Customer Reviews

Olympus Camedia C-50 5MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Pros: Ultra compact, five megapixels, manual exposure options, Compact, high resolution, razor sharp, bright LCD, Small, lithium ion battery/charger, picture quality, compactness, easy to use, loaded with advanced features yet point-and-shoot simple on automatic, multiple resolution options, including uncompressed TIFF, compact and light.

Cons: No LCD screen cover, no AF assist light, questionable low-light capabilities, many settings, price, uses new xD picture card, Poor LCD viewing in very low light, extremely slow save for TIFFs, occasional image noise, works poorly with a tripod.

Summary: I did quite a bit of research before deciding on the Olympus C50. I wanted a small digital camera that had some manual controls. The camera also had to feel sturdy and have a menu system that was intuitive for me. The C50 won out over my other choices hands down (Minolta F100 and Nikon CP4500). Overall, I'm happy with my purchase and can live with the little quirks I've read about with this camera. The remote comes in handy when displaying your pictures on TV. Also, the battery life on this little guy is quite good -- much better than the Kodak I had. Olympus could have done a better job on the printed manual. The manual on CD is much better and they should have just printed out that manual in the appropriate language for the countries they ship to.

I've been a big fan of Olympus from day one. I've been using digital cameras for a few years but have never owned one until now, so I wanted to make sure I got the most bang for my buck. I was looking at this camera and the Canon S45 which has just hit the shelves. I opted for this camera over the Canon, despite it's few shortcomings. Let me explain...

To start off with, I'll give you the downside. You can't record audio in movie mode (so, just get a video camera if you want to record videos). Low lighting shooting can be difficult since there is no infrared sensor top assist with the shots. Disappointing. Finally, there is no manual focus, which could actually assist with the low light shooting, but alas, it was not included. This is why I give it 4 stars.

On the positive side, pictures are fantastic! I take this camera with me everywhere and barely have to make any adjustments for my picture taking. Also, the camera allows you to rotate the pictures and crop WITHIN the camera itself!!! So, for those of you that take lots of portrait shots, like me, have that capability before downloading to your computer. Such a time saver.

The xD-picture card that it utilizes is the size of a postage stamp. The card has a current capacity of 128 mb with the 256 mb card due by the end of this month. In another year or so, the capacity will theoretically reach almost 8 gb! That's an insane amount of pictures, but it's what you need on those vacations.

Plus, the battery life is excellent. I've used this thing like a workhorse and have taken pictures to fill up my 128 mb card, downloaded the pictures, and started taking more and still didn't have to recharge the battery. I'm getting a backup just so I don't ever have to take my charger with me.

Bottom line is this 5-megapixel camera has all of the bells and whistles you come to expect from Olympus and then some. For a camera this small that I can pop in my pocket and forget about it, I think the money spent is well worth it, even with the 3 shortcomings I mentioned above. I highly recommend it!

pros:
- 5MP resolution in a small, well-designed metal body.
- allows a great deal of manual control.
- good color reproduction.
- higher than expected contrast from tonal balance.
- low image noise with moderate shutter speeds.
- spot metering.
- shooting priority play mode (double press of quick view button).
- good night exposures with automatic noise reduction.
- solid build quality.
- bright, high resolution LCD monitor with anti-reflective coating.
- included Infrared remote control.
- decent battery life (but i'd still recommend getting a spare).
- compact dimensions 3.9 x 2.3 x 1.7 in, weighing 8.0 oz.

cons:
- some purple fringing / chromatic aberrations.
- noisy images, "jaggies" visible.
- limited adjustment on image parameters.
- no manual white balance.
- no manual focus.
- some blue cast using the flash.
- no AF illuminator.
- high redeye occurrence.
- poor movie mode when compared to competition.
- manual is on CD.
- LCD not very useful in very low light.
- glacial write times for TIFFs.
- slow image write times.
- RAW format not supported.
- you can't slide the lens cover to turn the camera on and off when mounted on a tripod nor can you change the battery or xD card.
- poor macro ability.
- fastest continuous shooting speed is only 1 fps.
- no histogram display in record or play mode.
- the supplied 32MB xD card is inadequate. be prepared to shell out a few more bucks for more memory.
- the batteries supplied are proprietary so add a few bucks to your budget for a spare.

the c-50z is a decent camera with 5MP resolution in a compact package. but there is no manual white balance and no manual focus plus the images compare unfavorably against its competition. at this price point, check out the canon s50.

i hope this helps you in your buying decision. peace.

