The Olympus C-5050 Zoom has been much anticipated. One of two 5-megapixel
compact cameras Olympus announced in the Fall of 2002, it is the first
C-series camera to offer a triple memory format compatibility.
Although the camera retains some elements from some of the previous
C-series camera designs, such as can be seen in the C-4040 and C-4000,
it adds a number of external controls and some new important capabilities.
Aperture: f4, shutter speed 1/50 sec.
Aperture: f4, shutter speed 1/200 sec.
Because the C-5050 provides for both simple and advanced operation, the
camera is suitable for both advanced and novice users. Beginners should
not let the camera's advanced functions intimidate them as the C-5050
offers an excellent Full Program mode. But, because the C-5050 offers
more advanced modes, it allows for experimentation as individual interest
and experience increases.
For
the advanced photographers, the C-5050 provides all the shooting modes
and flexibility that is expected of a high-end compact. Moreover,
not only does the C-5050 offer numerous image adjustments and controls
such as contrast, saturation and colour balance, it is also capable of
recording photos in a wide variety of formats and sizes — more sizes
and formats than most cameras can — and has a 3:2 format which is
ideal for 4 x 6, 5 x 7 and 8 x 10 prints.
Aperture: f2.6, shutter speed 1/160 sec.
In
fact, the wide variety of settings available and the effect that selecting
one can have on another, can be occasionally confusing at first, even
to those well-versed in the use of digital cameras. Still, by providing
such a "complete" camera and by giving the user so much latitude,
it almost ensures that the C-5050 won't be outdated quickly.
Aperture: f4, shutter speed 1/320.
When it
comes to taking photos, the C-5050 has the advantage of a bright and sharp
lens, which yields an excellent image quality. Colours are precise, and
the Digital ESP metering system is almost foolproof.
With the C-5050Z, Olympus has added a RAW file format to a C-series camera
similar to the RAW format available with the E-10 and E-20 models. The
format records the "raw" output of the CCD and the camera's
settings for that image, but without applying them to the image. The RAW
image is unprocessed.
At
this time, the advantage offered by the RAW mode is not fully supported
by the software — including the Photoshop Plug-in that can be downloaded
from Olympus America's site — which tends to lessen the usefulness
of the format.
Nevertheless,
the C-5050 makes it possible to edit the images directly on the camera
— a good idea — albeit through a somewhat cumbersome process.
For example, an image captured with an incorrect white balance setting
can be corrected flawlessly, and other corrections can be applied as well.
Aperture: f8, shutter speed 1/60.
In
addition, the camera's built-in editing functions are able to save a copy
of the edited image in either TIFF or JPEG which retains the camera's
Exif metadata, something the bundled software only does partially.
Aperture: f1.8, shutter speed 1/25.
Besides this, three
other elements of the C-5050 could be improved. First, the camera is a
touch slow to react to the shutter release, and we felt this latency to
be slightly longer than with other Olympus cameras models.
Second, the clip-on lens cap is designed to clip on the lens barrel as
opposed to the lens itself, and should it be left in place when it is
turned on, causes the lens to strain against it.
Third,
although the C-5050 is equipped with an autofocus point that can be moved
to another location than the centre, the process involved is a bit too
complicated to make is really practical.
Notwithstanding these three points, none of these can be regarded as serious
impediments once the camera becomes familiar. And, when the image quality
of the C-5050 is considered, these concerns tend to fade away altogether.
