Stick with Olympus or time for summat else...

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Bumblebear

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My husband bought me a E420 a few years ago as my first D-SLR. I love the size and the controls BUT I hate how it seems so slow sometimes to focus. I am only a beginner and know that most of the errors i.e. exposure and dodgy depth of field are down to me but I can't help thinking that it isn't ALL just me. Most of my photos are of children and animals (candid/photojournalism shots) so I really want something that focusses fast (is this what is meant by a "fast lens"?) and that I can use in fairly low light e.g. dusk

The main issue is that I have already got some different lenses for this camera (1:3.5 35mm macro; 9-18mm wide angled) so don't want to make a change if there is something that can help 'improve' the camera I have now. I have been dillying and dallying for ages now and as I have a shipment booked from America (where I think most things are cheaper) it's now or never time :)

Is it worth me buying a lovely "low light lens" (if there is such a thing) or trading everything in for another kit altogether?

Thanking you in advance.
 
As you say some of the mistake might be down to you,their are better camera out their with faster focusing.

And faster glass,can help with focusing.

If you feel you have your camera is no longer up to what you want to do,now the time as good as any for change.

What your budget ? :)
 
your camera uses what is known as the 4/3 mount.
Unfortunately Ollympus & Panasonic pretty much seem to have abandoned this in favour of micro 4/3.
4/3 lenses can fit onto micro 4/3 with an adapter but it's probably not ideal - hopefully someone who knows the full ins & outs can chip in.

As for low light, all other things being equal 4/3 & micro 4/3 are at a slight disadvantage to APS-C & even more to FF simply due to the smaller sensor size.

& a "fast" lens usually means one with a large maximum aperture.
 
I would pop into a camera shop (if you can find one local) and try out other camera/lens combinations. Take yours along too and compare the focus speed to see if the improvement justifies the cost. Whichever route you take is going to be expensive if buying new. The main improvement to your setup with Olympus is to upgrade the body but there is only one 4/3 body left and that's the E5 - far from cheap. Upgrading to the SWD lenses (12-60, 50-200 for example) will also cost a pretty penny but focus real fast. With Olympus recent history of ignoring 4/3 and their financial mess it may not be too wise to invest too much at the moment.
But try out first. Other cameras with kit lenses are not necessarily that much faster than what you have and opting for their faster lenses could up your budget enough so a 12-60SWD lens doesn't look quite so bad :)
 
Bumblebear said:
Ekkk, not sure yet. Depends what the verdict is and what I like :) And the exchange rate of course....
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I was using the Olympus E3 & 620,with the 12-60 SWD,it was just when they annouced the E5,i got a chance to play with one early.
I didnt take to it,so swaped back to Nikon D700 & D300,i have to say the noise levels,and the autofocus were better on the Nikon.

You could go into an local shop,and try some of the newer cameras from Nikon Canon etc,and see if they better.
But fast lens dont come cheap :)
 
simonblue said:
But fast lens dont come cheap :)
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This is true for 'pro' series ultra wide with very large aperture or long with large aperture but there are some excellent fast lenses available that won't break the bank...

Nikon 35mm DX f/1.8 - approx £150
Nikon/canon 50mm f/1.8 - sub £100
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 - approx £250

Plus there are plenty more in the wide angle and standard lens bracket from Nikon and canon, plus lots of offerings from sigma which are regularly recommended. I will definitely agree that the large aperture 'pro' series stuff can be and generally is expensive.
 
Stick with the E, see if you can get hold of a nice SWD lens, the 12-60 would be ideal, but it is quite big on the small bodies.

As ever there is a lot of bull above from people who have never owned 4/3 equipment.

AF speed isn't really any slower than any other DSLR, with the exceptions of things that were specifically designed for that - which carry a price tag which would set you up with a car! With dwindling support for 4/3 you can get one hell of a lot of gear for the money secondhand.
 
Thanks all for your responses. I've been looking at the SWD 12-60 online and wow nearly a grand! (in dollars) It clearly has a fast autofocus, would noise levels be improved too? Or is that a combo of user/camera body?
 
