Argh!!! I'm confuddled

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Molly47

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Hi,

I hope someone can give me some advice on this please, might be a bit long winded though so apologies in advance :).........Well, I had decided to change from my Lumix TZ to a 4/3 camera as I am a novice on cameras with lots of manual controls & thought it might be a good start.

I had read reviews & I had got it down to the Sony Nex 5, Olympus E-PL1 & the Lumix GF1, I was leaning towards the Sony as it had the good reviews & its also VAT back at the mo.
That was until today when a lovely guy with great knowledge suggested I should go for an SLR as he thought I might as well jump in feet first rather than just wet my toes, so to speak.
The thought of an slr previously frightened me as Im sure does others
but after a play around with a Canon 1000D I agreed they didnt seem as complicated as I had thought, but obviously much larger than the above 4/3

So now I am totally undecided, has anyone else had this quandary? Any advice would be very welcome :)

Carole
 
Hi Carole,

Firstly, what's your budget, and what are you going to be using it for ?

Once we have some idea of that, we will be able to offer some advice. One thing to remember is that the number of lenses available, including 3rd party products, are limited for the 4/3 system compared to the standard formats.

Steve
 
I think that there's enough lenses and other bits and pieces for MFT but they may be more expensive.

I personally don't think that SLR's are more complicated than MFT's.

I don't think I'd be too interested in the Nex as from what I've read there's a lot of diving in and out of menus and that's something that I don't do a lot of so of the things that you mention I think I'd go for MFT or an SLR.

From what I've read some of the Panasonic MFT's are ahead of the roughly equivalent SLR's in video technology and useage and that could matter to you as could the more compact nature of the micro four thirds cameras, but the Sony is compact and from what I've read offers good image quality.

I own a MFT GF1 and I think that the image quality is excellent but that the ultimate higher ISO image quality is a little below that of my DSLR but these days careful processing can work wonders so I don't think that it's a big issue.
 
Hi Steve,

Thankyou for your speedy reply. I mainly carry my camera around pretty much all the time. I would continue to do so with my new camera also, I shoot practically anything,from nature,my dog, architecture,holidays etc
I have a max budget of £450 but I would like to be nearer £400.

The guy today also mentioned about limited lenses, something I hadn't given much thought to, you can tell Im a beginner. I just don't want to jump in & buy a 4/3 & regret it 6 months down the line or visa versa

Carole
 
If it helps at all...

If you want to carry it about much of the time will an SLR be a bit big? My GF1 + 20mm f1.7 fits into a jacket pocket and my niece recently finished her photography degree and has a good eye and expects good image quality and she takes an Olympus Pen everywhere with her.

I don't think that I'd want to take a SLR with me most of the time just because of the bulk and weight.
 
Sorry woof woof, thankyou also,I hadnt seen your reply.

I wouldn't want the video technology as I already have a hard disk handycam, although I might be tempted to sell it ;)
As for me carrying it about then I suppose I would have to start carrying a bag but will I like it? I cant answer that until I try it I suppose & I think deep down that might be whats bothering me. The 1000D that i tried today wasnt huge but its a far bit bigger than what Im used to.
But the one thing in favour of the slr would be the multitude of lenses, at reasonable prices too.

Carole
 
Don't forget the Olympus E-P1. They are pretty cheap at the moment and slip into a coat pocket without much trouble just like the GF1. IF you do decide to get either of these cameras then I would highly recommend the 20mm f1.7 lens as it is slim and will as said fit in a coat pocket as well as fit both the GF1 and E-P1 oh and E-PL1. There is also a 14mm f2.8 Panasonic lens which looks great and even slimmer than the 20mm f1.7.

Good luck with whatever you decide to get.
 
Well I'll confess that I know very little about the 4/3 system, but it does have an ardent following. I love the look of the PEN, and if I wanted a 2nd camera system that I really could take anywhere I'd give it some serious consideration.

I have a soft spot for Olympus, I still have my 6 year old 5050Z Bridge camera which still takes great photos.

Steve
 
I think an important point to consider is that the camera companies themselves reckon the mirrorless system (known in underwater circles as EVIL - electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens) cameras are the future, so if you go that route, expect plenty more accesories when your budget grows.
Unless you really need the ultimate in focussing speed I'd go for the sony which seems to give the best image quality of the current crop. The 1000d is fine but you're going to have to be prepared for the extra size and weight
 
I have a 20D, a GF1 with 20mm f1.7 and a LX2 (I have a Canon Ixus too but it's not too good) and I've been thinking about treating myself to a 60D and a LX5 so just for something to do...

One day last week I went out for a days photography and I took my 20D with 50mm f1.4, GF1 with 20mm f1.7 and LX2 and after looking at all of the images on screen (I can't print any as I'm out of paper but I'm pretty sure that each camera is capable of nice A3 prints) I was really happy with all of them and I think that I'd be nit picking if I tried to find fault.

I think it's hard to go wrong these days.
 
I am still mulling it over but I'm that little bit less confused. I had looked at the E-P1 also but the lack of flash put me off, I will go and look into it a little bit more because it is a very good price.

Many thanks to you all for the very helpful advice :)
 
Molly47 said:
I am still mulling it over but I'm that little bit less confused. I had looked at the E-P1 also but the lack of flash put me off, I will go and look into it a little bit more because it is a very good price.

Many thanks to you all for the very helpful advice :)
Click to expand...

Are you intending to use flash? I have used it twice in 2 years!
 
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