EAWil
Forum Enthusiast
I spent a lot of time researching and deciding between the C-5060 and the Canon EOS Digital Rebel. (I have an EOS Elan that has served me very well for many years) I finally decided on the C-5060 for several reasons, including but not limited to:
1] I have a C-4000 that I got late during 2002, and it’s great;
2] I wanted a camera with capabilities beyond those of the C-4000 (Slightly wider angle and longer telephoto lens; hot shoe; 5 megapixel CCD; more powerful battery)
3] Professional reviews of the C-5060;
4] User reviews and comments;
5] The compactness of the C-5060 (I found the C-4000 incredibly convenient to travel with during August 2003 when my wife & I visited Old Town Quebec for 5 days, and I concluded that such convenience was and is more important to me than interchangeable lenses, partly because I never used more than one lens with my EOS Elan);
6] The ability to use both xD & CF storage media;
7] The magnesium body;
8] The fully adjustable LCD monitor
Since receiving my C-5060 I've been somewhat concerned about its low light performance, having read all the user commentary about it. Recently, however, during a particularly dark, cloudy central NJ day, I went out around 3:00 P.M. and took a few shots in my neighborhood. I shot from f2.8 to f4.8 and the camera performed flawlessly. Also, I'm an architect & planner, so the majority of my photos are of buildings and open spaces, taken outdoors in sunlight or bright clouds. (In that regard, incidentally, I find the optional grid pattern in the LCD to be extremely helpful in adjusting perspective) Nevertheless, I also take quite a few indoor shots of family & friends, but almost exclusively with flash or at the widest available angle, which in the case of the C-5060 is also at f2.8. As a result, the speed of the C-5060's lens doesn't present a problem for me in the vast majority, if not all, of my shooting situations.
Although I've had my C-5060 only since Christmas 2003, I'm growing more and more enthusiastic about it daily. My photo results to date have been excellent, except where I - not the camera - have made mistakes. I'm gradually learning to use the menus and buttons - those buttons are terrific - and I'm finding the C-5060 to be everything I'd anticipated and more. For example, I have set up my first "My Mode" program, and it's great. I can keep the LCD grid on all the time to assist with perspective correction, and still adjust features like metering and flash mode with the buttons, and ISO with the menus!
Someone mentioned in one of the C-5060 forums that there weren't many 40.5mm filters available. However, B&H Photo in Manhattan offers an abundance of 40.5mm filters in a wide range of price points, some in stock and some special order. I recently ordered a 40.5mm Hoya UV Haze filter from them. It was delivered in two days and screwed directly into the lens barrel as intended. Although the filter protrudes slightly beyond the fixed part of the lens barrel, the included lens cap still fits. Excellent design and forethought, which appear to be typical for this camera. Highly Recommended. I love mine.
I just - 18 Jan 04 - wrote a reply regarding framing with the LCD in the DPReview Olympus Talk Forum, and decided to add it to my review. Framing with the LCD was a little awkward for me at first, primarily because I’d never before framed with an LCD, even with my C-4000, and I’m certainly not expert at it yet. However, after getting comfortable with rotating the LCD on my C-5060 and changing its positions – I had read a couple of user reviews saying that the LCD stopped working when it was rotated and/or relocated – I decided to experiment with framing with it. Now, I rarely ever use the viewfinder even though, as noted above, I’ve had my C-5060 only since Christmas. I find that framing with the LCD offers great flexibility in shooting at the optimal camera elevation. That flexibility, coupled with the optional LCD grid, which I have already programmed into one “My Mode” setting, helps me to be a lot more confident about adjusting perspective, especially vertical alignment.
In fact, I’d like for Olympus or a third party manufacturer to make a readily adjustable neck strap for the C-5060, so that it would be more convenient to move the camera vertically. (I don’t like to shoot w/o the neck strap because it would be too easy to drop the camera)
Problems:
The only problem I’ve encountered to date has been with low light shooting with wide-angle flash. I've shot with both the built-in unit and with my FL-20 attached, and the camera and flash expose the overall room environment very well. My difficulty has been with metering properly for a group of people in the room. (They're typically underexposed) I think I'm making progress in that regard, however. Recently I experimented with spot metering a face and using AEL. I got a couple of very good results that way, so I'll continue to pursue that approach for awhile. Incidentally, all the close and mid-range flash shots I've taken have been beautifully exposed in "P" so far. Of course, any true low light shooting (e.g. after dark scenes) will require use of a tripod and a long exposure, which the professional reviews and the C-5060's manual make very clear.
