Get a $50 Rebate when you purchase this item & the Olympus P-10 Photo Printer!offer expires 12/31/04. Image resolution up to 2592 x 19444x optical and 3.5x digital zoomUses xD-Picture Card up to 512MBPictBridge compatibleHigh-speed sequential shooting4 3/5W x 3 2/5H x 2 3/5D Includes 32MB xD-Picture Card wireless remote Li-ion battery and charger lens cap USB and video cable and software CDManufacturers link: http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_product_lobbypage.asp?l=1&p=16&bc=2&product=936
1 Moving on, but this was a great camera
Regardless of the negative reviews, the C5060 is one great advanced digital camera. Keep in mind that this is a point and shoot or creative shooting camera, but with little flexibility in lense add ons. The wide angle and macro capabilities are superb. The low light performance so commonly complained about can easily be overcome when neeeded by increasing the exposure by a third of a stop or two. I've taken over 8000 photos with this camera in 16 months and never had one problem with it. Be careful where you buy yours. There are refurbs and non-US versions out there now.
I've moved on to a digital LR but the C5060 was a great camera for me and expect it to remain so for it's new owner.
2 Excellent camera
I have had the c-5060 for almost a year and am very happy with the camera. The wide-angle lens is great for landscape photos. I find that the amount of post-processing I need to do with photos from this camera is minimal. Sharpness is always good right off the camera. It also handles contrasty scenes very well and doesn't overexpose as much as other cameras I have owned.
3 Great camera for an amateur photographer
I've had this camera since May '04, and I have never had any problem with it. No problems with the menu, with freezen, or any of the ones mentioned in other reviews. I'm not saying those problems don't occure, since I've read the same comments in other sites, but I consider myself lucky for not having to deal with that.
My experience have been great with this camera. It has lots of features, and even thought I take approx. 250 pictures a month, I'm still learning to use some of its features. I've taken night pictures, and, in comparision with the Canon G5 (which I considered when buying mine), the pictures from the C5060 are way better. No purple halos around the lights (like the G5, and when the noise control is ON, it really minimizes the noise in the pictures. Zoom control is a bit slow, but it offers a semi-decent range. I'm still planning to buy the 1.7x zoom magnifier. Obviously, if you want more you should try an SLR. 40.5 filters can be bougth online (B&H), or even found in Ritz Camera. I strongly recommend buying a polarizer, it really helps when taking pictures during the day.
One of the more common complaints about this camera is the use of proprietary batteries. Other than the cost of the batteries, the Olympus battery offers great capacity and allows you to take the camera for a 4-6 day trip without needing to change batteries. I recommend buying a 2nd battery, try an online search for a non-Olympus battery, I found one for $20 (a third of the cost from Olympus), and it offers the same duration as the Olympus.
Overall, after comparing this camera with others that I consider in the same level (Canon G5, among others), I would give this camera a 4.5 out of 5, based on all its features and the lack of problems I've experienced.
4 Olympus C-5060 is a terriffic camera!
I have owned an Olympus C-3040 digital camera for 3 years, and decided to upgrade to the C-5060 for 4 reasons: 1) Faster processing; 2) Wide angle lens; 3) 5.1 megapixels; and 4)I am familiar with the Olympus software and menus, and didn't want to learn a whole new system again.
The C-5060 has met all of my expectations and is a great camera. My only negative comment is that I wish Olympus would standardize on the lens specs so that I don't need to buy new filters again. The C-5060 uses a 40.5 mm size, and I have not been able to find adapters for it.
The reviewers who moan about the camera's instruction manual are all not using the features of the Adobe Acrobat Reader software for the .PDF file that is on the CD with the manual. If you click on the Adobe drop down menu for fit to page, you get a beautiful 8.5 x 11 full page manual. And if you print both front and back -- print all odd no pages, then reinsert the paper and print all even no. pages -- the manual is only about 135 pages.
I purchased my camera new in mid-December, 2004, and the bugs described by some of the other reviewers here have not appeared. It worked perfectly out of the box after 6 hours of charging the battery.
5 Disappointing
I think Olympus has missed the boat here. This camera in no way improves on the 5050. After falling with the camera in my hand and breaking it I decided to 'upgrade' to the 5060 and so far have been disappointed with the results in "low light" ie any indoor shots, and the macro feature isn't as sharp.
I wish I'd saved the money and had my old camera repaired.
6 Brilliant, but.....
Note to readers: You will find updates at the end of this review, which was written about a few weeks earlier. It is not entirely happy reading.
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I've been very happy with Olympus digital cameras, having gone through several generations of them. Facing some work which required wide-angle capability I upgraded from my 2020z so I could use my wide-angle conversion lens, giving me a 35mm camera equivalent of about 19mm when needed.
