Good camera, just not great
Written: Feb 04 '05 (Updated Feb 04 '05)
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Pros: Ease-of-use, lens is always covered when not in use, stills are excellent.
Cons: Terrible for any kind of action and/or low-light environment. Manual that's included sucks.
The Bottom Line: I'd recommend this camera to anyone who isn't planning on taking action pictures in below average lighting. Otherwise, it's pretty decent.
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| rocco13's Full Review: Olympus Camedia C-50 Zoom Digital Camera |
I bought the Olympus C-50 Zoom about six months ago after much online research. I decided on this camera based on several factors, two of which was the overall good reviews here on Epinions, and the Olympus name.
I'll spare everybody the technical specs, as these can be found many other places. I will instead comment on the performance, ease of use, and of course the pictures.
This is one of those items that can literally be used right out of the box (once the battery is charged). The 'AUTO' setting is great for getting started, because if you wanted to learn anything about the other settings, you certainly weren't going to learn much from the manual. It seemed to me that the more important the function, the less the 'mini-manual' descibed it. I simply had to experiment with many of the settings, using them in combination with different flashes, shutter speeds, aperture settings, etc, in order to get the desired results. Finally I said skip it, I'll just use the AUTO setting and hope for the best. The FULL manual can be downloaded from Olympus' website. I only discovered this after reading another reviewer who provided the link.
This camera takes beautiful still shots outdoors. Nature shots can be breathtaking, with a lot of detail, and color. Indoors, the flash is a little on the weak side. Many indoor, low-light settings don't cut the mustard. My primary reason for purchasing this camera was to take picture of my son's hockey games. Here is where I am extremely disappointed. Hockey is played indoors, with artificial light. Strike one. You cannot use the flash, because it just reflects off the glass that surrounds the rink. Strike two. And finally, strike three, it is such a fast-moving game, that with all that motion, mediocre lighting conditions, and not being able to use the flash, it makes for some very poor pictures. I used the 'sports/action' setting, played around with aperture priority, shutter priority, etc, and none of these made any difference. As part of my education in digital photography, I've been told that only the high-end cameras (over $1000 or so) will work in that environment. I don't know if that is true or not, but I know my $350 camera isn't getting it done. I am by no means an expert in photography, so maybe there is some setting I'm not doing correctly; but I'm not a novice either, and I've tried nearly every different combination possible, with poor results. Several other hockey parents have similarly priced digital cameras, and no one has been able to get consistently good pictures either.
The camera has some nice features, including a sliding cover over the lens, which also works as the on-off switch. The LCD screen, although small, is very clear. The 5.0 megapixels is perfect for me, and I would recommend no less than that for good pictures. The size of the camera is pocket-sized, although it is a little on the thick side to fit comfortably in one's jeans pockets. There are settings for white balance, contrast, sharpness, and numerous others, so you could customize your settings for whatever you're trying to shoot (except hockey games, evidently). The macro setting works great, as I like to experiment with extreme close-ups, and have not been disappointed. The zoom on this camera is only 3x, with 4x digital zoom on top of that (for a 12x max), but like most cameras, you don't want to use the digital zoom, as it makes the picture very grainy. Also, I've noticed a couple of white spots on both the LCD screen and the photograph when using the digital zoom. I've tried to fix this via the pixel-mapping function, but it hasn't helped.
Downloading the pictures to my computer is a piece of cake, although the included Camedia software is slow and the interface isn't the best. I also can remove the xD card and put it directly into my printer, but I'd rather download via the USB cable provided with the camera. I have no complaints about the less popular xD format, as it works as promised.
NOTE: The USB cable provided has one end that is not a standard sized plug. I've read that it is not available anywhere but through Olympus, so don't lose it!
Overall this is a good camera, just not a great one. I probably expected too much for a camera in this price range, but I didn't buy the cheapest one out there either. I'd recommend this camera, but with some reservations.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 350
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Epinions.com ID:
rocco13
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Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 2 members
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