E1 is out

[D70FAN]

Excuse me George, I partially aggree with your comment about being locked in the system. isnt all dslr like that? if you go Canon you stick with their lenses and maybe third party.If you want to use the Nikkor/Leica/Oly/etc on the Canon, then buy the adapters...

it's the same with the E-system. Difference is that you can use the zuiko digital lenses on 4/3 body from Panasonic/Fuji/Kodak/Sigma when they're out.
Sigma has 3 lenses with 4/3 mount right now, and they'll release some more eventualy with the release of E-300.

agree with you, all dslr will give you good picture...
just try the camera, and pick that suits you fine. cheers.

All good points. And perhaps I have been a little biased in my approach, as I have been through the proprietary lens thing with Olympus before, in the film days, and I swore I would never get stuck with their system again.

You're just not looking at the big picture here, and I'm just trying to get you to do that before spending your money on an all-in-one that looks like a dSLR.

Fuji and Panasonic are not likely to use 4/3 in a dSLR. Kodak and Sigma? maybe, but definately a long-shot for both. And I'm betting Olympus has some proprietary restrictions concerning competition on the dSLR front. The problem with consortiums is that they have a tendancy to be non-competitive. Especially when one of the parties has spent the majority of money in development...

Anyway, I didn't intend for this to be an argument as to the quality of the camera, but more of a concern for that camera format in the future. It may turn out that 4/3 is the future of dSLR formats, as it is in high end digital backs (which were already based on medium format film).

Apparently this is not a concern so I will bow out of this dialog, and wish you all the best with your new kit.

[Jredtugboat]

Thanks for the answer. The E1 is not a bad camera, but you might enjoy the Maxxim 7D a little more as it allows a broader selection of lenses. The AS feature is nice as well.

Hi George,

I was just wondering what your full(er) thoughts are on the KM 7D.

I'm particularly interested in it because of the 'old school' ie., dedicated, knobs that are all over it. The AS is nice, too--though with the usual caveats about reliability, etc.

I don't like diddling with menus and nested commands/options. For a small device, like a PDA or a cellphone, they're an evil that I can live with--but it is nice to see fewer of them on the KM 7D.

Have you ever used KM/Minolta products? Know anything about the lenses?

(I only have a G2 P&S, so I don't have anything in the way of a legacy lens base.)

BTW, the other choices in my price range are the D70 and the EOS-20d. I like doing portraiture and do a fair bit of indoor photography (hand-held, no flash). A fast prime for the Canon or Nikon would definitely be in order there...

[D70FAN]

Hi George,

I was just wondering what your full(er) thoughts are on the KM 7D.

I'm particularly interested in it because of the 'old school' ie., dedicated, knobs that are all over it. The AS is nice, too--though with the usual caveats about reliability, etc.

I don't like diddling with menus and nested commands/options. For a small device, like a PDA or a cellphone, they're an evil that I can live with--but it is nice to see fewer of them on the KM 7D.

Have you ever used KM/Minolta products? Know anything about the lenses?

(I only have a G2 P&S, so I don't have anything in the way of a legacy lens base.)

BTW, the other choices in my price range are the D70 and the EOS-20d. I like doing portraiture and do a fair bit of indoor photography (hand-held, no flash). A fast prime for the Canon or Nikon would definitely be in order there...

The KM 7D looks to be a very nice camera. Unfortunately I haven't had time to try one. I really doubt that the AS sensor reliability will be an issue, as I'm sure KM has tested the heck out of it.

I have owned a couple of Minolta film cameras starting with the SRT101, and then the 3Si, which I gave to my youngest son (23 and a film enthusiest). The Minolta lenses I have owned worked fine for my needs as have a few Sigmas and Tamrons over the years.

It's coincidental, but today I was looking at some shots from many of the dSLRs in a collection put together by various customers and employees who have bought cameras or accessories at a local camera store. Most were printed at 11 x 14 on the stores i9900 right off of the memory card. What struck me was that they all looked great! These are from D70, D1X, D300, 10D, 20D, 7D, S2 (no E300 shots yet).

So in the final analysis it's what feels good to you, as you really can't go wrong picture wise.

I use a 50mm f1.8 for low light and portrait shots and it works great. $60 used. But with ISO1600 to work with you may not have a problem even without a fast prime...