C5050 user review (so far...)

Hiro56660

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Well, I did it. I bought myself an early Christmas gift, a C5050. I am VERY pleased with it thus far and I do not predict that will change much in the near future. Although I love my C700, it turns out the majority of my pictures did not utilize the 10X and were indoors. The AF assist lamp and a bright lens made the C5050 the ideal choice.

Here is what I like so far:
  • Build Quality / Ergonomics. This thing is solid. The all magnesium body feels great in your hands. The tilt-out LCD is great, the neck strap is very comfortable (I wore the camera all night and didn't even notice it), the button layout is very good as well as the menu system (i'm already used to it from the C700). I think everything is where it should be and the camera is very comfortable and easy to use.
  • Low Light Performance. This is the main reason why I purchased the camera. I am very pleased with the performance. The AF assist lamp seems to work very well in low light and even complete darkness. I know there were some posts regarding the 5050s ability to capture light despite its 1.8 lens. I did not have this problem. I set both cameras to ISO 100, pointed at the same subject, and the C700 wanted 1/2.5 - 1/3 of a sec while the 5050 wanted 1/4 of a sec.
  • Speed. What a quick little bugger. AF and shutter release are fast as well as image playback.
  • Super Macro. Wow. I was never into Macro photography but now I will be! 5MP + Super Macro is a great combination!
  • Dual Slot. I didn't realize the benefits of this. I have a CF and an XD card in simultaneously and can switch between them with the touch of a button. Very useful.
  • Image Quality. Excellent. Despite the quirks (see below), I was very pleased with all of the images. I am amazed by the amount of detai this camera can capture and color rendition seemed right on as well.
  • Included "extras". NiMH Batteries, a Charger, and the RM1 remote control. My 4th Olympus camera and the first time this stuff was included. More batteries are always nice and the RM1 remote is really cool!
  • Speaker. I shut off the annoying sounds and the splash screens right away. Having the speaker for movie playback is a great plus for me.
And here are my dislikes:
  • Lens cap. Ugh! The lens cap is attached to the body of the camera instead of the lens. When you turn on the camera without taking off the lens cap it makes a grinding noise and beeps at you. I've done this 5 times already (I'll learn eventually)! I'm sure Oly made it so it wouldn't damage the lens motor but it can be quite scary / annoying.
  • Over sharpening. The images at default sharpening level come out unnaturally sharp and can be pretty noisy. You definitely MUST set sharpening to -5 for best results.
  • Viewfinder. Its a little smaller than i'd like and you usually have to squish your nose against the LCD to use it.
I have not run into CA or diagonal jaggies yet but I don't doubt they are present. However, they don't seem to bother me much and will not be present in the majority of my shots. Although I deleted all of my test shots (actually, I downloaded them at a friends house and did not leave the pics on the memory card, d'oh!), here is one super macro shot up at pbase:

http://www.pbase.com/image/8007483

This is not supposed to be a well composed picture, just a demonstration of the camera. Anybody have any questions or would like for me to do any tests? It's Thanksgiving and I have plenty of time to be playing with my new camera!

-JC
 
Thanks so much for this, Im just about to buy one but didnt want to until I had seen a proper review - and I've been searching everywhere. ..

cool! now Im really excited . I'm only a beginnner and dont really have a clue what chromatic abberation and stuff is , but it doesnt seem so bad that i wont be pleased with the camera when I buy it next week...(does that make sense!)
thanks!
Well, I did it. I bought myself an early Christmas gift, a C5050.
I am VERY pleased with it thus far and I do not predict that will
change much in the near future. Although I love my C700, it turns
out the majority of my pictures did not utilize the 10X and were
indoors. The AF assist lamp and a bright lens made the C5050 the
ideal choice.

