Thinking about upgrading... Oly E-500 to Fuji S3 Pro

[penz]

I really like taking night shots but with the E-500 they never look all that great. I have heard the Fuji S3 Pro takes great night shots but then I have to buy all new gear. It would also be nice to have a camera with more available and many that are cheaper. I know I could trade in my Olympus but I don’t really know how much I would get. I have also thought about selling it to a friend. I have the E-500 body, 17.5-45 kit lens, Sigma 50-200mm cheapo lens, FL-36 flash (just over a week old), remote, 2 batteries and the kit charger. I also have a case for everything. How much should I ask for all this stuff if I sell it?

[Rhys]

I really like taking night shots but with the E-500 they never look all that great. I have heard the Fuji S3 Pro takes great night shots but then I have to buy all new gear. It would also be nice to have a camera with more available and many that are cheaper. I know I could trade in my Olympus but I don’t really know how much I would get. I have also thought about selling it to a friend. I have the E-500 body, 17.5-45 kit lens, Sigma 50-200mm cheapo lens, FL-36 flash (just over a week old), remote, 2 batteries and the kit charger. I also have a case for everything. How much should I ask for all this stuff if I sell it?

What exactly is wrong with your night shots? If it's an SLR then you should be able to take great night shots. Could it be a technique problem rather than an equipment problem?

[penz]

I have tried shotting from a tripod using the remoteso the camera doesn't shake at all with the ISO @ 200-400 (nothing higher is useable) of towns with some lights and the moon with clouds around lighting up. I can't get any of them to come out as good as with my old Fuji FinePix S3800. I have tried using up to 10 second exposures at f20. There is a lot of color and a good amount of light in the photos but there are no details. If I raise the ISO to 800 or even 1600 the pictures turn out more like I want them to but they are so grainy I can't use them even after using Noise Ninja. I'm not using super bright lenses because if I sell my camera I don't want to loose more money. I want these photos to be clear enough to make an 8x10 print with out looking like some little kid snapped the shot with his cell phone while running. If the S3 Pro takes as good of night and low light shots as I have heard I think it would be perfect for me. It would also be nice to buy lenses with out having to wait for weeks because all the shops have to order everything for the 4/3 mount. I do really like the E-500, don't get me wrong, it's only that I need something that can shoot what I like to shoot and do it well. I would look at the Oly E-1 but I don't know if it would be any better during the night than the E-500.

[Jason25]

What type of tripod are you using for your night shots?

[Rhys]

What type of tripod are you using for your night shots?

I agree. I think the problem could be camera shake on a cheap tripod.

Have a look at this picture (taken today at Myrtle Beach). No tripod. I just pressed my camera down onto a bench on my balcony. Admittedly I cleaned up the noise in Photoshop and tweaked it a little but this was taken with my Canon S1 IS with a 5 second exposure.

[penz]

I have used a Manfrotto Super Pro 161MK2 from work and I have also used my Bilora Action Line 261 lowered down all the way. Thats a nice shot you got but your camera also has IS and this is something that is not an opion for me yet. These are my favorite shots and I can never get them to turn out. I never had a problem with my Fuji S3800. I have been looking around and I can get the E-1 with the power grip and the 14-56mm for 1150 euro or I can spend the same money for the Fuji S3 Pro. The only plus I have in getting the E-1 is I have some lenses for it and a flash but if I sell my E-500 I would have extra money to buy these things for the Fuji and the I could use Nikkor lenses that you can get anywhere. This is where my problem is. All I really need to know is how good is the Fuji S3 Pro at night (compaired to the E-500 and E-1) and how much I should ask for my equipment.

