Sony DSC-P10 vs Olympus 5050

[radiikal]

Hi all!
I'm having one hell of a time choosing between a Sony P10 and an Olympus 5050!!!!

in my country, they are quite similar in price, both the cameras as well as the housing....

but i do realized that the PT-05 can add wide angle or telephoto lens....but other than that, wat else should i consider?

the ultimate question.....which one should be my wife?????

any comment will be very appreciated!

help!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks all!

 

[Gilligan]

I would go with the Olympus 5050. Check the posts on this site and you will see that Canon and Olympus seem to be the favorites. Some feel that Sony has not kept up with either of those two.:shades:

 

[5615mike]

I am also considering the Sony. The size of the Sony is a definate advantage. I am surprised that they are so equally priced. You can get a p10 with sony housing here for about $750. What about a strobe? What are your plans there? Are you looking at the sony housing or another housing?

 

[Cecil]

Put in my vote for the Sony. Have a DSC-P5 for the last year and a half and love it. The Olympus is way more popular. Here's a link to some samples I took recently in Bonaire.

Samples

 

[5615mike]

Cecil

Are you ony using the internal flash or do you have an exteral strobe?

 

[radiikal]

I used P5 for the past 1.5 years, with a Sea & Sea strobe. without the red filter, the camera is litterally useless....the images are just too greenish...

what i like abt the PT015 from olympus is that it can mound additional lenses, which gives me more freedom...

of course 5050 actually lets u set the appeture and shuttle speed manually, which u can't do in P10....

but the p10 is really small....that's an adcvantage!

i don't know...most would go for the olympus instead of sony....i'm still deciding....hahhahhaa

thanks all!

 

[Travisc]

from someone who had had the P5, P9 and dive with people with the P10.

P10 advantages.

Small, Simple, Easy to use.
disadvantages.
Battery life, proprietary, memory sticks *to some at least*

I now have C5050z and C50
They share the same storage XD *C50 cannot use CF*
I can screw on additinal lenses
C5050 uses AA's, and is very much manually adjustable.
C50 is compact and an inexpensive way to get in, $400 and $150

Travis

 

[5615mike]

Travisc once bubbled...
from someone who had had the P5, P9 and dive with people with the P10.

P10 advantages.

Small, Simple, Easy to use.
disadvantages.
Battery life, proprietary, memory sticks *to some at least*

I now have C5050z and C50
They share the same storage XD *C50 cannot use CF*
I can screw on additinal lenses
C5050 uses AA's, and is very much manually adjustable.
C50 is compact and an inexpensive way to get in, $400 and $150

Travis

Travis

Are you saying that you have had both P5 and the P9? If you compare pictures from the P10 to the C50, which takes better photos? What pixel is the C50? Do you use a strobe on the 5050? Did you with the P series?

If someone had several Sony memory sticks already due to other Sony products, then the only realy disadvantage do the P10 is the battery life?

I am just curious as I am trying to make a decision on a camera myself.

Thanks

 

[Finesse]

radiikal and 5615 mike .... the comment about "small is a definite advantage" depends on how and where you're using it ..... To me small is NOT better for several reasons.

Overall operation of the camera for one thing .... If you're looking to just take a few snap shots here and there .... YES… then small is nice to be able to tuck it away when not in use. Great for warm water diving with no gloves on. But in cold water (and I dont know where you guys do your diving) gloves play a role in the camera's function. I know Cecil uses his in cold water so he can further comment on that.

Stability of the camera when using an external strobe ..... some of the bigger strobes are probably two to three times the size of the sony.... which could make that setup very unbalanced...(I dont know much about that sony set up and I dont even know if it can accommodate an external strobe)

There are several other things that would steer me into the Olympus (many more features, many housing choices, available media storage options, peer support ..... Going out on a limb I would venture a guess that Olympus (most likely with Nikon and Canon) in the States is close to being one of the most popular choices for digital amateur U/W use.

The picture quality of the Olympus series IMHO produces some of the most colorful, sharp and clean photos out there....

Here is a thread
from a few weeks ago that has some good info in it....


Bottom line ....you need to get whats right for you and fits your diving style ... not what I or anyone else thinks is right for you ...... Funny thing is I have more sony equipment than anything else .... 3 TV's, 2 DVD's, Digi camcorder, CD players ... you get the idea … I love their stuff and feel they make some truly high quality equipment BUT I also really like the Olympus cameras

Good luck !!!

 

[5615mike]

Finesse...........you make some very valid points. I had seen the thread you posted and good info there as well. My problem is that I love Sony gear. I have almost all Sony products but I am leaning with you on the camera. I have an old DSC-S70 3.4mg camera that has taken some great shots for me.

I am leaning toward the Oly 4040 ro 5050 for another reason you outlined regarding the strobe. I have used several U/W cameras, none of which had an external stobe. The last one I used was in Coz. A new Sea & Sea DX3000. Neat camera but I did not rent the strobe. Won't due that again. I almost think it's a waste spending so much time on a dive to set up shots only to have them have improper lighting. The external strobe is a must IMO and I dont' think the Sony rig is as well adapted for strobe due to its small size.

Sorry Sony..........you'll just have to loose this one.