Nikon D3000 or Olympus PEN E-P1?

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Becky.H

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Becky
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Ok, so I'm very new to the whole photography thing, and it's my 18th birthday coming up so my parents are going to buy me a dslr (or similar). Basically I just want to start to get more into photography, taking good quality pictures and be able to play about with settings and things. Ideally I'd be focusing on nature or people photography, but anything really. I've looked around a lot, and because my parents have a fairly low budget, which out of the nikon D3000 or olympus pen e-p1 should I go for?

Thanks in advance for all your help.
 
d3000 more versatile and expandable. Put a bit more to it and get the D5000......
 
I'd strongly recommend saving a bit extra for the D5000 - it really is a brilliant model.
 
Very different camera systems Becky. I suggest more reasearch. We run the gf-1 which is a great carry anywhere street cam and the ep-1 offers similar portability.

Dslr's are big bugg.rs and you, and everyone else knows you are carrying one but the quality of image and functionality are unequalled.

I think there's a great deal on the ep-1 with 17mm kit at £400 from jacobs at the mo, great for in the thick of it street shooting but no good for wildlife.

Probably best almost compact option at the mo is Panny G1 with 14-45, we also use it for training and I take it on me hols, my favourite camera especially with the 20mm lens and fantastic deals at the mo.

Canon 450d is a very good performer for the money, we also have the d3000 which has big weaknesses though D5000 is great.

Keep reasearching. John
 
Go for the Nikon, you can pick it up fairly cheaply if you shop around a bit.

I would rule the Olympus out due to you wanting to do wildlife photography as well, though there are a few lenses the biggest at the moment is the 45-200 in micro four thirds, you can use adaptors for four thirds lenses but they don't all work in autofocus mode on the Olympus and there is only one macro lens thats £600 !!
There has also been no take up of the mount by third party lens companies so far, so sigma and tamron etc don't support it, and their four thirds lenses wont auto focus with it either.

The Nikon will work with loads of lenses, allowing you to relatively cheaply add extra lenses and also get the long focal length lenses that wildlife really needs as well as much cheaper macro lenses.

If my disability didn't restrict me to micro four thirds cameras and compact size camera's I would have kept my DSLR or got another in a heartbeat.
 
I would have to agree with those who are not reccommending the Olympus. Rather go for Nikon, Canon or Sony, as it'll be easier for you to expand the areas of use with any of those cameras, due to a lot more lenses available. Keep in mind, though, if you get bitten by the photo bug, chances are that you'll be in this for the long run, and then you'll be looking at upgrading the camera in a few years.
The good thing about upgrading a DSLR, is that you can keep, and continue using, the lenses from your old body, and this is why Nikon, Sony and Canon are easier to reccommend.
I know litte about the Sony cameras, thus I won't be able to give you any advice on their bodies, but as for Nikon, the D3000 might be a good entry camera, but if you really want something to grow with, the D5000 would be a much safer purchase, and would last you a lot longer time before you'd start craving something more advanced.
In the same class for Canon, you should be able to find the 450D for about the same price as the D5000, and it's a great camera as well.

Don't be afraid to buy second hand cameras, they'll still do the same job, and you might save enough on a used camera to put what you save on an extra lens.

Good luck.
 
I'm going to go against the grain - don't think you should dismiss the Olympus. Yes it has limitations but it depends if you are going to want a huge range of lenses etc or just a camera with really good image quality that's small enough that you take it everywhere.

IMO people pics are more natural with a smaller camera as people don't feel as intimidated by it as a big SLR.

I love my GF1 which is a similar beast (though I am going to get a DSLR for more pro work in addition - def keeping the GF1)

Oh, and I'm pretty sure the EP1 will AF at least some of the four thirds lenses with an adapter.
 
The D3000 is an excellent starter camera and a good introduction to "serious" photography. I take one with me when I need a small, lightweight DSLR rather than lugging heavier kit around. It does have some limitations in low-light situations but is not as bad as people would have you believe, whilst I agree the D5000 is a better camera it is also £150 dearer!

Enjoy your photography with whatever you get :).
 
