DMA

I hope you get a couple of bargins then Only what I've read. Sharpness should be good, it's very compact, so expect good photos. However, the photos will only be slightly better than the kit lens. So it's no SWD series. But it should ensure that your E-420 is even more "compact" than with the 14-42mm lens. To me it comes down to whether you need the wider aperture IMHO rather than compactness. If you or your friend is just going to take photos in normal light, well personally I'd save my money & stick with the kit lens & tolerate the slightly larger lens (& you gain the benefit of it being a zoom), but if there's a touch of low light around, & compactness is a must, then sure it's something to seriously consider.

Exciting!!!! Maybe I should hold off buying lenses a little longer although I expect that these new lenses wil be $$$$$$ Actually we can't use them RV. They're for micro, not standard four thirds. Sorry Having said that, I'd doubt they'd be any better than either the 12-60mm SWD or the 50-200mm SWD. Both are exceptional lenses & I've never seen their equal to date...

I thought the same thing when I went from film SLR to my first dSLR. And that was just the humble E-420! But within 3 months it was a different story & moved to the E-30. Now I've got the E-5 & it's like second nature with all the menus & dails... I'm sure it won't take long for you either, but having fun with it is the most important part IMHO And they take some great ones too! And I know you can get waterproof gear for the M4/3rds range, although it's not my area. Shooting poor impound animals is...

Nice camera

They're the hybrid mirrorless ones with interchangable lenses that Olympus & Panasonic are marketing as a low to mid range alterative to an equivalent dSLR. Panasonic style them as a small SLR whilst Olympus style them as a ranger finder style camera. What camera have you got Kirislin?

Some big announcements over the last week for Micro Four Thirds users in respect to lenses. The following companies will be producing lenses sometime over the next year: Carl Zeiss, Schneider Kreuznach, Sigma, & little known Japanese company Komamura. No real details on focal length/aperture model(s), but it's thought that Carl Zeiss will be releasing their 15.5-45mm f2.6 in M4/3rds; Schneider Kreuznach is looking at their 25mm f0.95 lens; whilst we can expect three or four from Sigma as well.

Buggah about not getting to NY until the end as Cameta have been excellent to buy from. Mind you you've got the perfect excuse to get that E30 snapping! Here's a thought - When you do track down a couple of LA shops, compare their prices to duty free here in Australia if you get the chance. And above all enjoy your holiday

If you're going to New York State, by any chance RV, check out Cameta Camera. They are at eBay, but their physical shop is in New York State. Needless to say they carry Zuiko. Here's their full address: Cameta Camera 253 Broadway (Rt. 110) Amityville, NY 11701 Also here is their website: http://www.cameta.com/ Then there's Henry's but they're in Canada. Likewise they carry Zuiko (I got my 18-180mm from them). Here's their website http://www.henrys.com They have four shops. I've imported a lot from Cameta. Good prices. Excellent reputation. BTW RV - how's the E-30 going?

By all means spread the word :D Good work

Two days to go

bump!

The great thing about the Olympus E-5 is that it's weatherproof

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A quick update... The new Olympus PEN E-PL2 was announced today & added to the listing above. More details to come when reviewers have had their play... Similarly Olympus has announced that they will be bringing out "professional" Micro 4/3rds lenses soon. Also there are rumours that a "professional" body, for the Micro 4/3rds system, is on the way.

Not a problem I hope you find the camera you want

Yeah it's a first generation model of the Micro Four Thirds range which Olympus & Panasonic had modified from the standard Four Thirds. The idea is to have a SLR but one that's about the size of a large compact. Essentially they've taken the mirror out of an SLR, but you still use interchangeable lenses. However the technology has it's weakness in respect to action shots. But for everything else expect SLR level image quality. They aren't, though, good in dull light, as their high ISO ensures very poor noise, but as a good general camera they do the job well. Here's the dpreview.com article on the model: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmcg10/ Personally, if you are going to go Micro Four Thirds, & you are prepared to spend a fair amount, I'd suggest you look at the Panasonic DMC-GH2. It's just been released & is a major improvement over all previous Micro Four Thirds range including break-through sensor technology ensuring the camera has 16MPs instead of the usual 12MPs for Four Thirds. The early reviews have been very impressive for this camera.

Mine get all excited, run out to the backyard, & bark at the fireworks saying "how dare you wake us up from our sleep! We're calling the cops!"

I don't know the indoor conditions of KCC Park either, but I do a lot of indoors photography under very gloomy conditions. Quintessentially there are two aspects to concern your self with. First is your ISO speed & the second is your aperture width. Now I don't use Canon, so I can't help advise what buttons you push, but you probably need to look at setting the ISO at 1 600. The next is you need a wide aperture lens no less than 2.8f IMHO. The first one that springs to mind, especially on a budget, is the Sigma 70-200mm which is at 2.8f given the focal lengths you've mentioned. However, depending on the lux level, you may find you need to use something even wider at say 1.8f. Either way you need to program the camera to set the lens aperture at the widest width possible. In doing so your shutter speed will be fast which should ensure sharper pictures. having said that, ensuring you've got good glass, rather than a cheap lens, should improve image quality as well as piper has suggested above. Plus a better camera would improve things as well, especially in respect to better noise control at higher ISO speeds.

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Yeah it's a big improvement over the E420 eh? I got lazy using it actually... And thanks for the two kelpie photos. I've got two kelpies myself :D That second shot, the facial one, is really nice! Enjoy your new toy

I'm glad you're finally enjoying your Christmas present RV! Please post lots & lots of photos

BTW RV if your after a macro lens, get the 50mm Zuiko. It probably has the best image quailty of the Zuiko macro lenses akin to the SWD range. Having said that, if you get the EX-25 Extension Tube, it'll turn every lens you've got into a macro lens. This works particularly well with the 70-300mm as it has provision actually built into it to work with the EX-25. I've got both, although I don't really do macro.

Yes, many choices, & many good lenses too! If your main focal length is going to be under 60mm, then the only choice is the Zuiko 12-60mm SWD bar none IMHO. It's an exceptional lens, plus you get the benefit of it being a zoom. If it is over 60mm, then get the Zuiko 50-200mm SWD. It'll give you the same image quality as the 12-60mm SWD. Meanwhile the Zuiko 70-300mm is great value, but the 50-200mm will give you better pictures as it's simply got better glass. I've got both, but I hardly use the 70-300mm anymore due to the better image quality from the 50-200mm. But if you're on a tight budget, get the 70-300mm

I can't wait to see what photos you manage when you get that E-30 considering these are great

Add section about the new Micro Four Thirds camera the Lumix DMC GH2. Also there's a very strong rumour that Olympus will release a "Pro" level Micro Four Thirds camera in the new year...