Here is what I like so far:
  • Build Quality / Ergonomics. This thing is solid. The all
magnesium body feels great in your hands. The tilt-out LCD is
great, the neck strap is very comfortable (I wore the camera all
night and didn't even notice it), the button layout is very good as
well as the menu system (i'm already used to it from the C700). I
think everything is where it should be and the camera is very
comfortable and easy to use.
  • Low Light Performance. This is the main reason why I purchased
the camera. I am very pleased with the performance. The AF assist
lamp seems to work very well in low light and even complete
darkness. I know there were some posts regarding the 5050s ability
to capture light despite its 1.8 lens. I did not have this
problem. I set both cameras to ISO 100, pointed at the same
subject, and the C700 wanted 1/2.5 - 1/3 of a sec while the 5050
wanted 1/4 of a sec.
  • Speed. What a quick little bugger. AF and shutter release are
fast as well as image playback.
  • Super Macro. Wow. I was never into Macro photography but now I
will be! 5MP + Super Macro is a great combination!
  • Dual Slot. I didn't realize the benefits of this. I have a CF
and an XD card in simultaneously and can switch between them with
the touch of a button. Very useful.
  • Image Quality. Excellent. Despite the quirks (see below), I was
very pleased with all of the images. I am amazed by the amount of
detai this camera can capture and color rendition seemed right on
as well.
  • Included "extras". NiMH Batteries, a Charger, and the RM1 remote
control. My 4th Olympus camera and the first time this stuff was
included. More batteries are always nice and the RM1 remote is
really cool!
  • Speaker. I shut off the annoying sounds and the splash screens
right away. Having the speaker for movie playback is a great plus
for me.

And here are my dislikes:
  • Lens cap. Ugh! The lens cap is attached to the body of the
camera instead of the lens. When you turn on the camera without
taking off the lens cap it makes a grinding noise and beeps at you.
I've done this 5 times already (I'll learn eventually)! I'm sure
Oly made it so it wouldn't damage the lens motor but it can be
quite scary / annoying.
  • Over sharpening. The images at default sharpening level come out
unnaturally sharp and can be pretty noisy. You definitely MUST set
sharpening to -5 for best results.
  • Viewfinder. Its a little smaller than i'd like and you usually
have to squish your nose against the LCD to use it.

I have not run into CA or diagonal jaggies yet but I don't doubt
they are present. However, they don't seem to bother me much and
will not be present in the majority of my shots. Although I
deleted all of my test shots (actually, I downloaded them at a
friends house and did not leave the pics on the memory card,
d'oh!), here is one super macro shot up at pbase:

http://www.pbase.com/image/8007483

This is not supposed to be a well composed picture, just a
demonstration of the camera. Anybody have any questions or would
like for me to do any tests? It's Thanksgiving and I have plenty
of time to be playing with my new camera!

-JC
 
JC,

Well done! Your post is very informing and acurate. It is really cool that you took the time to post this. I truly thank you. 8 )
Well, I did it. I bought myself an early Christmas gift, a C5050.
I am VERY pleased with it thus far and I do not predict that will
change much in the near future. Although I love my C700, it turns
out the majority of my pictures did not utilize the 10X and were
indoors. The AF assist lamp and a bright lens made the C5050 the
ideal choice.

Here is what I like so far:
  • Build Quality / Ergonomics. This thing is solid. The all
magnesium body feels great in your hands. The tilt-out LCD is
great, the neck strap is very comfortable (I wore the camera all
night and didn't even notice it), the button layout is very good as
well as the menu system (i'm already used to it from the C700). I
think everything is where it should be and the camera is very
comfortable and easy to use.
  • Low Light Performance. This is the main reason why I purchased
the camera. I am very pleased with the performance. The AF assist
lamp seems to work very well in low light and even complete
darkness. I know there were some posts regarding the 5050s ability
to capture light despite its 1.8 lens. I did not have this
problem. I set both cameras to ISO 100, pointed at the same
subject, and the C700 wanted 1/2.5 - 1/3 of a sec while the 5050
wanted 1/4 of a sec.
  • Speed. What a quick little bugger. AF and shutter release are
fast as well as image playback.
  • Super Macro. Wow. I was never into Macro photography but now I
will be! 5MP + Super Macro is a great combination!
  • Dual Slot. I didn't realize the benefits of this. I have a CF
and an XD card in simultaneously and can switch between them with
the touch of a button. Very useful.
  • Image Quality. Excellent. Despite the quirks (see below), I was
very pleased with all of the images. I am amazed by the amount of
detai this camera can capture and color rendition seemed right on
as well.
  • Included "extras". NiMH Batteries, a Charger, and the RM1 remote
control. My 4th Olympus camera and the first time this stuff was
included. More batteries are always nice and the RM1 remote is
really cool!
  • Speaker. I shut off the annoying sounds and the splash screens
right away. Having the speaker for movie playback is a great plus
for me.

