I've been looking at different DSLR's

I'm kinda fond of Olympus Cameras...

I saw a couple of different deals on the

Olympus Evolt E-500 DSLR

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=OMEVE500KT2

and

this one

another reason is I own a couple of gigs of xd memory now..

The second one I posted, comes with 2GB of CF memory, so, I'd need a CF reader..Not a deal breaker as they are pretty cheap..

The I started looking at the

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi

Now we are looking at an 8 MP v.s.a 10.1 MP camera

I found one at B+H with a lens 

and a package at Beach camera

I'd like to hear what the experts think..

I'll reply and give my thoughts while you are waiting for an expert to come along.

Get the one your heart desires because if you are fond of Olympus then Olympus is the best.  You can read reviews and get a thousand opinions, but at the end of the day they are they are all great cams that are capable of taking great pics. There are experts, professionals, artists using every type of camera you can think of, and a few you have never heard of, they all get stunning amazing pics out of all these cameras. 

Different cams have different strengths and weaknesses so unless you have a specific task in mind for this camera that requires it to be strong in one particular area the choice is down to which will give you the most joy in ownership.

Well, it's late, and I'm not the expert, but I will tell you a couple of things:

I have long been a satisfied Olympus user, since the OM2. I later had an OM4T, several lenses, and I now own an e500, and the hospital for which I serve as marketing director just purchased one. I love them.

Meanwhile, if you want more megapixels, the e400 is going to be priced soon, and, whereas it may be a bit more than the e500, most camera blogs and reviews are placing its price as very competitive. It has 10 megapixels and will use the same quality lenses as the e500.

There's nothing wrong with Canon. There's nothing wrong with Olympus, for that matter. If you like Olympus, my humble opinion is that you should just get an Olympus. I've been extraordinarily pleased with mine. I bit the bullet and got the 14-54, $500 lens the second go-round, and I think it is noticeably superior to the "kit"lens, though the kit lens is certainly adequate, parcticularly for those on a budget.

Just my .02.

Personally, I wouldn't spend any extra money on a difference of 2MP... Unless you are aiming for the very high-end applications of photography, 8MP is more than sufficient (6MP too, for that matter). The quality of a cam is not in the amount of pixels, as any expert will tell you... the manufacturers are increasing the pixel count for strategic marketing reasons now, not for the extra quality. Of course, 10, 12 or 14MP looks very attractive for marketing reasons, but it won't necessarily get you a better cam. I've been a long time Olympus user, and now I have an Olympus E-500 for several months, and it works very well... The quality of the image and the colors is superb. The Olympus Zuiko lenses rank among the best... but some are very expensive. Sigma already has 5 or 7 good value lenses developed for Olympus' Four-Thirds standard, Leica also has some lenses ready (in partnership with Panasonic, who also uses the four-thirds standard). As Richard said, there are lots of good cameras. Eventually, if you choose well, you will come to love the camera that you bought, and never look back. You will love your Olympus (most users do, as Olympus has the highest customer satisfaction); you'll love your Canon; you'll love your Nikon, etc... Choose a good one... ;o))

Certainly agree with the general principle of it being hard to go wrong these days, esp if you do not own any lenses etc... I would also agree that much will depend what sort of images you want to take... for example your low light images would certainly benefit from the ultra low noise that the Canon you mentioned can provide  ... It is an important choice so take your time, one thing to be aware of is that once you make the decision and invest in optics to go with it now and in the future  you may be tied down to that technology be it four thirds or  ones that are only suitable for a digital sensor..

Go for the best you can afford, and go a a good dealer where you can handle the ones you have short listed ergonomics are important too.. We have had some other good threads recently that may be worth a read..

Dunno if this helps but 3D World Mag for Sept 06 has a review of the:

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R........Rated 7/10

Pentax Optio WPi....................Rated 6/10

Kodak Easy-Share P880......Rated 8/10

Canon PowerShot S3IS.......Rated 8/10

They gave the nod to the canon 'due to it's ability to produce the goods under the most varied conditions'

I am a complete amature and I have a canon Powershot A95, I love it and I think for a person who has no training I have taken some nice pics, however the thing that annoys me is that I cannot use generic add on lenses so I can only buy the two specifically for this model. That is one thing to check out I suppose, how versatile its options are and how much they cost.

Have great fun with whatever you buy, and happy snapping!

Jenny.