In terms of photographic quality, the results I am getting from this camera are nothing short of spectacular. Great sharpness and resolution that, as some reviewers have pointed out, are virtually as good in the standard HQ mode as in SHQ and TIFF. Fast shutter. Many exposure options. Very little noise. The camera is significantly larger than my 2020, but the build is solid and comfortable -- making steady shots a lot more likely. I also like the menu system, and the various convenience buttons offer a lot of adjustments that do not require going deep into it. Though some users have noted that the lens is significantly slower than that on the 2020 and 4000, I have had some good luck with low light situations, and when things get pretty dim I increase the ISO settings, with good results. No problem there. I find this a fair trade off for wide angle capability. I also like the tilting and swiveling LCD (more flexible than on the 5050). It's bright and filled with useful information, so I use it all the time, though a 'my mode' setting allows me to power up without it in a pinch.
OK, some quibbles. First, there is the mode dial failure issue, which some reviewers have noted -- and which is the subject of a Yahoo group and a fine Wrotniak article. Whether Oly has worked this problem out, what the failure rate is, etc. are not clear, and until I am persuaded that my production line was clean I will have a little 560 in the bottom of my bag in case of failure -- something I would generally do anyhow, particuarly since the 560 gives extremely fine results and runs forever on rechargeable CR-V3's.. What does bother me is the silence of Olympus on this matter. They have not satisfactorally explained the situation to many who have asked, and they haven't had the courtesy to respond to some questions I put to them. Anyone who invests in a product of this quality deserves a response, and as a long-time Oly user and advocate I am extremely disappointed and have the sneaking feeling there is a real problem here that should be resolved by a recall. After all, some of us rely on this camera in our work and if there is a problem want to have it fixed on our calendar.
Speaking of the mode dial, the on-off switch is just below it and I have found that it is simply too easy to move the mode dial when turning the camera on and off, an unhappy situation if one is in a hurry. Bad design. Wear gloves? You're cooked.
Another quibble is that Oly has eliminated a slot for SM cards in favor of microdrives which few Oly users use. I have pile of SM cards and would have liked that option (in addition to the CompactFlash and xD). They have it on the 5050.
Ok, as for the battery issue. I borrowed a friend's Oly 5050 which runs on AA's and though the NiMh's I used were fresh I could squeeze no more than 60-80 shots out of the camera (using LCD; and remember that NiMh's have a fast discharge rate which means that when you need them they may be sorry shape to power a workhorse like this) before having to change batteries (this is about the same as with my 2020z). Using the 5060's proprietary battery (and others I picked up from third party resellers for as low as $7.00 each -- they work perfectly) I'm easily exceeding that, and can do almost a full day's shooting without worry. In addition to finding cheap Oly compatible batteries I found a marvelous rapid charger for less than $20 which cuts charging time by about 2/3rds. I've thus been able to cut the long cord on my OLY OEM charger back to a few inches, giving me a tiny little charger to put in the bottom of my gadget bag for travel. Yes, it would be nice to have the AA option in a pinch, but Oly makes a battery holder that uses two of the camera's very small batteries, and if one can pick up spare ones that work perfectly well for seven bucks (cheaper than four decent NiMh's), why not buy a few and just be sure one is in your pocket when you go off on a shoot? By using a proprietary battery Oly has also improved battery loading very significantly (my 2020 latch cover is a bugger, and more than once I've spilled batteries on the floor when changing them at night or in a hurry).
My conclusion is that this is a fine camera that has a design flaw or two, and may or may not have a serious one that requires factory repair -- and should get some honest speaking from Olympus, a reputable company that has a fine product line. One needs to go into the battery situation with eyes open, but by no means is it required to purchase Oly branded batteries or chargers for backup. Given the extra power and fine results I'm happy. So far....
-----> new comments:
The camera died yesterday. I had done a relatively full day of commercial shooting and it had behaved beautifully. Brought it home, changed the battery, offloaded my data and set the camera down for a couple of minutes while I went off to get a cup of coffee. Came back and, voila, dead as a doornail. Checked out various contacts and pulled the battery to see if the camera would reset (occasionally my trusty 2020 would freeze up, but would unfreeze very suddenly after about 20 minutes of batteryless rest). Left the battery out all night and 16 hours later took it and camera over to a nearby camera store where I do a lot of business. They noticed the 5060 had died with lens fully extended and that it would not respond to an ac adapter. Alas, it is in the mail and Olympus sez they will turn it around within a week (not holding my breath on that folks). (note: I've learned that it may take as long as ten days for this camera to reset itself. Unlike some earlier models, it has a little battery or some other voltage holding device which allows users to recharge batteries or protect settings for a long time without a battery. The good news is this feature can save a lot of pain, the bad is that it there is a problem not fixed by the factory reset function you may have to wait quite awhile to find out if your camera is actually dead or just in a deeper than usual sleep).