Bumblebear said:
Thanks all for your responses. I've been looking at the SWD 12-60 online and wow nearly a grand! (in dollars) It clearly has a fast autofocus, would noise levels be improved too? Or is that a combo of user/camera body?
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Noise will be improved because of the more light the lens passes to the sensor. The E620/E30/E5 bodies would probably improve it further due to better sensors/image processors but have a google for "exposing to the right". I find it helps in low light if I do that (and also shoot in RAW) as it's the underexposed areas that show the noise more. Pulling the exposure back in post processing results in a less noisy overall image. Bear in mind that doing this will also reduce your shutter speed (as you are overexposing) so for your candid work it may be counter productive. Obviously it adds time to your workflow too.
 
In your opinions is it worth buying a Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-60mm for my E420 body or is the lens overkill for it? I am loathe to get rid unless I really have to.
 
As it is not cheap, in your position I would be tempted to hire one to try from here. The price list is dated over 12 months ago but states 3 days comes in at £25.
Maybe drop them a mail to double check price/availability.

It won't be overkill. I have used the 12-60 on a E410 before now and it was a massive improvement over the kit lens. The balance wasn't a problem either, which I was expecting to be strange with the lens weighing so much more than the camera. It didn't add much to manual focusing due to the small (and dark) viewfinder on the camera countering any improvement in the light.
 
If you can afford the top end Zuiko glass then get an E-5 and you're laughing. I've never seen such a well-praised line up of lenses to be honest, and despite being few in numbers, it covers a huge range. If I still had my E-system I would LOVE the 35-100 f2 and the 150mm f2.
 
Well since you already have the 9-18mm, perhaps you don't need to go to the expense of a 12-60mm to get the extra at the wide end. Why not consider the 14-54mm Olympus f2.8. Its a bit smaller, lighter and cheaper than the 12-60mm, but still F2.8 at the wide end. OK it's not SWD, but to get the best out of those 3 little letters, you really need an E-30, E-30 or E-5.
No-one seems to have mentioned the Panasonic/Leica 14-50mm, which was supplied with the L-1 & L-10. the one that came with the L-1 starts out at F2.8, whereas the one supplied with the L-10 starts out as F3.8
Both are fine lenses and have the additional advantage for you that they have in-lens Image Stabilisation.
There's some of each on ebay at the moment for you to have a peek at.
 
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To add to peak4's sound reasoning for the 14-50, while it does not have SWD that can be an advantage. Apart from the SWD motors appearing to fail more often (my 50-200 failed 3x in 2 years, I successfully got it replaced with new - for that to fail once too!) they are also of little use with a camera body utilising contrast detect autofocus. The 14-50 MkII will focus faster on the m43 cameras and in live view on the 4/3 bodies than any SWD lens.
Worth noting in case a future body change is likely.
 
Bumblebear said:
Why did you change systems?
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Because The D300 could give me everything an E-30 could, plus more, and access to a wealth of lesnes that don't cost the earth. A body lasts me years but I like switching lenses and doing that on Olympus/43 become obscenely expensive.
 
The 14-53 mk1 is a really great lens, I use mine on my E1, E520 and now the E620. A lot better IMHO than the kit lens (14-42mm) the Mk2 is excellent too. They can both be picked up on eBay at really good prices, I got my Mk1 for £220.
 
Bumblebear said:
Most of my photos are of children and animals (candid/photojournalism shots) so I really want something that focusses fast (is this what is meant by a "fast lens"?) and that I can use in fairly low light e.g. dusk...
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Well, you've had some advice, but the 12-60SWD is an expensive lens and I'm stingey, so for my own e-410 I bought a used 14-54MkI (The lens that people here are called 14-50 or 14-53) for £190-ish.
I didn't get it to improve autofocus speed because that's absolutely fine for me using the original kit zooms 14-42 and 40-150.

So in order I suggest buying ;
1. Nothing from USA
2. 40-150 used, from photo forums here in Britain.
3. 14-54MkI used, again.
4. e-600 or e-620 body : slightly faster focusing plus toher advantages.

If you want something small get an Olympus e-pM1 with kit zoom lens : focus is almost instant and the pictures are as nice as from your own e-420 and that's saying something.
 
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