And here are my dislikes:
  • Lens cap. Ugh! The lens cap is attached to the body of the
camera instead of the lens. When you turn on the camera without
taking off the lens cap it makes a grinding noise and beeps at you.
I've done this 5 times already (I'll learn eventually)! I'm sure
Oly made it so it wouldn't damage the lens motor but it can be
quite scary / annoying.
  • Over sharpening. The images at default sharpening level come out
unnaturally sharp and can be pretty noisy. You definitely MUST set
sharpening to -5 for best results.
  • Viewfinder. Its a little smaller than i'd like and you usually
have to squish your nose against the LCD to use it.

I have not run into CA or diagonal jaggies yet but I don't doubt
they are present. However, they don't seem to bother me much and
will not be present in the majority of my shots. Although I
deleted all of my test shots (actually, I downloaded them at a
friends house and did not leave the pics on the memory card,
d'oh!), here is one super macro shot up at pbase:

http://www.pbase.com/image/8007483

This is not supposed to be a well composed picture, just a
demonstration of the camera. Anybody have any questions or would
like for me to do any tests? It's Thanksgiving and I have plenty
of time to be playing with my new camera!

-JC
 
  • Super Macro. Wow. I was never into Macro photography but now I
will be! 5MP + Super Macro is a great combination!
Olympus really seems to have got thier act together concerning macro capability with thier lastest lot of cameras. Having an effective macro mode really makes a camera more fun.
  • Over sharpening. The images at default sharpening level come out
unnaturally sharp and can be pretty noisy. You definitely MUST set
sharpening to -5 for best results.
I think olympus intended this camera to be pretty much dedicated to making prints, hence the higher sharpening. Though having a whole ten different levels of sharpening, with nine being what most people would consider too sharp, is a bit of overkill.

Thanks for the review. It seems everyone is enjoying the camera so far.

-Kiran
 
Great Review- Thank you

I am a former Canon G1 user. The Camera was lost, and I was torn between the G3 and Olympus C5050. The G3 is clearly an easier Camera to use, and the learning curve for the C5050 is so far, a huge challenge.

There are however features of the C5050 that are superior. One of them are low light night pictures with flash. On my first night with the Camera, I was on a non-secure commercial flight with very minimal light in the passenger area. I tested the autofocus with surrounding passenger areas.

I set the (start to windows fans) right arrow once, downarrow three times right arrow once, up arrow once right arrow once, down arrow once Then OK twice to main screen. Yes, 10 steps!

To get to flash mode use the shortcut of simultaneously hitting both buttons on top left side of Camera, and set to lower flash output with the dial (back upper right) to minus 7. ( I expect there may be readers even more amateur than I am) Once you try it, it is not too bad! Yes, three more steps.

Compared to my ex G1, this was a lot of steps. The results were however amazing!

Most shots were sharp and clear. Autofocus was FAST. The plane was not that large, and turbulance was fairly heavy. The Camera was certainly shaking.

I did get one shot of the open cockpit, (around 15 feet away) and when I examined this picture with ACDSee on my laptop, not only could I tell you that we were 11400 feet above sea level, but I could even identify the type of screw used to fix the Altimeter to the panel. I had not adjusted the sharpness. (Did not know how I could, but glad I didn't)

Not a chance I could have obtained this picture on my Canon G1. I am still not certain if the G3 is identical, but I suspect with it's slower autofocus, this picture may not have succeeded.

If you turn the Camera in to , then your last settings will be remembered, and with very few adjustments the other modes can be used as a point and shoot Camera for my wife, (and others, including me). I will reserve the 8 "my-mode" settings for most of my favorite settings, and it may then become a fairly easy Camera to use.

Perhaps in 6 months I may get used to it! :-)
--
NAJAM
 
Was that Mandy Moore at Radio City? She's sweet.
Well, I did it. I bought myself an early Christmas gift, a C5050.
I am VERY pleased with it thus far and I do not predict that will
change much in the near future. Although I love my C700, it turns
out the majority of my pictures did not utilize the 10X and were
indoors. The AF assist lamp and a bright lens made the C5050 the
ideal choice.