1] I have a C-4000 that I got late during 2002, and it’s great;
2] I wanted a camera with capabilities beyond those of the C-4000 (Slightly wider angle and longer telephoto lens; hot shoe; 5 megapixel CCD; more powerful battery)
3] Professional reviews of the C-5060;
4] User reviews and comments;
5] The compactness of the C-5060 (I found the C-4000 incredibly convenient to travel with during August 2003 when my wife & I visited Old Town Quebec for 5 days, and I concluded that such convenience was and is more important to me than interchangeable lenses, partly because I never used more than one lens with my EOS Elan);
6] The ability to use both xD & CF storage media;
7] The magnesium body;
8] The fully adjustable LCD monitor
Since receiving my C-5060 I've been somewhat concerned about its low light performance, having read all the user commentary about it. Recently, however, during a particularly dark, cloudy central NJ day, I went out around 3:00 P.M. and took a few shots in my neighborhood. I shot from f2.8 to f4.8 and the camera performed flawlessly. Also, I'm an architect & planner, so the majority of my photos are of buildings and open spaces, taken outdoors in sunlight or bright clouds. (In that regard, incidentally, I find the optional grid pattern in the LCD to be extremely helpful in adjusting perspective) Nevertheless, I also take quite a few indoor shots of family & friends, but almost exclusively with flash or at the widest available angle, which in the case of the C-5060 is also at f2.8. As a result, the speed of the C-5060's lens doesn't present a problem for me in the vast majority, if not all, of my shooting situations.
Although I've had my C-5060 only since Christmas 2003, I'm growing more and more enthusiastic about it daily. My photo results to date have been excellent, except where I - not the camera - have made mistakes. I'm gradually learning to use the menus and buttons - those buttons are terrific - and I'm finding the C-5060 to be everything I'd anticipated and more. For example, I have set up my first "My Mode" program, and it's great. I can keep the LCD grid on all the time to assist with perspective correction, and still adjust features like metering and flash mode with the buttons, and ISO with the menus!
Someone mentioned in one of the C-5060 forums that there weren't many 40.5mm filters available. However, B&H Photo in Manhattan offers an abundance of 40.5mm filters in a wide range of price points, some in stock and some special order. I recently ordered a 40.5mm Hoya UV Haze filter from them. It was delivered in two days and screwed directly into the lens barrel as intended. Although the filter protrudes slightly beyond the fixed part of the lens barrel, the included lens cap still fits. Excellent design and forethought, which appear to be typical for this camera. Highly Recommended. I love mine.
I just - 18 Jan 04 - wrote a reply regarding framing with the LCD in the DPReview Olympus Talk Forum, and decided to add it to my review. Framing with the LCD was a little awkward for me at first, primarily because I’d never before framed with an LCD, even with my C-4000, and I’m certainly not expert at it yet. However, after getting comfortable with rotating the LCD on my C-5060 and changing its positions – I had read a couple of user reviews saying that the LCD stopped working when it was rotated and/or relocated – I decided to experiment with framing with it. Now, I rarely ever use the viewfinder even though, as noted above, I’ve had my C-5060 only since Christmas. I find that framing with the LCD offers great flexibility in shooting at the optimal camera elevation. That flexibility, coupled with the optional LCD grid, which I have already programmed into one “My Mode” setting, helps me to be a lot more confident about adjusting perspective, especially vertical alignment.
In fact, I’d like for Olympus or a third party manufacturer to make a readily adjustable neck strap for the C-5060, so that it would be more convenient to move the camera vertically. (I don’t like to shoot w/o the neck strap because it would be too easy to drop the camera)
Problems:
The only problem I’ve encountered to date has been with low light shooting with wide-angle flash. I've shot with both the built-in unit and with my FL-20 attached, and the camera and flash expose the overall room environment very well. My difficulty has been with metering properly for a group of people in the room. (They're typically underexposed) I think I'm making progress in that regard, however. Recently I experimented with spot metering a face and using AEL. I got a couple of very good results that way, so I'll continue to pursue that approach for awhile. Incidentally, all the close and mid-range flash shots I've taken have been beautifully exposed in "P" so far. Of course, any true low light shooting (e.g. after dark scenes) will require use of a tripod and a long exposure, which the professional reviews and the C-5060's manual make very clear.