It does seem to me, having read quite a bit and having had this experience, a rare one in my Oly experience, that there must have been both shortcuts and maybe some truly untested bits and pieces in the manufacturing process that are causing problems to what would seem like quite a few people. These problems, as in my case, come after about two months of fairly heavy usage. Sure, covered by warranty, but I now have to backfill and the camera I hoped to have with me on a forthcoming trip will probably be on a workbench somewhere. Or Oly will send me a new one and two months from now....well lets see, but I suspect this is not the end of the saga. Hmmmm, those new Canons and Nikons are looking better and better.
End of story (for now?)
Olympus did as it promises and got my camera back to me about two weeks after they logged it in. Actually, my post office track told me they had the camera several days before actually logging it into their system, but from what I can learn there is nothing new about that. Calls to customer service to check on the camera were all but useless -- unfriendly and sometimes difficult (due to language spoken by agent). The technical report indicates that three circuit boards were replaced, suggesting some kind of catastrophic failure (which also managed to kill my memory card).
The camera is now working pefectly and my fingers remained crossed. My dealer tells me the turnaround time is about the best in the industry. I wish I knew more about checks they ran on the camera and whether there was a firmware upgrade, etc. but one can't have everything. It still puzzles me that such a fine camera just imploded, but I do see a lot of BMW's and Mercedes by the side of the road these days!
7 Lens Envy, batteries
I had an Olympus C-4040 which I was very happy with. I "upgraded" it to the C5060 when they came out. I have to say that the bright f1.8 lens on the 4040 had spoiled me. A lot of low light photos that had been easy with the 4040 were out of the question with the 5060. The lowest f stop on the 5060 is only f2.8. That means that photos I had been taking at 1/60th of a second were now needing 1/20th to 1/30th of a second exposure. If you use a lot of flash maybe it won't matter to you, but I use natural light for most of my stuff. The 5060 was stolen recently and after research I scoured the internet for one of the older C5050 cameras that has the F1.8 lens to replace it.
The other issue I had is with the propietary Li-on battery that came with the 5060. A spare costs $70. The 4040 and the 5050 use AA batteries. A better option. I hope someone from Olympus reads this. Lenses matter. I looked at the new C-8080 camera, but the lens on it was a mediocre f2.4.
8 DO NOT BUY OLYMPUS C-5060 DIGITAL CAMERA!
Olympus has a problem w/ part# VC7997 on these cameras that causes menus to pop up on LCD w/o touching buttons and buttons stop working. Numerous people are complaining about this problem on the Internet - go to yahoo groups, Olympus_405080. Olympus needs to recall camera. Mine worked fine for almost 3 months before problem arose so don't think yours won't fail.
9 Good camera - but expect problems
I have bought this camera in April and took it to a vacation abroad. The mode dial failed in the middle of the vacation which was very disappointing. After nervously rushing to the nearest internet PC I found that fiddling with the dial can help and it temporarily came back to life. It ultimately failed when I was back from the vacation.
Be sure you can have the camera serviced in your area, because I have to send it abroad for repairs.
10 Great Camera!
I have been using digital cameras since 1998 and had a chance to work with about a dozen different cams. 5060 is one of the best. When I was making a choice on what camera to get, 5060 wasn't on my list at all -- I did not want to get a camera with non-AA batteries. However, after I saw that my AA choices are limited I decided to extend my searching range. I liked everything in 5060, except the batteries, and it was superior in quality and value to the cameras in my selection (4-5mpx canon, nikon, sony, casio). I ended up with 5060 and I can say that I'm happy about my choice. There's even a positive side about the battery -- it is only one (in comparison to 4 AAs) and it's very to change it. I bought two more batteries on ebay for $20 (non-olympus). You can read about all the features in many other reviews. I want to point out the LCD screen -- I like it much better than those on Canon's (that open up to the side). Design of Olympus LCD is much better and proved to be extremely useful in many cases. With swivel screen I can take photos at the angles I could not even imagine before. Camera takes CF memory cards (cheaper and more popular then other formats) also it has 2nd slot of xd memory card. It's sort of a waste, as I would never buy xd card, but since 32mb is included with the cam, you get emergency 32mb storage. Ability to attach filter directly onto the lens adds a lot of convenience -- no need to get adapter tubes, and camera keeps the same size. Battery life is very good but if you are going on a trip get two more batteries. Proprietary batteries can be a real pain if you run out of them, so make sure to have spares. Also, charger that comes with the cam is somewhat weak -- takes about 5 hours to charge a battery. See if you can find used BCM1 charger (charges battery in 1 hour). 5060 does offer some inconveniences but nevertheless it is a very good camera. It produces great photos, offers 4x zoom, very convenient swivel screen and many more extras. I can't say that this camera is perfect but in comparison to others it is superior.
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Update
I've been having problems with this camera: the option to move AF target simply disappeared. Called Olympus, they suggested to reset the cam and it helped. I read that some people have software-related problems with the camera. I'd suggest to try and reset it and see if it helps.