Here is what I like so far:
  • Build Quality / Ergonomics. This thing is solid. The all
magnesium body feels great in your hands. The tilt-out LCD is
great, the neck strap is very comfortable (I wore the camera all
night and didn't even notice it), the button layout is very good as
well as the menu system (i'm already used to it from the C700). I
think everything is where it should be and the camera is very
comfortable and easy to use.
  • Low Light Performance. This is the main reason why I purchased
the camera. I am very pleased with the performance. The AF assist
lamp seems to work very well in low light and even complete
darkness. I know there were some posts regarding the 5050s ability
to capture light despite its 1.8 lens. I did not have this
problem. I set both cameras to ISO 100, pointed at the same
subject, and the C700 wanted 1/2.5 - 1/3 of a sec while the 5050
wanted 1/4 of a sec.
  • Speed. What a quick little bugger. AF and shutter release are
fast as well as image playback.
  • Super Macro. Wow. I was never into Macro photography but now I
will be! 5MP + Super Macro is a great combination!
  • Dual Slot. I didn't realize the benefits of this. I have a CF
and an XD card in simultaneously and can switch between them with
the touch of a button. Very useful.
  • Image Quality. Excellent. Despite the quirks (see below), I was
very pleased with all of the images. I am amazed by the amount of
detai this camera can capture and color rendition seemed right on
as well.
  • Included "extras". NiMH Batteries, a Charger, and the RM1 remote
control. My 4th Olympus camera and the first time this stuff was
included. More batteries are always nice and the RM1 remote is
really cool!
  • Speaker. I shut off the annoying sounds and the splash screens
right away. Having the speaker for movie playback is a great plus
for me.

And here are my dislikes:
  • Lens cap. Ugh! The lens cap is attached to the body of the
camera instead of the lens. When you turn on the camera without
taking off the lens cap it makes a grinding noise and beeps at you.
I've done this 5 times already (I'll learn eventually)! I'm sure
Oly made it so it wouldn't damage the lens motor but it can be
quite scary / annoying.
  • Over sharpening. The images at default sharpening level come out
unnaturally sharp and can be pretty noisy. You definitely MUST set
sharpening to -5 for best results.
  • Viewfinder. Its a little smaller than i'd like and you usually
have to squish your nose against the LCD to use it.

I have not run into CA or diagonal jaggies yet but I don't doubt
they are present. However, they don't seem to bother me much and
will not be present in the majority of my shots. Although I
deleted all of my test shots (actually, I downloaded them at a
friends house and did not leave the pics on the memory card,
d'oh!), here is one super macro shot up at pbase:

http://www.pbase.com/image/8007483

This is not supposed to be a well composed picture, just a
demonstration of the camera. Anybody have any questions or would
like for me to do any tests? It's Thanksgiving and I have plenty
of time to be playing with my new camera!

-JC
 
I agree with Hiro and I don't have much to add. Today was day #6 with my new C-5050. Unlike many of you here who had 3-4 digital cameras before, this was my first digital camera. I read almost every review on the Net on Pentax, Olympus, Nikon and Sony cameras, but when I came across the spec on C-5050, I instantly knew that this is it. There was no full review, no pictures to compare, no valuable test data, but I didn't care. It had all the features I wanted to have in my digital camera. Some of them were specific to digitals, such as battery type (3 different types, any manufacturer) and discharge time, media type (5 different types - non-proprietory!), resolution, format of files you could use (RAW, TIFF, Jpeg). Many other features I needed because I have been taking photographs for almost 40 years and there are certain things that you simply must have. Lots of creative control is available as well as aperture range from 1.8 to 10.0. Not many cameras can offer this. AF speed and illumination was important for me and this camera has it in abundance. Turn the light in the room off and it's like having the red flashlight to see what is in the front of you. Very impressive.

