DSLR- E510

[iantobach]

I`m getting older and the wife has agreed to me having a dslr for my birthday ( she wants one too, so I`m unsurprised she didn`t shout at the price!)

I`ve been looking at all the magazines/websites and I`ve narrowed it down to the

Olympus E510

this has live view and image stabilisation- which to my thoughts would help astroimaging as all the images I take require just the right night- with quick set up of 10 inch sct( takes ages to set up laptop , leads, and focus /set exposure etc on my ccd)clear skies(Rare),and patience!!

I know the reviews are saying it a fair amount of noise at ISO`s better suited for astrophotography- but that seems to be the only thing against it at the price(500 quid)

does anyone have any advice- would I be significantly better off with the dedicated canon 20d second hand( I quite like the idea of live view)

Any advice good or bad would be gratefully appreciated.

cheers iantobach

[barkis]

Ian, I have an Olympus E-500 with which I have taken lunar pics, but as yet no deep sky. I know the camera is restricted to bulb exposure duration of 8 minutes. I have just found out from a chap who has just joined SGL, that he is very disappointed with his Olympus E-400, which I understand to have even shorter exposure times. I believe with his model, the times are dependent upon the iso setting, the longer exposure for the slower setting. I would do some research on the camera you intend to buy, before you part with your money. It may not be suitable for long exposure astro pics.

Ron.

Read here Ian. http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php/topic,17012.0.html

[mikkey99]

Ian having looked through a few reviews like this one

http://alatest.com/apps/reviews/4433543/-1/Digital+SLR+Cameras/Olympus+E-510/

The 510 Doesn`t appear to have a bulb setting so unless you can control the shutter via comp software you will be limited to 60 sec max.

(although to be honest you can find some fantastic images on here from stacked 60 sec exp)

Other than that it looks a great camera and if the image stabilization will work without lens attached it should be great for getting rid of those annoying little vibrations you sometimes get (wind, passing car, etc)

Mike

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Unless you have a good reason not to - get a Canon.

Whilst I use a Nikon, I have discovered that Canon is the weapon of choice for the software writers, Nikon controlability is a bit bodged if its there at all. I don't expect DSLR stuff like DSLR shutter or DSLRFocus will support Olympus so you should check these things first to avoid disappointment.

Kaptain Klevtsov

[russ]

The E510 does have bulb but as Ron says, it's limited. Plus Olympus still haven't got on terms with Canon and Nikon for controlling noise. Hence why Olympus need to limit the use of bulb. It's a shame as by all accounts it's the best sub-£600 DSLR on the market.

Best stick with the Canon 400D, which pains me to say it as I really don't like the body design of the 350D/400D. Perhaps the worst the camera to hold.

Russ

[peonic]

I agree with Rus that the Nikon's "feel" like a better camera to hold - but with the huge availability of Canon lenses, their excellent low noise sensors, and the fact that it's cheaper than the Olympus you were looking at I'd also find it hard not to advise you went with the 400d.

Chris

[iantobach]

yet again thanks for the advice- I suppose it`s the live view that attracts me- to the olympus so much, together with th image stabiliser- but i suspect that would be better for planetry stuff rather than DSI, I hadn`t thought about the software, but you guys have given me pause for thought.

[Cloudwatcher]

I find myself in the same boat as Ian. DSLRs are a lot less of a hassle and if one is more of an observer than imager are ideal for for those occasions when you want to record something of interest seen though your scope. I have the Canon 350D and have obtained some worthwhile results but the viewfinder is not of the brightest and the live view offered by the e410/e510 is very appealing. The e410 (don't know about the 510) is lighter than the 350D and should reduce any 'balancing' probs when fitted to the scope.

There are add-on systems (name eludes me at the moment) available which fit over the viewfinder of most popular makes of DSLR and transmits the live view to a small separate screen that can be handheld if this is convenient to the user. Might be worth considering as an alternative if you already own a DSLR........No more back strains! The smaller model retails at prices between £100-£115 and the larger with more advanced features something in excess of £200.

CW

[Cloudwatcher]

Just remembered.......ZigView.....that's the name!

Don't have link details here but a search under that name will turn it up.

CW

[Ant]

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/?/photo/zigview/zigview.html&GCID=S18120x002&KEYWORD=zigview&gclid=CPStk7_CwI4CFQ0eEgodqFPBww

[iantobach]

just been looking at the pentax k10d- similar features, no live view, less noise, longer exposure times apparentely- but does pentax have more compatabile software than olympus available guys??

[iantobach]

also I suppose the biggest question is does anyone have experiance of image stabilisation and astrophotography??- does it work!!!????

[Tinkerbell]

Lo Ian

To get round the problem of having no live focus and not wanting to use the laptop I set the focus on a star and take a picture. Then magnify it on the back screen and if it is not in focus delete and try again, with a little practice you soon learn to nail the focus. I should add that I also use the Canon Angle Finder C to get focus, some people can use them and others can't . As for the stabilisation if the camera is attached to the scope the only vibration that is likely is when the shutter is released, so I use a remote shutter release, mine is the TC80N3 which You can program for the number of shots, the duration, the interval between shots and a delay when You first trip the shutter to give you time to get a safe distance

The reason I got the Canon was all the great images I had seen and the wealth of knowledge that the good people on the astro forums are quite happy to pass along.

[EA2007]

As Barkis has stated at the top of this post, I have had problems with my Olympus DSLR.

Although it is an E-400, I can assume that the exposure restraint is a problem throughout the Olympus 'E' range. The 8 minutes of exposure on mine comes at a low ISO of 100, and an ISO of higher than 500 will only do 1 minute, saying that though my scope has a slow f/12 ratio so perhaps results will be better on a scope with a ratio of about 7.

I am hoping to change my Olympus for a Canon or a Nikon as like the others say they are coming down in price and accessories are easy to get hold of, plus Canon has most of the software market.

Take your time to 'test drive' a camera before you buy it if you can

[Robd]

just been looking at the pentax k10d- similar features, no live view, less noise, longer exposure times apparentely- but does pentax have more compatabile software than olympus available guys??

Short answer is no, as yet I have failed to find any third party software for the K10d. However the Pentax software is not bad in so far as you can control the camera from a pc. This allows interval exposures ( up to 9 ) with a fixed delay between each shot ( up to 1 hour ). The images can be saved directly to the pc.

I have not tried this in anger yet - pc not available when observing. Up to 1hr exposure - no actual limit in bulb mode to my knowledge though not sure that the battery would last this long.

No idea why repeater limited to 9 shots - careless programming no doubt - the original remote control software allowed for bulb mode - click and hold - release when done- sheer madness so easy to code click to start, click to stop, or two buttons or specify required exposure tim. Ok rant over.

The supplied software therefore allows you to kick of 9 5min exposures whilst you go and have a cuppa or six.

I usually use the 2 second repote delay. This immediatly lifts the mirror and then opens shutter 2secs later. ( 12sec remote delay waits 12 secs then lifts mirror and opens shutter - nother rant coming on... )

Rob