11 Charger problem solved
Just for information to the people who bought the c 5060 recently like I did and reported the problem with the charger's blinking red light when first charged out of the box. I had the same problem but went ahead and fully charged the battery overnight despite the instructions saying to call customer support. The battery was fully charged in the morning, the indicator light was green, and have not had a problem since. What happened I think is the battery came from the supplier uncharged so the first time it is charged it takes a long time (I left it overnight probably 10 hours) and red indicator light is blinking.
12 Another DOA
July, 2004 - Just like the other reviewer from Texas, out-of-the-box the battery/charger had a problem. I'm sure this is a good camera if I ever get to use it.
The charger flashes red after about 2 minutes of charging. The instructions say to immediately call Olympus support. Which I did and after about 15 minutes on hold, I'm told I can either return the camera or mail in the charger and battery. I'm mailing the charger/battery - so I'm guessing I'm out of a camera for a couple of weeks.
When two people take the time to report the same problem within 2 months, I think Olympus has a serious problem with a supplier.
November, 2004 - follow-up: Since I was going on vacation the first of August, I purchased a second charger and battery - which worked fine. It took Olympus four(4!) months to return the charger and battery I submitted to them - AND - they reshipped the same equipment back (still malfunctioning) in the same packing materials with instructions to resubmit the equipment if I still had a problem. The camera works great - but if you need help from Olympus - good luck.
13 Great Camera, But....
...you're on your own when it comes to batteries. If you're wealthy and can afford pocketfuls of weird batteries, you'll love this camera. I was going to buy it until I learned it doesn't take 4 AAs. I can get AAs in Calcutta, Urbicande, Samaris and Detroit. Try getting a A78XX324732799-U rechargable! (Actually, they may have one in Samaris, but I wouldn't count on it.)
Avoid proprietary batteries as you would avoid, well, proprietary batteries. Ten years from now they'll be special order only and will cost more than the camera does today.
Happy Shooting! Whatever you buy.
14 5060 made me happy
Having been very happy with my Olympus c3000 for a few years (3.2 MP) I was distraught at knocking the lens off one day while shooting from the perch of an active pogo stick (no more of that). While Olympus offered to totally overhaul it for $195 I thought it time for a new camera. After trying 2 canons (A75 at $225 and an S1-iS at $440) and being very unhappy with the image quality and focusing I bit the bullet and went for the 5060 wide zoom. This camera is far superior to either of those. More megapixels, yes, but that's not what sold me. It is so fast to start up, focus and write to the card. There is almost no shutter lag in good light. The proprietary battery I wasn't crazy about untill I saw how long it lasted -- at least 3 times what 4 AA rechargables did in my old olympus. And I love WIDE so having the what is equal to 27mm on the 35 platform is great. The tilting, turning viewer which flips over for storage is also a great plus. And it feels very solid (titainium). It has a focus assist light which the s1-is didn't which I need for I shoot alot in dark places. The video mode is quite good and lastly it takes compact flash cards which are the least expensive per meg, so buy a few and you have a real bargain. Finally the lens is super sharp and bright. I also think black cameras are best for not calling attention to themselves. And the image quality is stunning as the very first print showed me. A great camera. No regrets.
15 Strong Prosumer Effort -- Great Picture Quality
The Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom is an award winning (most recently PC World Best Buy in the Advanced Digital Camera class - February 2004) digital camera and has impressive specifications (5 MP, 14X seamless zoom, 2 different usable memory slots [xD and CF], wide angle zoom lens, super-handy multi-position LCD, movie mode with sound, etc.) going for it. It has lots of manual controls available for the more serious photography enthusiasts. You can attach it to a tripod, hook up additional flash units, add lenses and filters and do many manual, creative things not widely available at this resolution and price. None of this made much difference once I started to actually use the 5060.
This is the third digital camera that I've bought, and the first that I've been really happy with. The most important thing about a camera (at least for me) is the quality of the images that it produces. I am a beginner at photography, with no picture taking education, and I've only used a fraction of the features that are available on this unit. The best thing is that the pictures that I take with this camera are almost always very good, with a fair number edging into stunning, lush, and gorgeous - usually with all settings set on full automatic. Using the manual modes is just not necessary to get many great shots. Another thing that I want to point out is that the battery life on this camera has been better that any of the others that I've used. The proprietary BLM-1 battery that ships with the 5060 significantly outlasts any AA batteries that I've ever used in other digital cameras. On one charge I have been able to spend many hours per day over several days, using the LCD almost always and the flash on occasion, and I have never yet run out of power. It is a bit slow to recharge once you've used most of the charge, so if you're snapping tons of pictures and have no time for a recharge, buy a second battery.
This is a camera that I recommend to anyone who wants sharp, colorful, gorgeous pictures with minimal hassle, and is able to afford the price range. Try it for the features and price - you'll love it for the pictures.