I do a lot of macro photography and the Super macro mode allows me to focus 1" away from the object. Wow! Now, one of the most important things for me: Ergonomics and build quality. The body feels so natural in my hands and the black magnesium body screams "quality". The ergonomics are exceptional. I learned to use 95% of the features intuitively, without reading the manual. In addition to the regular menu, it has "shortcuts" menu consisting of the three most commonly used features of your choice. You go there and changing setting takes a second or two, no scrolling through numerous screens like in other cameras. There is also "custom" button which you can program to take you to the feature you need most often to access. Click there, rotate the wheel and you changed the setting. Instant access! I programed it to take me to the "My mode" menu, which in itself a wonderful feature. It allows you to pre-set eight (!) of your most favorite settings. The camera also has a number of direct access buttons, such as flash mode, exposure compensation, AE lock, focusing mode, metering mode. Press the button, rotate the wheel and you changed the mode, no need to scroll the menus, although, it must be said, the menus are very well laid out and easy to use.

What can I say, amazing camera. It allows you to spend more time on an actual photography than on fumbling with dozen of menus.
Quality of photographs is very good, too.
Here are my C-5050 photos, posted on PhotoSig:
http://www1.photosig.com/viewphoto.php?id=475191
http://www1.photosig.com/viewphoto.php?id=473437

Both are macros, but I will post other pictures, too.

Hope this helps,
Efraim
 
I'm thinking about buying this camera too. Unfortunately the C5050 is not available in the Netherlands yet (probably next week it will be). Can you show some in- and outside testshots at 100 ISO with and without the sharpening correction?

thanks!
Elly
Well, I did it. I bought myself an early Christmas gift, a C5050.
I am VERY pleased with it thus far and I do not predict that will
change much in the near future. Although I love my C700, it turns
out the majority of my pictures did not utilize the 10X and were
indoors. The AF assist lamp and a bright lens made the C5050 the
ideal choice.

Here is what I like so far:
  • Build Quality / Ergonomics. This thing is solid. The all
magnesium body feels great in your hands. The tilt-out LCD is
great, the neck strap is very comfortable (I wore the camera all
night and didn't even notice it), the button layout is very good as
well as the menu system (i'm already used to it from the C700). I
think everything is where it should be and the camera is very
comfortable and easy to use.
  • Low Light Performance. This is the main reason why I purchased
the camera. I am very pleased with the performance. The AF assist
lamp seems to work very well in low light and even complete
darkness. I know there were some posts regarding the 5050s ability
to capture light despite its 1.8 lens. I did not have this
problem. I set both cameras to ISO 100, pointed at the same
subject, and the C700 wanted 1/2.5 - 1/3 of a sec while the 5050
wanted 1/4 of a sec.
  • Speed. What a quick little bugger. AF and shutter release are
fast as well as image playback.
  • Super Macro. Wow. I was never into Macro photography but now I
will be! 5MP + Super Macro is a great combination!
  • Dual Slot. I didn't realize the benefits of this. I have a CF
and an XD card in simultaneously and can switch between them with
the touch of a button. Very useful.
  • Image Quality. Excellent. Despite the quirks (see below), I was
very pleased with all of the images. I am amazed by the amount of
detai this camera can capture and color rendition seemed right on
as well.
  • Included "extras". NiMH Batteries, a Charger, and the RM1 remote
control. My 4th Olympus camera and the first time this stuff was
included. More batteries are always nice and the RM1 remote is
really cool!
  • Speaker. I shut off the annoying sounds and the splash screens
right away. Having the speaker for movie playback is a great plus
for me.

And here are my dislikes:
  • Lens cap. Ugh! The lens cap is attached to the body of the
camera instead of the lens. When you turn on the camera without
taking off the lens cap it makes a grinding noise and beeps at you.
I've done this 5 times already (I'll learn eventually)! I'm sure
Oly made it so it wouldn't damage the lens motor but it can be
quite scary / annoying.
  • Over sharpening. The images at default sharpening level come out
unnaturally sharp and can be pretty noisy. You definitely MUST set
sharpening to -5 for best results.
  • Viewfinder. Its a little smaller than i'd like and you usually
have to squish your nose against the LCD to use it.

I have not run into CA or diagonal jaggies yet but I don't doubt
they are present. However, they don't seem to bother me much and
will not be present in the majority of my shots. Although I
deleted all of my test shots (actually, I downloaded them at a
friends house and did not leave the pics on the memory card,
d'oh!), here is one super macro shot up at pbase:

http://www.pbase.com/image/8007483

This is not supposed to be a well composed picture, just a
demonstration of the camera. Anybody have any questions or would
like for me to do any tests? It's Thanksgiving and I have plenty
of time to be playing with my new camera!

