New e500 owner - battery/accessories query

[cat]

Well I thought my foray into the world of DSLR's would have to wait a good deal longer ( financial restrictions! ) but yesterday purchased an e500 for a rather bargainous £168 delivered! Cam comes with the standard kit lens.

Have had to buy a card ( my current camera, canon s2, took SD cards ) and now need batteries.

I've purchased a 2 gig Sandisk extreme 3 CF memory card which should keep me going for now but batteries are more confusing! What does everyone else use? Certainly when it came to my S2 I was of the opinion that not all rechargeable batteries are the same! Am half tempted by the ebay cheapies but swaying more towards the uniross equiv's, any good or should I just stick with olympus?

Also I made an utter mess of the LCD on my S2 so if anyone could recommend some kind of screen protector that would be good!

Lastly I have a Raynox DCR-250 macro lens that I used to use with my S2. I'm aware that you can use this with the e500 but not sure how! Do I need to purchase extension tubes? Also, at the risk of sounding an idiot, not sure how you go about focusing! with the S2 I had to use the LCD screen and rock the camera backwards and forwards until the subject looked in focus.... am aware that with a DSLR the LCD screen is just there to review images you have taken.. if anyone has any tips, or links to tips!, on using this camera with the Raynox that would be greatly appreciated!

Many Thanks!

[Phill D]

I can't help with any of your questions Cat sorry but I saw a similar priced offer on digital depot's web site was that where you got it? I was tempted too but didn't in the end. I'd say you got a real bargain nice one Cat. I look forward to seeing some shots soon.

[kgosden]

Cat,

I have several non-Olympus batteries and they have all behaved fine. However, I do not know what might be available in the UK.

As for you other questions, I think you may need a bit more assistance in learning about your new camera than can be learned through this type of site. I would recommend a local adult ed course (do they have those in the UK?) where you might have someone offer hands on time. There are certainly a large number of good basic DSLR books on the market as well.

Like most cameras, including your Canon S2, the E500 has autofocus. Basically when you look through the view finder and aim at your subject the camera will attempt to focus on the main item in the field of view at one of the focus points. this occurs when you half or fully depress the shutter button. This assumes that you have the camera set to autofocus mode and there is adequate light and contrast on the subject.

It sounds like your main focusing problem with the Canon was related to shooting closeups. The problem there was not really with the camera. You were likely trying to shoot right at the minimum focusing distance. In that instance moving the camera allowed you to get far enough away to allow the camera's autofocus to function. You will have similar situations with the E500 or any camera. Every lens has a minimum focusing distance. For DSLR's you can buy a macro lens which is designed around closeup photography. The Olympus 50mm macro is one of the best. You can certainly try to use the Raynox closeup filter/lens on the E500. It appears to be only a 49mm diameter lens which is much too small for the 58mm filter size of the Olympus. Extension tubes are a great and cost effective way to get closer for low cost. They also offer the benefit of not adding any additional glass between you and the subject. More glass is generally bad and lower quality glass like the Raynox is just a waste.

[kgosden]

Oops, you had too many questions and I forgot about the LCD protector. I just use the standard stick on ones for Palms, PDA's, etc and I cut it to fit. Every few months I replace it with a new one.

Also, here is a pretty useful site http://wrotniak.net/photo/ run by Andrzej Wrotniak that is largely dedicated to Olympus cameras.

[cat]

Thank you for the answers!

Phill - I did indeed puchase from digital depot!

Camera should arrive today, card I ordered from Play so will take a little longer ( I shall 'borrow' one of my son's XD cards in the meantime as he has a Fuji )

kgosden - Unfortunately I don't think my local college runs photography courses - certainly not digital ones! I used a standard SLR when I was at college so not a total beginner. I also used my S2 on manual. My query re the Raynox is because I don't have the funds to purchase a 'proper' macro lens at this time. The focusing issue with the Raynox is primarily because the DOF is so narrow! I took these using it with the S2.





I suspect I shall miss using the swivel screen as it allowed me to focus in awkward positions!

I've had a trawl of flickr and it would seem there are a few people using the Raynox with the e500 ( one here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcroldan/204275708/ ) but unfortunately I don't speak spanish! ( although am currently learning bizarrly enough as the school I work in is twinned with a Spanish school! )

Will certainly check out Wrotniak's site!

[stever06]

to the DSLR world. If your going to mess with the DCR250 with your E500, make sure you have a tripod. If I'm correct, the universal adapter fits 58mm so it'll fit directly to your lense. You'll use it mostly on the 40-150mm as it's a tele-macro lense. A recommended accessory would be the cable release so you don't muck the focus by touching the camera to shoot after locking on since the DOF is razor thin.

Happy shooting!