16 Arrived DOA?
I greatly anticipated the arrival of my new C-5060 and when it got here today I put the battery in the charger and started the rest of the Getting Started procedures. I got all the straps and lanyards attached, read most of the manuals before I found that the charger (a very cheap-feeling plastic unit, made in China) was blinking a red light. This blinking light means that the battery or charger is over-heating or something else is wrong. It also means you can't charge the proprietary battery and therefore can't check out your nice new camera. Olympus says to contact a service center not the people you bought it from in the first place. I figured, if it has problems out of the box I should just return it and decide later if I'd want to replace it with the same model or spend the extra $$ for an SLR.
The good news is: the camera fits nicely in your hand for one-handed shooting if you like; the QT movie mode does sound now; and the manual is included in the box. It looks like it has an impressive number of features. The buttons are well placed on the camera but since some have functions that vary with the settings your using, I would imagine it could get confusing. I do wish it had a manual focus adjustment (I didn't notice if there was a way to do this in the manual.)
You should also check the cost of the accessories if you plan to use it for anything more than a point-and-click camera.
As I said, I'll be thinking over the next few days whether I'll replace it with the same camera (one that I could use I'd hope) or if I'll upgrade to an SLR or maybe just stay with my Sony FD-91.
Thanks for listening and I hope this doesn't discourage you too much because it appears to be an excellent camera for the money.
17 Too bad, no Manual
I purchased the C-5060 last week. So far the camera takes good pictures and has most of the advanced features I need. Before I purchased the camera, I read numerous reviews that stated that the full instruction manual wasn't included with the camera, but was included as a PDF file on the CD. The camera does ship with a "Quick Start" sheet and a tiny (impossible to read) mini pamphlet that is almost useless. I thought I could get by with out the printed manual. Boy was I wrong! In order to fully use the C-5060, the printed manual is a MUST. I tried printing the manual from the PDF file included on the CD, but page 67 not only crashed my workstation, but also crashed my business server. After re-starting my system, I tried again to print the manual, but again page 67 crashed my system. Once again, after restarting my computer, Pages 68-149 printed ok, but after printing almost 150 of the 289 pages I called it quits. I called Olympus tech support and was told to download the PDF file from the Olympus web site, and try again. I asked that a manual be sent to me, but was told that I'd have to pay $10.00. Olympus will not budge on that policy. Shame on Olympus, keep in mind that the instruction manual is 289 pages, and much of the information contained in the manual is important to get the most out of the advanced features the camera offers. My advice: Buy another brand of camera that includes a full instruction manual. Even though the C-5060 is probably a good camera, because of the hassles of not having the manual, I can not recommend this model, or for that matter this brand.
18 Great Camera
This is my 3rd Olympus digital camera. This is my favorite so far. One older 2.5MP Olympus camera just didn't have the picture quality I wanted although it was very well made. I owned the Olympus C4040 which was a great camera. I was going to settle for the C4040. It took awesome pictures and was also built well. Unfortunately I had a situation which required more money then I had and the C4040 had to go! Now I have the C5060 and it's a keeper. Once again it is well made and takes great photos. I bought it based on a Steves Digicam Review. I read reviews here after I bought it and actually got concerned that I made a mistake. People talking about malfunctions and poor battery life? UH OH! Well, I have waited a couple of months and took alot of pictures before I wrote this and so far I have had no problems. The battery lasts quite a long time which is great. Even using the flash and the lcd for a long time didn't drain the battery too quickly at all. ebay has alternate Japanese batteries for much less than the Olympus battery so extra batteries are no problem. The button layout is great. One thing I noticed right away was the evolution of Olympus digital cameras. This camera is well thought out and I could see the details they improved upon over the years. I recommend this camera highly! I imagine that some of the cameras purchased toward the beginning of their manufacturing run, had a higher degree of faults. Usually these problems are worked out and it seems this could be the case with the 5060.
19 First rate Prosumer camera
David Oliver's review is right on the mark - though I don't seem to have the oversharpness issue that his camera does.
I'd just like to add how easy it is to take manual control of the camera. Just about all of the frequently used types of adjustment are easily accessed without delving into the menu system. Once you take the time to understand this camera, you can easily make any shooting adjustment you wish. The design is very ergonomic.
I too have no complaints about the battery. It lasts forever! And if you need to stretch the battery, you can easily work with the LCD off. If your making an oncamera adjustment and need to see what's on the LCD, it switches the LCD on and then off again when you're finished.
20 Excellent Camera with Wide Array of Features
The Olympus C-5060 is a truly great camera! About the only complaints I have are that when using the viewfinder what you see is not necessarily what you get, especially when close to the subject, and manual focus can be a little difficult. An SLR camera would take care of both of these problems, but I can't afford it. Also, the supplied 32-MB memory card is way too small. A 256 is about the right size; it will hold nearly 100 images in the better-quality jpeg format.
My main reasons for looking at this model were the lithium-ion battery and the ability to zoom out to a reasonably wide angle. There have been negative comments about the battery in other reviews; I can't understand why. With my old camera, I had become very tired of messing with piles of AA NiMH cells, charging one set while using another. The Olympus battery lasts for hours and hours on a charge. Just in case, I bought a second battery (Merkury Innovations, about $20, higher capacity than the original).