I love my Nikon D70 and the more recently acquired D200.  The D200 produces excellent color with "auto" light balance and is very, very user friendly...as in ergonomics.  Then again, if I had started with Oly or Canon and was happy wit it,  I can place a sure bet that same brand would be my next camera.  I cannot really compare the brands from a user point of view.    TomDart.

Hello Bruce...

First i totally agree with Richard and more with Daniel! It really depends now here on two things now..

1- What do you want to use the wated DLSR for? I mean what do you want to shoot most of the time?

2- What is your budget to buy an DSLR Camera?

This Full Fram Olympus E-1 is one of the best for its cheap prices comparing it to others in the market these days but with its super and top quality specially with the macro shots! I wish if any of my cameras can help me to get that close, same quality even tho the commercial ones! I tried and tried and spent 10's of thousands on new lenses and equipments..

Please take a look at this link: http://www.olympusamerica.com/e1/default.asp

And look at the top menu for the gallery.. It will amaze you from all sided..

I don't know if you are in California or no.. But i guess you know one of the best stores there.. The CDW please take a look at this link and check what that package includes and read more about the camera.. http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?edc=719695

I am a canon man now.. But i really do respect the olympus equipments.. Who knows i might go back to them when i see the next comming generation..

And if you are interested about that camera.. Feel free to ask me for XOOM PRODUCTIONS quote with a special price and many additional gifts and accessories. And you will get it by, fax, mai, or email..

Thank you and many regards

JOE

Thanks for the answers...I was thinking that the Olympus lenses seem a bit more expensive than the Canon ones.

The reason i wan't a digital SLR is control..My current digital camera doesn't give enough contol..
Nice camera, easy to use..But limited..

I have an older Konica 35mm....with a few lenses..I just don't use it much..

What am I going to shoot? 

Everything !!!

I guess I'm more drawn to things of nature as opposed to people or man made things.
Landscapes, animals,trees ,plants...

I shoot what I see...I will shoot building and stuff..when I see some intersting lines..

I didn't know that there was a new Olympus model comming out...HMMM

Eventually, I'd like to do more with prints...So megapixels do matter...

Olympus have announced the release of an E400 model in Europe that no doubt will be released there soon. http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/dslr_E-400.htm

10mp and similar price to the Canon Rebel xti

Well, you should be able to guess my answer: GO OLY! I am sure you'd be perfectly happy with the new Rebel as well, but I really think y ou should go with Oly. 8MP or 10MP, both will do you right. For what it is worth, here is that JD Power survey again. Go all the way to the bottom! :) I like to think of Oly's as the Apples of the camera world. Just because they have a smaller market share, doesn't mean they aren't the best! ;^] http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2006142

Reason I chose Canon was a few reasons:

1. CMOS Sensor
2. ISO 50-3200 (on both my bodies 5D, 1D Mkii, prob on the newer ones too)
3. noise issues

and both do what I want then to do!

Totally nieve about other makes but whatever ya go for, enjoy :)

I stumbled across this review on the OLY E400 just now....apparently it wont be available in the US or Asia but "available exclusively in Europe"

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3112/first-look-olympus-e-400.html

I used to work for a pro-camera shop - gotta tell you plain and simple, stick with a major brand name (Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax - stay away from stuff like Casio, Sanyo - off brands), and of those names get the brand you're most comfortable with. Thay'll all give you great pictures (6MP and up trumps 35mm film - they can be safely re-sized from the RAW files in their native brand's capture software or in PS-RAW).

Girsempa is right - don't fuss over the resolution difference of 2MP - it's barely noticeable, if at all.

I someone tells you they took "this" picture with "this camera" you'll have to take their word for it - there's nothing that will give away what they used. Once you get up to the major brands' 6MP or higher they're all good cameras and lens systems.
However - DON'T get the generic junk lenses that come with the packages (say, an 18-55 for an extra $100) - spend the extra money and get the next up better lenses (closer to the $300 price variety - your images will be sharper and the edges will have less chromatic abborations).

Things to ask yourself:
1 - Do you want a camera you can grow with - extensive list of lenses and accessories, or you will only need a few as your needs are small?
2 - Ergonomics - actually go to a store and hold the ones you're interested in - there's a HUGE difference between the handling of an Olympus and a Canon (just using the names listed above - I have the Nikon D200 - and I stuck with Nikon because I already had lenses, flashes, cables, etc. - you're starting fresh, so your door is wide open!)

Good luck and have fun!
-Lew ;-)