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67 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Impressed!!!, April 27, 2009
This review is from: Olympus FE-5010 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
I recently damaged my Nikon S6 digital camera while on vacation and wanted to have another to continue taking easy spontaneous shots for the remainder of my vacation. I looked at several Olympus models along with a Casio, Lumix, and a new Sony with stereo recording capability. All were in the 8-12 MP range and small compact size. I spent a couple of hours trying different features, focusing, still or moving conditions, and lighting and decided on the new FE-5010.
I charged the battery and "briefly" scanned the operational manual. I personally want to have a camera that is easy to navigate without having to constantly review the manual and the FE-5010 was exactly that... easy!
I have taken over two hundred photos with it during my remaining three days of vacation. Outdoors, indoors, with and without flash, a video of approximately (5) minutes in length, and almost all of the photo modes, (i.e. PHOTO, iA, SCN in several conditions, PORTRAIT,and SMILE).
In my experimentation of the different modes when I had the chance I took a couple of the same picture in a different mode so I could evaluate which were best for most of my shooting. I found the most valuable settings for me were "P", "iA", "SCN-Sport" "SCN-Landscape", and "SCN-INDOORS" with "P" being the most predominant. This was determined by me because most of the shots I had been taking in "iA" mode were automatically being set to "P". I assumed that if the "iA" mode thought that was best for most pictures it would be the best general setting for me as well and when in "iA" mode some feature changes I might want to make were not available to me but in "P" mode I could change the flash or other settings at will, that clinched it.
I often used zoom as well as a few at Super zoom (digital). I found that zoom in SCN-Sport was best for long shots of people because of the clarity when zooming for a closer view AFTER the shot was taken... it was excellent! The Super Zoom photos were as expected, (less than perfect) but if you didn't have to crop the original it was good enough to clearly see what the intended subject was.
The SCN-Sunset mode also took excellent shots with varying reflections from the ocean along with capturing the clouds and hues of the sky.
Three downsides were there was no histogram, which I have used with other cameras and liked, no "burst" mode which I have also liked on other cameras, and the reading time to send the photo to the XD media card. In bright light the shot-to-shot was very acceptable but in limited or low light it took the picture quickly but slow to send to memory thus had to wait before taking the next shot.
With no flash this camera was way ahead of my Nikon S6... simply excellent!
As noted by the purchase, none of these were a deal breaker because the other cameras I evaluated had many more deficiencies in one way or another.
The bottom line for me is when coupling the multitude of features, the clarity of the photos, the ease of use, and the price under $200.00, I had no hesitancy in recommending this model to a couple of friends looking to purchase a compact digital. My advise to anyone interested in purchasing a new compact is that they should compare any other they are reviewing to this one before making a decision.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent for a pocket camera, April 14, 2009
This review is from: Olympus FE-5010 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
I have an advanced camera Sony Cybershot DSCR1 10.3MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom. I wanted a light substitute for occasional photos. Olympus FE-5010 fits the bill. Using the two cameras, I took pictures outdoors under the same good lighting conditions, and the difference was barely noticeable. Almost the same resolution (with 7 MP) and almost the same color quality. Of course, under low light the output from Olympus can't compare to that from Sony (horrible noise). Another thing that I don't like is that xD cards are limited to 2GB. You can use larger microSD but then the movies are limited to 10 sec. Olympus has two things missing from Sony: the movie mode and ability to take macros. And the image stabilization really works!
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I Like It!, July 10, 2009
This review is from: Olympus FE-5010 12MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
Thought it was time to upgrade from my Olympus Camedia 4000. The 4000 is a great camera, but wanted the stabilization feature of a new camera, if nothing else. Also wanted higher MPs and smaller size. Also figured I would use it more if it wasn't so bulky. Will one day get a DSLR to replace my 35mm SLR for really good photography, so wanted a point and shoot automatic camera for right now. A lot of cameras will meet all those requirements, but I looked mainly at Olympus because I've been using that brand for over 40 years and never been disappointed yet. I compared this to similar Nikon and Cannon models and it looked to me like the price/feature break was better on the Olympus.
So I narrowed it down to the FE 3010 and FE 5010. As near as I can tell, the only real difference is 3x optical zoom vs 5x optical zoom. And price of course. Wanted the 5010, but was leaning to the 3010 until I found that right now, anyway, the price for the 5010, is actually *lower* than the 3010 here on Amazon. That's a no brainer even for me.
So I bought it right before I left for a week in San Francisco. After a week of use, I'm extremely happy with it. On my way to Alcatraz Island, I was able to take a picture of the warning sign on the island at full zoom, on the bow of the very much moving ferry, among a jostling crowd of other tourists, and got a perfect close up picture of the sign from about a half mile away. With everything on auto. Stabilization worked great, as not only was the ferry moving, but my hand wasn't very stable holding the camera one handed above everyone's head to get the shot.
Took about 400 pictures during the week and most turned out great. I found it *is* possible to get a blurry picture, but it takes work. I've only had to look up a couple of things in the manual. Mostly it's very intuitive and simple to use.
Only two complaints so far. The minor one is the explanation for the "card access lamp" light. The manual's only comment is that when it is blinking red, it means the card is being accessed, so be sure not to remove the card while it's blinking. What it doesn't tell me is what it means when it's burning solid red or solid green. And it's either solid red or solid green 99% of the time. Mostly solid red. Still don't know what it means.
The major complaint is about the "battery check" indicator. It's a solid green all the time, right up until it unexpectedly turned into a 1 bar blinking red, which I assume means recharge the battery. I would assume it would gradually get lower, letting me know about how much battery time I had left. This goes from indicating full charge to needs charging immediately, instantly. Doesn't allow for much planning. Don't know if this is an issue with my camera alone or the whole series.
What was even worse, though, was when I saw it go from full charge to flashing red, but I turned it back on about a minute later to show my girlfriend the flashing red indicator and it was *solid green* again, indicating full charge. So it not only seems to have only two indicators, full and empty, it goes back and forth between them! At this point, I can't trust the battery indicator. As I have another battery on order, even if I don't get this fixed, it will not be a show stopper for me. But it's a VERY serious problem, in my opinion. Batteries *appear* to last a full day, but because of the indicator glitch, it's hard to tell. I haven't let it run completely out yet because I didn't have the second battery and charged it early to insure I didn't lose any photo opportunities while on vacation. Will test battery life at home.
Other than those issues, though, everything else has worked to perfection! I'm only beginning to play around with the different modes, but the smile recognition, the red-eye, the self portrait and the document modes all work without problem. I even figured out how to turn off the flash without reading the manual. :) And the stabilization allowed for some excellent low light shots without flash, with NO blurring!
I bought the wide-angle and macro attachment (which attaches *without* having to glue the metal ring on the lens!), but didn't have much time to try them yet. I was a bit disappointed with how much the wide angle extended the shot, but have to assume that's standard for the lens. I've also ordered the doubler and tripler lenses, to extend the zoom out to 10x and 15x. Am looking forward to getting those! I believe the stabilization will allow excellent off the cuff zoom shots out to an amazing distance without blurring!
Going from 4MP to 12MP was astonishing to me. Obviously I've had no problem with pixel size or resolution.
I bought a neoprene belt case, but have only used it for carrying the camera in luggage. It was much easier to carry it in the cargo pocket on my pants. I've got enough other stuff on my belt, like my cell phone.
All in all, I'm extremely happy with my purchase! I recommend this camera to anyone who's looking for a quick, easy camera to use for fast photography!
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