-JC
--
Pieter
 
I've had my camera only a week, but since we went on vacation almost immediately, I've had the chance to carry it around Disney World for a day.

I agree that the strap is very comfortable, I hardly noticed it around my neck and I'm pretty wimpy about stuff like that. I also carried it in a fanny pack and was comfortable as well. Although I must have bumped the on button while it was in the bag (or forgot to turn it off) because I found it on when I wanted to take my next picture. It must have a "sleep" mode because my batteries weren't drained down.

The lens cap is very easy to bump off. I'm sure it popped off at least 3 times that day just with normal use.

The pictures were great and it was much fun showing the family the pictures on the TV while sitting on the couch using the remote.

I really like my new toy and can't wait to really learn how to use it.
Happy Shooting!
DanielleH
 
I had a chance to do some tests. They are up at:

http://www.pbase.com/jc/c5050/

There wasn't much interesting stuff to photograph as everything is dead this time of year in NY.

-Hiro
thanks!
Elly
Well, I did it. I bought myself an early Christmas gift, a C5050.
I am VERY pleased with it thus far and I do not predict that will
change much in the near future. Although I love my C700, it turns
out the majority of my pictures did not utilize the 10X and were
indoors. The AF assist lamp and a bright lens made the C5050 the
ideal choice.

Here is what I like so far:
  • Build Quality / Ergonomics. This thing is solid. The all
magnesium body feels great in your hands. The tilt-out LCD is
great, the neck strap is very comfortable (I wore the camera all
night and didn't even notice it), the button layout is very good as
well as the menu system (i'm already used to it from the C700). I
think everything is where it should be and the camera is very
comfortable and easy to use.
  • Low Light Performance. This is the main reason why I purchased
the camera. I am very pleased with the performance. The AF assist
lamp seems to work very well in low light and even complete
darkness. I know there were some posts regarding the 5050s ability
to capture light despite its 1.8 lens. I did not have this
problem. I set both cameras to ISO 100, pointed at the same
subject, and the C700 wanted 1/2.5 - 1/3 of a sec while the 5050
wanted 1/4 of a sec.
  • Speed. What a quick little bugger. AF and shutter release are
fast as well as image playback.
  • Super Macro. Wow. I was never into Macro photography but now I
will be! 5MP + Super Macro is a great combination!
  • Dual Slot. I didn't realize the benefits of this. I have a CF
and an XD card in simultaneously and can switch between them with
the touch of a button. Very useful.
  • Image Quality. Excellent. Despite the quirks (see below), I was
very pleased with all of the images. I am amazed by the amount of
detai this camera can capture and color rendition seemed right on
as well.
  • Included "extras". NiMH Batteries, a Charger, and the RM1 remote
control. My 4th Olympus camera and the first time this stuff was
included. More batteries are always nice and the RM1 remote is
really cool!
  • Speaker. I shut off the annoying sounds and the splash screens
right away. Having the speaker for movie playback is a great plus
for me.

And here are my dislikes:
  • Lens cap. Ugh! The lens cap is attached to the body of the
camera instead of the lens. When you turn on the camera without
taking off the lens cap it makes a grinding noise and beeps at you.
I've done this 5 times already (I'll learn eventually)! I'm sure
Oly made it so it wouldn't damage the lens motor but it can be
quite scary / annoying.
  • Over sharpening. The images at default sharpening level come out
unnaturally sharp and can be pretty noisy. You definitely MUST set
sharpening to -5 for best results.
  • Viewfinder. Its a little smaller than i'd like and you usually
have to squish your nose against the LCD to use it.

I have not run into CA or diagonal jaggies yet but I don't doubt
they are present. However, they don't seem to bother me much and
will not be present in the majority of my shots. Although I
deleted all of my test shots (actually, I downloaded them at a
friends house and did not leave the pics on the memory card,
d'oh!), here is one super macro shot up at pbase:

http://www.pbase.com/image/8007483

This is not supposed to be a well composed picture, just a
demonstration of the camera. Anybody have any questions or would
like for me to do any tests? It's Thanksgiving and I have plenty
of time to be playing with my new camera!

-JC
--
Pieter
 

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