[Rhys]

I have used a Manfrotto Super Pro 161MK2 from work and I have also used my Bilora Action Line 261 lowered down all the way. Thats a nice shot you got but your camera also has IS and this is something that is not an opion for me yet. These are my favorite shots and I can never get them to turn out. I never had a problem with my Fuji S3800. I have been looking around and I can get the E-1 with the power grip and the 14-56mm for 1150 euro or I can spend the same money for the Fuji S3 Pro. The only plus I have in getting the E-1 is I have some lenses for it and a flash but if I sell my E-500 I would have extra money to buy these things for the Fuji and the I could use Nikkor lenses that you can get anywhere. This is where my problem is. All I really need to know is how good is the Fuji S3 Pro at night (compaired to the E-500 and E-1) and how much I should ask for my equipment.

I switched off the IS for that shot. No point in IS on such a stable photo.

Quite honestly I think you should check with Norm in Fujino - he owns an Olympus E300 and gets excellent photos. Unless you show us some photos, we can't really tell whether it's a problem with the camera or a technique problem.

Is the camera just not focussing well at night? That's a problem for all dSLRs.

[penz]

Here is the is one right out of the camera. This was a 2 sec exposure at f5.6 and ISO800. The original was a Raw file.

http://penz-world.com/Moontown2%20(Large).jpg

This was after PhotoShop and Noise Ninja.

http://penz-world.com/Moontown%20(Large).jpg

[Rhys]

Aha. There is your problem. You're using high ISOs. You need to use low ISOs and longer shutter speeds. Is there a noise-reduction setting? There is on some dSLRs.

I don't use noise nija. I use whatever's in Photoshop Elements 2. My Canon S1 IS is horribly noisy at night but with that software, it cleans up beautifully.

If instead of 2 seconds at 800 ISO, you shot for 16 seconds at 100 ISO or even 30 at 100 ISO then I'm sure you'd achieve better results. Rather than changing the camera, try a different approach to the picture.

[Norm in Fujino]

I have tried shotting from a tripod using the remoteso the camera doesn't shake at all with the ISO @ 200-400 (nothing higher is useable) of towns with some lights and the moon with clouds around lighting up. I can't get any of them to come out as good as with my old Fuji FinePix S3800. I have tried using up to 10 second exposures at f20. There is a lot of color and a good amount of light in the photos but there are no details.

Your likely problem is user error and lack of experience, not the camera itself. Shooting at F20 is a mistake to begin with, since the effects of diffraction on the blades of the iris at that tiny diameter will cause shots to begin losing detail. As others have suggested, other issues could be involved, like a shaky tripod. Why not post some of the photos and let us look at them.

[penz]

These are the only night time photos I haven't deleted. I will give it a shot tonight if I can stay awake that long. Would I be better off using ISO 50 using the "Cheat Code" or will this even make a differance? Like I have said this is my only (real) problem with this camera, I love everything else about the photos it produces. Maybe I will have better luck also with a better lens. The 17.5-45 is not the best lens on earth any way you look at it. I think I will look at the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 and the 30mm f1.4 next (still haven't ordered it) and keep the camera around for a while.

[Rhys]

These are the only night time photos I haven't deleted. I will give it a shot tonight if I can stay awake that long. Would I be better off using ISO 50 using the "Cheat Code" or will this even make a differance? Like I have said this is my only (real) problem with this camera, I love everything else about the photos it produces. Maybe I will have better luck also with a better lens. The 17.5-45 is not the best lens on earth any way you look at it. I think I will look at the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 and the 30mm f1.4 next (still haven't ordered it) and keep the camera around for a while.

Longer time exposure. Slower ISO. The lens makes very little difference for a time exposure as you can stop it down sufficiently to turn even a ghastly lens into a good performer.

[penz]

OK! The slower ISO really worked well.

http://penz-world.com/GKcarlights%20(Medium).jpg
3.2 sec, 55mm f4.0 @ ISO 50

http://penz-world.com/train3%20(Medium).jpg
6.0 sec, 55mm f4.0 @ ISO100

http://penz-world.com/burgtripps%20(Medium).jpg
20 sec, 17mm f3.5 @ ISO 50


Thanks for the tips. I will be buy new glass and maybe a new printer now instead of a 1200 euro camera.