The physical design of the C-5060 is excellent. The controls are not tightly crowded, but are spread throughout the body. Buttons are different sizes and shapes, so using it in low-light situations is easy. The camera seems very rugged. I hope I never drop it, but I would be very surprised to find any damage if I did.
The CCD array is very quiet and has a noise-reduction feature for low-light situations. I have taken some night-sky pictures in which stars are points of light on a completely black background. It is also possible to take good flash photos at night. The camera lights the subject with an eerie red glow for a few seconds in order to get an accurate focus.
Using the camera in fully automatic mode generally produces good results. When you need to take control, you have many choices: aperture-priority, shutter-priority, or fully manual exposure, for instance. I don't think there's anything that can't be placed under the user's control. Unfortunately, that eliminates excuses for taking bad pictures.
The image quality is just about perfect. I was a little disturbed at first by ghostly outlines around tree branches and other objects. This turned out to be the sharpness setting. One would think that zero, the factory default setting, would be normal; minus numbers would produce soft focus and positive would sharpen the image. Not so! At zero, images are over-sharpened, producing unpleasant artifacts. I set it at -5, and if I feel the need to sharpen an image I use the unsharp-masking filter in Photoshop. Also keeping white balance always under manual control prevents color variations that sometimes occur with WB set to automatic.
All in all, I am very happy with my decision to buy this camera. It has generally surpassed my expectations. I would recommend it to anyone looking for something beyond point-and-shoot but not able to move up to an SLR with interchangeable lenses.
21 I'm staying away...
I don't own this camera, so in fact this isn't a review. I'm just getting my voice on the record so Olympus can know my major concerns,and why I WON'T be upgrading from my C-5050 despite the major improvement in camera startup and response time.
1. Get rid of the proprietary battery. Reap your profits in repeat busines, not in milking each customer for all their worth.
2. Give us the fast 1.8 lens found on the C-5050. This one's a no-brainer.
3. Get the build quality right. I've seen too many reviews here and elsewhere warning of multiple returns for defective cameras.
4. Make extension lens attachments standard. You don't have to include the lens, fine, but don't make me buy an extra part when you can build it in for practically nothing.
'Nuff said!
22 Lens, Features, Quality Pictures . . . Hard to Beat
I was an early adopter of digital photography and thus had an older, 2MP Kodak camera. I decided it was time for an upgrade and after an extensive search, I settled on the Olympus C-5060. I couldn't be happier. This camera is loaded with features for the advanced photographer, but also is simple for my wife to use as a point and shoot camera. I find the wide angle lens much more useful than a long zoom lens, since most of my photos are either indoor shots or scenic outdoor shots. The wide lens captures so much more of the action. And the camera is fast. I have it set on the highest quality JPEG mode and it snaps away pictures very briskly. The quality of the shots is breathtaking. My only complaint is that like all cameras, in auto mode, you have to be careful when taking highly contrasting shots because the auto exposure will sometimes be fooled. That being said, you simply have to change the exposure mode to focus on the subject (rather than the whole scene) and your exposure will turn out fine.
Overall, an excellent camera and a fine value.
23 Olympus C-5060 @ Bytesector.com
Big, bulky and black; that's how I see the Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom digital camera. This is no pocket sized camera, and it shouldn't be either since it is feature packed. With a 5.1 mega pixel capacity, 14x zoom, rotating view-finder and attachable wide conversion lens, this camera out perfoms many. Sounds great doesn't it, now let's see if it is.........
24 Good chance you'll have problems with this camera
I love the camera and it's features--but both of the ones I've received have failed within about 100 pix over 2-4 days.
First one had a bad on/off switch. Camera ON IT"S OWN would start scrolling through menus. And guess what--I didn't even realize there were other features in menus I never even got to see. I wouldn't have figured that out if I didn't get #2.
The second camera's on/off switch was fine, so I thought OK, now I've got a keeper. On the third day of taking some pix, suddenly the LCD doesn't work--meaning you can't see any menus either.
Olympus has a big problem with this camera. I'll order one more--maybe third time is a charm. But if the third one is a bum, I'll have to wait until Olympus figures out the problems. Hopefully another camera maker will come out with a wide angle lens, which was my main criteria for picking this camera.
25 Compact camera with great features
I've enjoyed using this camera. Controls, while complex, are not difficult to figure out. Performance (in outdoor field-trip conditions in the southern U.S.) is stellar. Battery life is phenomenal, even on an all-day shoot. Weight and size are comfortable for both large and small hands, and it seems sturdier than most cameras in this category. In this part of the world, the fact that it is rated to operate in 90% humidity and 104 degrees Fahrenheit is definitely in its favor. I appreciate the utility of multiple memory slots and a nifty button to switch between them as needed. This is about as good as 5 pixels gets nowadays!