4.5 Stars

This was the 5th digital camera I've bought and the second with a 5 MB image size. I've been shopping for a small camera for well over a year and the features of the C-50 finally pushed me over the brink. A year ago, we chose the Sony DSC-F707 for it's excellent optics and large image size. Consumer digital has always had inferior image quality compared to even mediocre 35mm film cameras, but the 707 has been an excellent compromise. The 707 is far too bulky to be a camera one could take anywhere, anytime, thus the search for something more compact. The C-50 fits these requirements well.

We also needed the small camera to be tough. My wife plans to carry it in her purse nearly all the time and I want to use it on long rock climbs and for mountaineering. The metal body of the C-50 protects the lens well when not in use and the whole camera has a rugged feel. Considering how tough Olympus cameras have proven over the years, I expect this one to hold up well.

It's trivial to learn to use the C-50, with most of the knobs and buttons having symbols that make sense and allow for intuitive learning. The user's manual is adequate for learning the fine points. The flexibility of opeartion is excellent and includes full manual exposure and spot metering, a real plus for capturing a high quality image when the ambient illumination is difficult.

Just for fun, I compared the optical quality of the C-50 to our Sony F707, using both a professional copy stand and also using outdoor light while hand held. In all cases, the Sony provided superior image quality, but the Olympus did very well in comparison, particularly at its widest angle setting. Excellent wide angle performance has always been a hallmark for Olympus digital cameras, but remember that the Sony F707 costs 1.5 times what the C-50 does, so if you want a small camera with excellent image quality, the C-50 may be the best option currently available.

Having previously owned and shot Kodak and Nikon digital cams (2.2 to 5.0 MP) as well as a few Olympus point-and-shoot 35mm with the same form factor as the C-50, I looked forward to picking up this powerful ultra-compact cam. The size and power of this camera is very impressive - you can almost wrap your hand around it and it easily fits in your pants pocket.

I hate to say it, but I am bit disappointed with the C-50, specifically with the surprisingly high level of red eye that crops up in inside/low-light portrait shots (even with using the on-board red-eye reduction and/or customizing settings). I've not yet used it for outdoor shots and hope to be pleasantly surprised.

One other minor note - one thing that initially bugged me was Olympus's use of the Fuji/Olympus XD-Picture Card format. I'm used to CF and was not crazy about another format but have been impressed by the XD format. The recycle rate between shots is hands-down the best I've seen yet in a digital cam of any price. Shooting using the SHQ quality (5.0 MP, high-quality JPEG), my best guess is 2-3 seconds between shots, which, as compared to my experience with CF devices, seems at least 50% faster. The result is outstanding battery life. Olympus makes a CF adapter that allows you to insert XD cards into the adapter, thereby creating a CF card that can be used by any CF-compliant input/output device. It works great - used it to try in a Nikon.

To buy, or not to buy a digital camera... that is indeed the question. With so many makes and models to choose from, I embarked on a year of research not only to compare features and prices, but to figure out at what point in the technological turnover could I purchase the camera that will not be a paperweight in 6 months, but rather be one that will be cheap enough, but carry enough megapixel/zoom/storage power to withstand the scourge of obsolesence.

I was set on buying a 3.5 to 4.0 megapixel camera and actually picked a different model. But when I came across the C-50 zoom, I was floored. I had made the judgement that I was completely shut out from the 5.0 megapixel class of cameras obviously because of price.

