Home :: Cameras :: Digital Cameras :: Extended Zoom  

2 to 2.9 Megapixels
3 to 3.9 Megapixels
4 to 4.9 Megapixels
5 Megapixels & Up
Advanced Point-and-Shoot
Digital SLRs
Extended Zoom

Professional & Serious Amateur
Simple Point-and-Shoot
Ultracompact
Under 2 Megapixels
Olympus Camedia C-5060 5.1 MP Digital Camera w/4x Optical Zoom

Olympus Camedia C-5060 5.1 MP Digital Camera w/4x Optical Zoom

List Price: $699.99
Your Price: $569.94
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 >>

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Good chance you'll have problems with this camera
Review:
I love the camera and it's features--but both of the ones I've received have failed within about 100 pix over 2-4 days.
First one had a bad on/off switch. Camera ON IT"S OWN would start scrolling through menus. And guess what--I didn't even realize there were other features in menus I never even got to see. I wouldn't have figured that out if I didn't get #2.
The second camera's on/off switch was fine, so I thought OK, now I've got a keeper. On the third day of taking some pix, suddenly the LCD doesn't work--meaning you can't see any menus either.
Olympus has a big problem with this camera. I'll order one more--maybe third time is a charm. But if the third one is a bum, I'll have to wait until Olympus figures out the problems. Hopefully another camera maker will come out with a wide angle lens, which was my main criteria for picking this camera.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Point and shoot or take charge--your choice
Review: Before buying this camera I seriously considered the Sony DSCV1. My daughter has the Sony DSCP10, and it seemed a good idea to share accessories. However, research made me decide that the Sony had serious problems--short battery use in the camera (with a battery that sometimes wouldn't hold too many recharges) and a viewscreen that sometimes conked out the minute the warranty (90 days for this part) was up.

I chose the Olympus C5060 because the lens is approximately equivalent to the Sony DSCV1 and most of the other high-end lenses out there for this type of camera. Not as bright as the renowned C5050, but respectable. I've used Olympus 35mm cameras, (and a very early digital) and I personally have liked them very much--they just feel right in my hands. This particular model has a mostly-metal (lightweight magnesium) body, which feels quite sturdy.

Good stuff:

1. Batteries are the same as for the digital SLR camera--good for a lot of shots (about 400-600 in "normal" conditions) between charges.

2. You can personalize nearly all camera settings, from power-up to viewing, to shooting, to power-down. "My Mode" allows you to save special photo settings that you use frequently--flip to it, and everything is the way you like it. Manual, AP and SP modes, too. And the P setting allows point-and-shoot no-brain photography.

3. While too chubby to be pocket-sized, the camera is compact and lightweight.

4. Dual slots for media storage--Olympus proprietary and generic CF. You can switch between them and use them both.

5. Quick shutter response time--almost like a film camera!

6. LCD viewscreen turns in against the camera back when not in use--nice protection feature.

Bad stuff:

1. Long charge time (6 hours--i.e. overnight) for that long-life battery. I can live with it... A second battery runs about $100.00, by the way. This is a heavy-duty item!

2. Lens tube is plastic--probably identical in construction to all C series cameras. (There's a metal rim so that plastic isn't exposed when the camera is closed--except for the lens cap.)

3. No 5050 lens, alas... Will we ever see 1.8 again?

All in all, I'm glad I got this camera instead of my original choice.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Olympus C-5060 @ Bytesector.com
Review: Big, bulky and black; that's how I see the Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom digital camera. This is no pocket sized camera, and it shouldn't be either since it is feature packed. With a 5.1 mega pixel capacity, 14x zoom, rotating view-finder and attachable wide conversion lens, this camera out perfoms many. Sounds great doesn't it, now let's see if it is.........

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent product! Buy it with an external flash.
Review: Buy this camera and an external flash together and forget about 2.8-4.8F lense thing. Lots of other digicams with faster lenses still do not get you 1/30 shutter speed or better w/o flash (which is the minimum shutter speed for moving objects, such as dogs and babies) for most of indoor/night shooting conditions.

OK. Let's talk about external flashs. Olympus FL-40 and FL-50 are the best choices and they are loaded with features such as TTL auto and moterized zoom, but they are pretty overpriced. Promaster 5750DX and 5550DX are very nice alternatives. They are as powerful as FL-40 with full TTL compatible, but they do not have moterized zoom capability.