26 Point and shoot or take charge--your choice
Before buying this camera I seriously considered the Sony DSCV1. My daughter has the Sony DSCP10, and it seemed a good idea to share accessories. However, research made me decide that the Sony had serious problems--short battery use in the camera (with a battery that sometimes wouldn't hold too many recharges) and a viewscreen that sometimes conked out the minute the warranty (90 days for this part) was up.
I chose the Olympus C5060 because the lens is approximately equivalent to the Sony DSCV1 and most of the other high-end lenses out there for this type of camera. Not as bright as the renowned C5050, but respectable. I've used Olympus 35mm cameras, (and a very early digital) and I personally have liked them very much--they just feel right in my hands. This particular model has a mostly-metal (lightweight magnesium) body, which feels quite sturdy.
Good stuff:
1. Batteries are the same as for the digital SLR camera--good for a lot of shots (about 400-600 in "normal" conditions) between charges.
2. You can personalize nearly all camera settings, from power-up to viewing, to shooting, to power-down. "My Mode" allows you to save special photo settings that you use frequently--flip to it, and everything is the way you like it. Manual, AP and SP modes, too. And the P setting allows point-and-shoot no-brain photography.
3. While too chubby to be pocket-sized, the camera is compact and lightweight.
4. Dual slots for media storage--Olympus proprietary and generic CF. You can switch between them and use them both.
5. Quick shutter response time--almost like a film camera!
6. LCD viewscreen turns in against the camera back when not in use--nice protection feature.
Bad stuff:
1. Long charge time (6 hours--i.e. overnight) for that long-life battery. I can live with it... A second battery runs about $100.00, by the way. This is a heavy-duty item!
2. Lens tube is plastic--probably identical in construction to all C series cameras. (There's a metal rim so that plastic isn't exposed when the camera is closed--except for the lens cap.)
3. No 5050 lens, alas... Will we ever see 1.8 again?
All in all, I'm glad I got this camera instead of my original choice.
27 it seemed great at first
I bought this camera for work. It was terrific for four weeks and then the mode dial stopped working. I returned it to the distributor. Two weeks later, I collected it from the distributor. It worked fine for a week. Then the mode dial stopped working again as did the arrow pad. I am now returning it for a second time.
28 Excellent product! Buy it with an external flash.
Buy this camera and an external flash together and forget about 2.8-4.8F lense thing. Lots of other digicams with faster lenses still do not get you 1/30 shutter speed or better w/o flash (which is the minimum shutter speed for moving objects, such as dogs and babies) for most of indoor/night shooting conditions.
OK. Let's talk about external flashs. Olympus FL-40 and FL-50 are the best choices and they are loaded with features such as TTL auto and moterized zoom, but they are pretty overpriced. Promaster 5750DX and 5550DX are very nice alternatives. They are as powerful as FL-40 with full TTL compatible, but they do not have moterized zoom capability.
If you want to spend less than $100 for an external flash. Get a Sunpak383. It does not have TTL capability. That means you will need to calculate proper aperture/shutter speed every time you use it in your camera's manual mode. Not convenient, but still works.
29 Great Camera
I've had the C-5060 for about a month and I love it. The quality of the photos is excellent. I'm very happy with the built in flash which is MUCH more powerful than the one in my Kodak DC4800. I also like the fact that I can control the intensity of the flash.
Yes it uses a proprietary battery, but I've taken hundreds of photos with flash on one charge. I will admit that I've purchased two spare batteries just in case.....
The menus are not difficult to use, although there are so many features that I've only just scratched the surface on it's capabilities. The User Manual on CD is 289 pages! The camera has lots of "one touch" buttons that allow you to set features without needing to navigate through menus.
All told I'm very happy with this camera and don't think I'll be looking to buy a replacement for many years to come.
30 Very Nice
Let me say up front that I take a LOT of ambient light and/or super-wide angle photos, so I'm not ready to toss my 35mm gear yet. I have thought that digital is for Pascal Programmers - every 'bug' is a 'feature.' However, after owning several cheaper (2 Mpx) digital still cams, I finally felt this one was worth taking the plunge - and I'm not disappointed.
The camera is smaller than it looks in pictures, controls are well-placed, and it feels solid. The menus are not totally intuitive, so you do have to look at the manual. Picture quality is everything, and IMHO, the Oly 5060 is currently the best thing going. Nice sharp images with good color and low noise. Once set up, it comes closest to printable images right off the card (fiddling with Photoshop will always make them 'better' of course . . .)
Others have noted the 'slow' lens, so I bought the FL-20 flash, which is nice by any standard - smaller than a deck of cards and adequate for living-room-size venues. Expensive - well over $100 - but the option is to get a cheap flash and fart around with 'manual' mode whenever you want to use it. Really - do you want your $600 camera, or your $35 flash controlling the exposure?