Considering that I was willing to part with [money]to purchase a different model that had way less features sounds idiotic to me now. The C-50's compact footprint compared to most other models' 5 mp cameras is probably it's most substantial advantage. It's ease of use and straight-forward design is welcome to the technologically -challenged. featuring 12 exposure modes, 3x digital and up to 12x optical zoom, this camera delivers unbelievably clear pictures. Excellent as a point and shoot in auto mode, it also gives you the creativity to shape your images to your liking. I particularly like the portrait and lanscape modes well as 2 modes of spot metering the apperture/shutter priority modes. One feature that I haven't seen in any model is the "Mymode" which lets you program your own favorite settings an can be accessed in the mode dial in the back of the camera.

It's on board menu's are easy to navigate and the XD picture cards are easy to swap and manage. With the supplied USB cable, the C-50 effortlessly docks with any PC or MAC. It also comes with the Cam media software for either platform. (for you mac users like me, the C-50 smoothly interfaces with iphoto and imagecapture in OS 10.1.. just plug it in! )

All in all, spending ... more proved to be worth it. At ...retail, the C-50 packs tremedous value and features not found in other compact cameras and is clearly priced much lower than the bulkier, SLR type 5 megapixel cameras available now. (although those cameras will have more powerful optics)

This is a BRILLANT camera!! Being that it is a 5MP, it takes great photos. The compact size is a PLUS as is the stainless steel (front) body. Be forewarned ... this camera does take time to get to know and I would NOT recommend it for people with larger hands or "troubled eyes". It has a VARIETY of features. It can be used on auto or you can adjust, and store, the settings to suit your preference, it even has a light meter. You learn this camera by "playing around" with it first. The manual will give you the hi-lites, the rest is up to you. The LED screen is quiet small and the icons are even smaller - "tired eyes" will not like it. Transfer of photos is easy, either connecting to the computer directly, or using a "card reader". The software that comes with this camera is "ok". I perfer to use other programmes. IF YOU ARE PATIENT, CREATIVE, AND HAVE SOME KNOWLEDE OF CAMERAS, DEFINTIELY BUY THIS ONE. (In a "past life", I did photography for commercial purposes, having abandoned the profession all together, this is one of the few digital cameras that I like. I don't like limitations.)

I've just bought one of these camera's and am exceptionally happy with it.

The picture quality at 5 megapixels is unsurpassed for this size and price of camera.

It works seemlessly in conjunction with my Windows XP laptop via USB cable (without having to install any software), however I'm going to buy an XD to SmartMedia adapter so that I don't need the cable (my laptop has a SmartMedia port).

The only disappointments so far have been that the manual is poor (not all functionality is documented), and that the camera will take panoramic pictures only with Olympus brand flash memory.

I have had this camera for about a month. It meets or exceeds my expectations except for the editing software.
It is small and light to fit in my pocket.
It makes crisp clear shots that can be enlarged - A face in the crowd can be enlarged it seems forever before it begins to break up.
It is fast. On a par with my 35mm.
Automatic setting are easy to use and provide so much flexibility that I have not felt the need to use the manual overides.
I got the 128 mb card that holds about 115 high res pictures.
The cameral is very small and thus the viewing screen is small. This makes it difficult to see the pictures and printing if your eyesight, as mine, is not very good. Practice with the the menus before picture time has helped.
The Camedia editing software works but I find it awkward. To be used properly it has to be upgraded for a few bucks but I would hope there is something better available.

I've wanted to buy a digital camera for a while now. I wanted a 5 megapixel camera with a lot of features but I also wanted one that I could carry around with me.
I've finally found it! This camera is so tiny! It fits right in the palm of my hand. Not only does it look good but has many great functions. You can choose from over 7 different shooting modes. One of my favorite modes that I've never seen on a camera before is the self portrait mode. This means you can take a picture of yourself and the camera adjusts all of the settings for you. You can also record movies.
The only downside to this camera is the battery. The manual says you can only use an Olympus Lithium Ion battery specially made for the C-50.

Overall, I'd say this is a great camera and I would highly recommend buying it.