If you want to spend less than $100 for an external flash. Get a Sunpak383. It does not have TTL capability. That means you will need to calculate proper aperture/shutter speed every time you use it in your camera's manual mode. Not convenient, but still works.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: First rate Prosumer camera
Review: David Oliver's review is right on the mark - though I don't seem to have the oversharpness issue that his camera does.
I'd just like to add how easy it is to take manual control of the camera. Just about all of the frequently used types of adjustment are easily accessed without delving into the menu system. Once you take the time to understand this camera, you can easily make any shooting adjustment you wish. The design is very ergonomic.
I too have no complaints about the battery. It lasts forever! And if you need to stretch the battery, you can easily work with the LCD off. If your making an oncamera adjustment and need to see what's on the LCD, it switches the LCD on and then off again when you're finished.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 5060 made me happy
Review: Having been very happy with my Olympus c3000 for a few years (3.2 MP) I was distraught at knocking the lens off one day while shooting from the perch of an active pogo stick (no more of that). While Olympus offered to totally overhaul it for $195 I thought it time for a new camera. After trying 2 canons (A75 at $225 and an S1-iS at $440) and being very unhappy with the image quality and focusing I bit the bullet and went for the 5060 wide zoom. This camera is far superior to either of those. More megapixels, yes, but that's not what sold me. It is so fast to start up, focus and write to the card. There is almost no shutter lag in good light. The proprietary battery I wasn't crazy about untill I saw how long it lasted -- at least 3 times what 4 AA rechargables did in my old olympus. And I love WIDE so having the what is equal to 27mm on the 35 platform is great. The tilting, turning viewer which flips over for storage is also a great plus. And it feels very solid (titainium). It has a focus assist light which the s1-is didn't which I need for I shoot alot in dark places. The video mode is quite good and lastly it takes compact flash cards which are the least expensive per meg, so buy a few and you have a real bargain. Finally the lens is super sharp and bright. I also think black cameras are best for not calling attention to themselves. And the image quality is stunning as the very first print showed me. A great camera. No regrets.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: it seemed great at first
Review: I bought this camera for work. It was terrific for four weeks and then the mode dial stopped working. I returned it to the distributor. Two weeks later, I collected it from the distributor. It worked fine for a week. Then the mode dial stopped working again as did the arrow pad. I am now returning it for a second time.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I'm staying away...
Review: I don't own this camera, so in fact this isn't a review. I'm just getting my voice on the record so Olympus can know my major concerns,and why I WON'T be upgrading from my C-5050 despite the major improvement in camera startup and response time.

1. Get rid of the proprietary battery. Reap your profits in repeat busines, not in milking each customer for all their worth.
2. Give us the fast 1.8 lens found on the C-5050. This one's a no-brainer.
3. Get the build quality right. I've seen too many reviews here and elsewhere warning of multiple returns for defective cameras.
4. Make extension lens attachments standard. You don't have to include the lens, fine, but don't make me buy an extra part when you can build it in for practically nothing.

'Nuff said!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Arrived DOA?
Review: I greatly anticipated the arrival of my new C-5060 and when it got here today I put the battery in the charger and started the rest of the Getting Started procedures. I got all the straps and lanyards attached, read most of the manuals before I found that the charger (a very cheap-feeling plastic unit, made in China) was blinking a red light. This blinking light means that the battery or charger is over-heating or something else is wrong. It also means you can't charge the proprietary battery and therefore can't check out your nice new camera. Olympus says to contact a service center not the people you bought it from in the first place. I figured, if it has problems out of the box I should just return it and decide later if I'd want to replace it with the same model or spend the extra $$ for an SLR.

The good news is: the camera fits nicely in your hand for one-handed shooting if you like; the QT movie mode does sound now; and the manual is included in the box. It looks like it has an impressive number of features. The buttons are well placed on the camera but since some have functions that vary with the settings your using, I would imagine it could get confusing. I do wish it had a manual focus adjustment (I didn't notice if there was a way to do this in the manual.)

You should also check the cost of the accessories if you plan to use it for anything more than a point-and-click camera.

As I said, I'll be thinking over the next few days whether I'll replace it with the same camera (one that I could use I'd hope) or if I'll upgrade to an SLR or maybe just stay with my Sony FD-91.

Thanks for listening and I hope this doesn't discourage you too much because it appears to be an excellent camera for the money.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Lens Envy, batteries
Review: I had an Olympus C-4040 which I was very happy with. I "upgraded" it to the C5060 when they came out. I have to say that the bright f1.8 lens on the 4040 had spoiled me. A lot of low light photos that had been easy with the 4040 were out of the question with the 5060. The lowest f stop on the 5060 is only f2.8. That means that photos I had been taking at 1/60th of a second were now needing 1/20th to 1/30th of a second exposure. If you use a lot of flash maybe it won't matter to you, but I use natural light for most of my stuff. The 5060 was stolen recently and after research I scoured the internet for one of the older C5050 cameras that has the F1.8 lens to replace it.
The other issue I had is with the propietary Li-on battery that came with the 5060. A spare costs $70. The 4040 and the 5050 use AA batteries. A better option. I hope someone from Olympus reads this. Lenses matter. I looked at the new C-8080 camera, but the lens on it was a mediocre f2.4.




<< 1 2 3 4 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates