Olympus Evolt E-500 vs. Fuji S9000, or other options...

[Kesserendrel]

I am a flyfishing guide and freelance writer looking for a camera that I can use to produce photographic support for my magazine articles, for "trophy shots" that I can process in Photoshop and sell back to my clients, for wildlife photography (in Yellowstone) to decorate the shop where I work (and, of course, to sell prints off the walls, if anyone is interested), and to produce images for the shop's website (www.parksflyshop.com, virtually all pics were taken with a 3.2MP Kodak DX6340 and edited with Elements 3.0 --you can see why I want to upgrade). I also may be taking a trip to Scotland as a present to myself for finishing grad school.

A long zoom really is a necessity, because I want to be able to get shots of animals in the park as well as closer shots of fish, riverscapes, and fishermen. Therefore, I'd need the 2 lens kit for the Evolt. All told, I figure I'll be spending about $950 on the camera, memory, and filters if I go this route. The Evolt is without doubt a more cabable camera, but in the two lens kit form it'd also be about $300 more expensive. Is it worth it, given the above requirements? Are there other cameras I haven't thought about and should?

I should note that I'm really a pretty amateur photographer (though I aim to change that). I've had 3 pictures printed in magazines, plus the web shots, but I certainly can't afford or justify anything beyond an entry-level DSLR.

I just found this forum, after reading virtually all of Steve's reviews it seems. It's interesting.

[robbo]

I have neither camera. I do have a Fuji S5200. I had a Fuji S7000. I have a Pentax *ist DS DSLR. I have liked the Fujis. Though their picture quality is not as good as a DSLR in most cases, they take good shots. They're also much easier to carry around than a DSLR with lenses. If you don't mind carrying maybe the twice the weight with a DSLR, you will probably get better shots with the Evolt, at least in daylight. However, the S9000 can put out some very good shots, too.

If you have a chance, go to a store, pick up both cameras and see how they feel. If you have a spare CF or SD or xD card, take a shot or two with each and compare the photo quality.

I like my Pentax. If I were going to buy another entry level DSLR, I would pick the Konica Minolta 5D, which has built in image stabilizaton and pretty decent picture quality at high ISO's. I think its price is comparable to that of the Evolt.

[mtclimber]

I own both the Fuji S-9000 and the Olympus E-500. The E-500 is clearly the better digital camera, and it is well worth the extra expense.

MT