If you are the sort of young person who like taking a camera out and about with your mates and doing a bit of 'serious' shooting on the side then i'd say get the Olympus or GF1 with the Panasonic 20mm f1.7. If you are going to take photo's as a dedicated hobby then the Nikon would be the better one to go for, in my opinion.
 
I have a couple of Nikon Bodies and, just very recently, an Olymus PEN EP1.

The PEN is liberating. People don't get so self concious when I whip it out. They don't make comments about the paparazzi. It's easy to cart around and it does take reasonable quality pictures.

That said, at ISO 400, it's no where near the D90 in terms of quality. I'm not sure how the D5000 compares to the D90 for noise in low light situations, but if it were not for the PEN's compactness - I'll probably always keep it with me - and the fact it allows me to shoot comfortably in situations* where I'd feel I'd be drawing attention with a dSLR I'd be slightly disappointed.

So, in summary, there are shots I'll get with the PEN I won't get with the Nikon DSLR and conversely there are shots that will turn out much better with the Nikon dSLR that would be disappointing with the PEN.

I think that evens them both out.

There's a few other differences.
The PEN doesn't have a shutter to protect the sensor when changing lenses. Hence, mine being a walkabout camera anyway, I'm just going to stick with using the 17mm pancake lens on mine.
That said, having a shutter and a mirror which has a designed life with a set number of actuations, always stops me from getting too trigger happy with the dSLR. I much prefer using it when I'm out to get a particular shot - or when I'm getting paid for it!! I'm much happier using the PEN for snaps and photos that, although they will never win awards, are a good personal memento.

Micro four thirds lenses look a bit expensive to me, considering the limitations of the camera. If you are investing in glass, makes more sense to do buy it for a proper dSLR, as the larger sensors will always mean better results. The 14-42 f3.5-5.6 which is sold with one of the kits for the PEN E-P1 is £295 to buy on it's own. I don't know what it's like for quality, but I have a Tamron 24-75 f2.8 I use with my D700 and D90 that didn't cost much more than that and I'm really pleased with the results.

Is the Olympus 14-42 any better optically than the 18-55 kit lens you will get on a D3000/D5000?

The only other thing I should add, is that the PEN does have image stabilization in the body, so all the lenses you use will benefit by it.

I'm sure whichever camera you choose, you will have a great learning experience and enjoy plenty of support from here.
 
I've got a friend who's starting out on a D3000 and likes it a lot. If you wanted to budget a bit more, a second-hand D60 is a great option. If you can stretch to it, as others have mentioned, the D5000 does pretty much everything you'd ever need.
 
ed_o_brain said:
Is the Olympus 14-42 any better optically than the 18-55 kit lens you will get on a D3000/D5000?
Click to expand...
Far, far better. Zuiko glass is top notch - even the low cost glass. Top glass is equal amongst peers, but when it comes to low cost glass there is little doubt that Olympus Zuiko lenses are far better.
 
I personally wouldn't get one of the entry level Nikon DSLR's due to the lens focus motor compatibility issue if you want to upgrade bodies later.

At the top end I'd love a D700 or D300 but at the entry level I'd pick a Sony or a Canon.

Getting back to the DSLR v Micro four thirds, I think that a Pen or similar would be great for steet photography and for nature too but I suppose a lot depends on what the OP means by nature. If birds in flight are the subject a DSLR might be better but if flowers and landscape are the jubject then a Pen could be a sensible option.
 
Nikon D40 :shrug: Has some awesome reviews - plus I've one for sale as well (cheekly said - could always sort out something with a Nikon 18-200mm vr lens as well) :$ :naughty: :coat: :exit:

edit: It sold (D40 that is)
 
You would be able to go further with the Nikon and it has a sturdier feel to it. Depends what you like the look and feel of.
 
Ive got a d3000 i think its fantastic to learn with etc and will eventually move to a d90
 
If you want to be able to take good quality pictures - the both will do the job and the pen is smaller and easier to carry around. If you want to 'get into' photography, then a D-SLR (D3000) will allow you to learn more.

However, if you do decide to get a DSLR, I'd go and look at them in the flesh and handle them before you decide.
 
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