Some advice required

[lefty]

I have built up a decent collection of Olympus lenses which I use with an E510, purchased because it was compact and light - hate the idea of the bulk of an EOS or suchlike. Also got a fairly sophisticated Olympus dedicated flash so I am kind of hooked into that brand !

I'm about to get a fairly serious lens (the ED 50-200mm 1:2.8-3.5 SWD ) brought over from the States - my question is - do I need to upgrade the body to get the best out of it ? An E-3 body will cost about $1300 here, which seems a lot, and I wonder whether this is going to be worth it.

Which is where you guys come in. Thoughts please.

[Ferry_vO]

I think (Not an Olympus user) that you will definitely see an improvement in image quality with your new lens on your old body so I would try that first. Looking at the specs the difference in megapixel is not that big, the E-3 does shoot (faster 5 vs. 3 fps) has higher iso range (1600 vs. 3200) and the build quality is probably a lot better with it's weather sealed magnesium body. If that's worth the upgrade price I can't decide for you obviously. (But I never regretted upgrading from a Canon 400D to the 7D!)

A good review and comparison with the E-510 here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse3/

As for bulk; the E-3 is about the same size and weight as my Canon 7D, while the E-510 looks about the same size as the Canon 4xx/5xx series in size. So you will notice the extra weight and volume in your hands, especially with a big tele lens (A total of 1,800 gram).

[lefty]

Ferry, thank you. That's exactly the kind of info I needed - didn't realise there was a comparison like that around.

My real concern was that I wouldn't be getting the best out of the new lens' quick autofocussing, and that may be true up to a point.

So it's a trade-off between that and the other technical superiorities v the vast bulk and, most of all, the vast expense ! Think we'll stick with the 510 for now and see how it goes. Many thanks again.

[JorisVandenBerghe]

I see that lens isn't that heavy, so I don't know. From my own experience I'd say a heavier lens (this one isn't light but not really heavy either - in the league of the Sony CZ 24-70 f/2.8 I thought about a while ago as far as weight is concerned apparently) works better with a heavier body. It's one of my main reasons to upgrade to a future A7XX with grip, simply because of the better balance with a heavy (1.500 kilogram/3.3 lbs) lens.

[Ferry_vO]

My real concern was that I wouldn't be getting the best out of the new lens' quick autofocussing, and that may be true up to a point.

I guess that also depends on what you are shooting; for zoo trips, landscapes or architecture AF speed or fps is not that important; when you do action (Sports, cars, aircraft) a lot it becomes more important.

Joris: I'm using a monopod with two plates, one for the zoom lens and one for the body for use with a short lens. When using the tele zoom the monopod is connencted about midway of the lens and body combo so it is pretty well balanced.

[JorisVandenBerghe]

Sorry for the off-topic, but I feel this may be a better investment ;). I consider getting one myself, but it obviously works better when using a prime (say, a 300/2.8 or so) as you can't zoom and hold it at the same time.

http://bushhawk-europe.com/uk/catalogue_1

[Ferry_vO]

Not something I want to go pointing around on a military base, Joris! :icon_lol:

[JorisVandenBerghe]

Hmm...I'd do it. At least in Western Europe (not in Greece...I'd rather not end up in a Greek prison!). It ought to be very handy when panning or tracking an aircraft.

/OT

[Panther_99FS]

Lefty,
Have a lookee at the below URL to see how all Olympus bodies match up....
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/Camera-Sensor/Sensor-rankings/Sheet-view

[lefty]

Very interesting, thanks again, Panther old boy. I think, bearing in mind the amount of photography I do, and taking cost and bulk into consideration, I'll stick to what I have - for the moment !

(Had a look at the Nikon stats on that site too - out of sight...woops, there are Canon men reading this !)

[Panther_99FS]

Well don't forget, I'm also an Olympus owner too! :jump: