lenses and bodies from a Previous Life, and at least I could still use the lenses with an adaptor. I have considered selling the lot and starting again, but the whole collection would just about raise the price of a cheap flashgun these days...

I also like the sound of the four-thirds system.

Is anyone out there using the E500 and prepared to give an honest appraisal from experience? I've had a look at the review sites mentioned in previous posts on cameras and they seem to be pretty positive by and large.

Thanks in anticipation

Hugh

I know the guy who runs the largest camera store in my town (it's a been a photographic business since his father started it some 50(?) years ago - and he really knows his stuff, having grown up with photography an' all). They sell SLR's from Nikon, Canon, Sony, and Olympus, and the camera he raves about and laid his own money down on for personal use was the Olypmus E500, despite all the other very popular cameras he has in store. If I'd had the money, I'd have bought one myself, based on Lance's enthuasiasm for it.


Hope this helps!

Thanks Pepperspray

That's a real recommendation! Very helpful

Hugh :classic:

Hi,

I bought the E-500 with the two lens kit about a year ago. I've been very happy with it. I shoot a wide mix of things from portraits to parties to landscapes.

Jim

Thanks Jim

I'll be mostly using it for landscapes and architecture (although with the 2x multiplier for old OM lenses, I'm looking forward to having what in effect is a 400mm f4 for wildlife too!), so that's really useful.

Hugh :classic:

Hugh,

You might want to check out this forum: http://www.fourthirdsphoto.com/vbb/

There's a great group of folks there and lots of good information on Olympus 4/3 hardware.

Jim

Thanks Jim

Have already found - some very useful stuff on there.

Have now taken the plunge and bought a 2nd hand E-500 on ebay, so shaved about £150 off the best retail price I've found. So that'll more than pay for the necessary OM adaptor and an eyepiece magnifier to fix the only significant problem I've read of - ie a small viewfinder display.

Thanks again for your advice

Hugh :classic: