Inspired by last year's C50,
the Olympus C-60 continues the use of a brushed steel
surface and solid metal lens barrier that completely protects
the retracted lens.
But the C-60 is different in many
ways from the C-50. For one thing, it is Olympus' first 6.1
megapixel camera, for another it adds modes and features
that were not available with the C-50.
The differences start on top of the camera. The C-60 offers full program
modes at separate positions on theMode Dial, which along with a
new design zoom control, bracket the silvered two-stageshutter
release.
The zoom control is a small metallic toggle switch, moving
the lens to the wide angle end when pushed left, and to the telephoto
setting when pulled right.
In Playback, the same control provides the standard control over the image
display, presenting thumbnails on the wide side and magnification of an
on-screen photo with the telephoto side.
The Mode Dial of the C-60 serves
to select the recording modes exclusively:
Auto is a point and shoot
mode, and few options are available to the user as the camera
handles everything.
Portrait: uses a wide
aperture to have the subject in focus and the background
slightly blurred.
Night Scene: can have
a shutter speed as low as 4 seconds, and if Auto ISO is selected,
the camera will increase sensitivity up to 200 ISO.
Accesses the other Scene modes
of the C-60:
Landscape:
uses the best settings to capture distant scenery.
Landscape + Portrait:
prefers a smaller aperture to keep both foreground
and background in focus.
Self-Portrait:
sets the lens to wide angle and turns off the
zoom.
Sports: strives
to optimize the shutter speed so as to freeze
action.
Program: lets the camera
select aperture and shutter speed, but allows the user to
set all other parameters.
Aperture Priority: allows
setting an aperture from f2.8 to f8 when the zoom is at the
wide angle end, and from f4.8 to f8 when the zoom is at the
telephoto end.
Shutter Priority: provides
the user with a range of shutter speeds that cover from 1/1000
sec to 4 seconds.
Manual: provides complete
control over the shutter speed, from 1/1000 sec. to 8
seconds, and over the complete aperture range of the
C-60.
My Mode: allows storing
a specific shooting mode and a set of associated preferences
so all can be recalled instantly.
Movie Mode: records video
clips with, or without, sound in either one of two frame
sizes, 320 x 240, or 160 x 120 pixels and at 15 frames per
second. The focus and zoom are locked at the first frame
and if the distance to the subject changes, focus may be
compromised. The optical zoom is not available. Recordings
last as long as there is space on the memory card. Worth
noting, unlike many cameras which use auto ISO and auto white
balance as the default for the movie mode, the C-60's movie
mode shares the current settings for ISO and white balance
of the still image modes and these need to be set for the
conditions under which the video clip will be shot.
The C-60 has few external controls. Two buttons are aligned to the right
of the optical viewfinder which has a rubber covered trim but no diopter
correction:
Flash Modes: cycles
through Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Fill-in, Flash Off, Slow
Synch, and Slow Synch with Red-eye reduction.
Delete: serves to erase
one or more photos in playback.
Serves to turn on the Macro mode,
or the Spot meter, or both combined.
and to Protect images
in playback.
The other controls are to the
right of the 1.8 inch, 134,000 pixel LCD monitor.
Nearest the top, is
the button that starts the Playback mode. The button can also
be used to turn the camera ON and place it directly into
Playback mode without opening the lens barrier if it is held
down for more than 1 second. Pressing the button a second time
turns the camera OFF.
Finally, the Arrow Pad with its OK/Menu button in the middle
serves to navigate menus and go through photos stored on the memory card;
while the button at the centre calls up the menu and confirms choices.
While broadly similar to the
C-50, the camera on which it is based, the C-60 has many improvements.
However, one change may not be to everyone's taste: the redesigned
zoom control. The control is small, and placed in the way of
the shutter release making it occasionally awkward, unlike the
other controls of the C-60.
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Ergonomics
is
the button that starts the Playback mode. The button can also
be used to turn the camera ON and place it directly into
Playback mode without opening the lens barrier if it is held
down for more than 1 second. Pressing the button a second time
turns the camera OFF. 
