Is buying a Olympus Evolve E-500 worth it ?

Question

Hello I just won a bid on ebay for a Olympus EVOLT E-500 8.0MP Digital SLR Camera - Black with two lenses (14-45mm & 40-150mm), 1 battery with battery charger. The camera is old now because it came out in 2005 but I am a student photographer and just shoot for fun but would like some features such as timelapse and long exposures. Does anyone know if this camera has those features and is it worth it for 80 bucks?

Answer 1

Buyer BEWARE...

Answer 2

It doesn't matter if it's old as long as it works flawlessly. Normally, I'd advice you test the camera personally first before paying but since this is eBay, well...



The price is too good to be true, $80 is usually for just the body or one lens. It's that cheap so proceed with caution. Check the seller's feedback. Really dig deep. If you find problems, do not hesitate to back out. It's better to get a negative feedback than lose your cash. If the seller hasn't had much activity in the past 6 months, beware. That also goes if there are very few feedback for selling. If the positive feedback count is less than a hundred, avoid like the plague!



-----



Man, buy-it-now at 80? That was dumb! Shut up, don't answer any emails and take the negative. You're practically as new as the seller anyway. You can make a new eBay account when you find another item later but next time, be more careful. Next time you want a dSLR, look for one near you then ask the seller if he is amenable to a meet-up to finish the deal (if ever) before you even place a bid.

Answer 3

Timelapse - no

Long exposures - yes, as long as 60 seconds.



Be careful when buying additional compact flash cards. The camera is old is therefore not able to use large-capacity cards. Often these old cameras can't use anything larger than 16 or 32GB. Read the manual for specifics.

Answer 4

At that price a good camera to get you going and enable you to experiment with many types of photography.

Answer 5

GREAT cameras. The 40-150 is a very good lens. As a student, you will get a lot of pleasure from the camera. Do an internet search, and you will find the on-line manual, plus how to set the different controls to get the best pictures.

E.g. About the Four-Thirds system

http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/oly-e/sensor-size.html

http://www.outbackphoto.com/reviews/equipment/FourThirds/FourThirds.html



A list of the advantages of the four-third system 1/4 way down the page.

http://www.ayton.id.au/gary/photo/Dig_SLRs.htm



"Why I (still) shoot with an Olympus DSLR"

http://www.veoelmundo.com/photography/advice/Why-I-still-shoot-with-Olympus

Answer 6

You should be able to find the exact specs by typing this into a search.