Always changing!

Karhallarn · Joined: 26 May 2009 Posts: 577

Hi guys,

as some of you might now, I'm somebody constantly changing camera bodies and systems out of a variety of reasons but mostly out of curiosity and cause I a gear hog!

4 months ago I changed from Nikon (D200) to Canon (40D) because of the bigger selection of manual glass! 1 year before this I changed from Pentax (Samsung GX20) to Nikon (D200) because of unhappiness I can't explain anymore! 5 months earlier I changed from Nikon (D1x) to Pentax (Samsung GX20) because of the bigger selection of manual glass (sounds familiar...).

Now my 40D died and it would have cost me 150€ to get the same model used at the camera store which sold me the first and which send it to the repair center. As I had warranty on the 40D they would give me the 350€ I paid (actually traded my D200 back then) and a discount if I bought my new camera at their store.

I tried a 1D Mark1 which had a bigger sensor (and bigger is always better! Wink

) but the ancient technology held me back. Then I tried the Olympus e-P2 and to my big surprise I really enjoyed it but missed the viewfinder of a DSLR. So I took the money.

My head was spinning around before going to get the money on which camera to jump next, having lost faith in Canon because of their electronic issues (I had every single Error message you can get in just 4 months with the 40D!), I thought about returning to Pentax or Nikon or going Sony (I had a relationship with Minolta due to my father) or taking one of those EVIL cameras. So I went to the store and tried and look around but went out with the cash and the e-P2 in mind. Then we went to another camera store to try out an e-P1 I saw on their Webpage. This was gone at the time I came to that store but I spotted a familiar packaging in the rag behind the salesman. They had an Olympus e600 sitting in their shelfs and he showed it to me and told me it costs 399€ with the Kitzoom and it was new. I tried it and instantly liked it (I had be playing with the e620 before). So I told him to hold it back for me and went to shop some other things with my wife! Long story short, I returned to the store and got that little bugger!

So now I have a smaller sensor than before but I must admit I never had so much fun with another camera!
The ergonomics of the tiny body took some days to get used to but are actually quiet comfortable and the small viewfinder needs some practice still! I really enjoyed the Kitzoom and then yesterday my lens adapters arrived (OM for my Adaptall and Nikon) and I tried the camera with the Nikkor-H and the Helios 81N and it is just such a wonderful experience! One of the best IQs I have had (on par with the GX20 and better than the rest) and a dynamic headroom like no one else!
The flip out screen is the most joyful thing I encountered (I never would have thought so!) and the only huge drawback is the battery life of just about 200 shots!

Sorry for the long intro and story but I thought you might find it interesting!

So here are some samples!

first of the Helios 81N

And then the Nikkor-H

And finally to illustrate the dynamic range first of the taken image and second the processed image 2 stops pulled down!

Alle images were taken in raw and just covered to jpeg using Aperture3! No pp except for the last one!

poilu · Expire: 2019-08-29

if you got every error message with the 40D, I understand your disappointment
I also think about the 5DII from Trifox, a expensive dslr who got a problem with the shutter
I hope your new e600 will keep strong for many year
I was lucky with my 3 Canon dslr but I give them only T* lenses to keep them in good shape Smile

Karhallarn · Joined: 26 May 2009 Posts: 577

Yeah wasn't the best promo for Canon!

I also gave it T* lenses from a friend which I and the camera quiet enjoyed!

On the other hand right beside the L and T* on the keyboard thanes the zuiko!

Yebisu · Joined: 13 Feb 2011 Posts: 1299

I hope you enjoy your new camera. I really like the mushrooms shot with the Nkkor H btw.

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

It is great to see the end of the story... Olympus is a nice camera brand and your images are stunning.
I to hope your camera stays healthy, although the Canon sounded like it might have been one of those dud/lemons that you come across occasionally in any brand.The Nikkor h images are best for me.