I Also got the WCON-07C wide angle lens attachment, which turned out to be surprisingly huge - the objective is almost 4" across and blocks the built-in flash (which is fairly worthless anyway). I know true rectilinear was too much to expect - there is some barrel distortion with the built-in lens at widest, and the converter lens makes it a -lot- worse. Still, a digital still cam with 99 degree angle of view is pretty cool, barrel distortion be damned.
Ok, to wind this up:
PROS: 1) Outstanding Picture Quality, at middle zoom ranges
2) Smaller than it looks in the ads, and easy to handle
3) Nice flash and wide / tele conversion lenses available.
4) Camera itself pretty reasonable on price / quality basis.
5) 32Mb storage - more than most - included (xD card).
6) Also takes Compact Flash cards.
CONS: 1) Distortion at widest angle
2) Must buy additional $35+ part to attach accessory lenses.
3) You need the nice little flash & its pretty expensive.
4) What? ANOTHER media card format..??
Overall, this is a nice, nice camera, subject to the tradeoffs inherent in all digital cameras. Very Good image quality at mid-range focal lengths. For impromptu images in tight locations, you need a wide angle - for less money, I could have gotten a fast <20mm lens for my 35mm system - but if you want wide and digital, you are going to find that life is full of little trade-offs, and this is the most bang for the buck right now.
31 not bad
Iv'e had this camera now for three months and I gotta say, this is one fine camera !! very user friendly, the battery seems to last forever, I cant say enough good things about this camera!!
32 5060 is a great camera!
I've had the 5060 about three weeks and have had great luck taking pictures. Pictures are high quality, good color and good exposure with just auto setting.
The menu was not that tough to get used to (bark is worse than the bite), plus, there are special short cut buttons for common features (like flash settings or ISO) where you press one button and the jog wheel gets you right to the feature setting you want.
I love the tilt LCD and the solid feel in my hand. I sometimes forget to take the lens cover off, but the cover design lets the cover pop-off with no problem. This is better than the 5050.
I think the wide angle improvement (27mm) made the lens ap. drop from 1.8 to 2.8, but I'm not sure. I would have preferred the 1.8, but I love the 27 wide angle with no attachment necessary. All the other cameras I looked at had a 2.8 also (including Nikon 5400, Canon G3 and G5).
The 5050's 1.8 lens was the exception. Even with the 5060's 2.8 ap., I have taken great indoor shots. Really! I just printed a beautiful Christmas picture I took in front of the tree. Yes, I used wide angle rather than tele, but aren't most indoor shots at wide angle anyway? I try to zoom with my feet indoors to get the widest angle possible, and the 5060 beats almost every other camera with wide angle (except the 5400), but, the 5400 doesn't have a low light auto focus assist. The 5060's low light auto assist seems to do the job!
BTW, the movie feature works great, too! I did not buy the 5060 to take movies, but it is easy to use and the movie quality is excellent, even in dim light. You can take as long a movie as you have room on your card, too.
I also love the included remote. The remote is better than the timer, but it has a timer, too.
I would buy the 5060 again, but if I had a 5050 I would be happy too. Happy New Year!
33 What no super bright lense ?
I have to agree with other comments about the darker lense on the new 5060. I have a couple of year old Olympus C2040, the second edition of Consumer Reports number one rated camera. It the first report, it took top honors over even the 5 megapixel cameras in printed picture results. The following year with the 2040 it was comparable to the 5s. It cost about the same as the 5050 and 5060's are now. But wow what a camera. Most of it is due in part to the super bright 1.8 lense. I think Olympus decided that people, when they are shopping for a camera, look at the obvious numbers. For example 4x sounds better than 3x in the zoom. The problem with larger zooms is that they require smaller apertures. Smaller aperture means a smaller hole the camera looks through, which equals less light, which equals, more flash, which means more bleached out, unnatural light, more battery being eaten up, and just simple less ability in varying conditions to get faster shutter speeds, which equals needing a tripod, or a fuzzy shot.
When I bought my camera with the 1.8, the camera shop manager had one also as his personal camera. He showed me two of the same shot of a guitar sitting on a bed of leaves. One he took with the Olympus, the other with a Nikon, at twice the money. Both shots were very well defined on the subject, but the Olympus bright lense brought out the background a lot better. The definition was way better.
Consumer reports rated the Olympus C5050 as their number two pick, and the Nikon came in first at a lot more money. I don't agree that the Nikon is better with 100 shots per battery charge instead of 400 with the Olympus, and a darker lense on the Nikon. I guess that is something for another review.
Anyhow, I think the C-5060 has some nice features, but the bottom line is that we are taking a box, and opening and closing a lense, and recording what it sees. Ever try getting a clear view through a pin hole. You get the idea. I would pick up the 5050 if it were in the market, they are discounting them to make room for the 5060. Myself, I can't imagine getting better results than I am already getting with the 2040. I print out an 8 1/2" x 11" on glossy photo paper, and it looks indistinguishable from a 35mm photograph.
It is ashame that we have to pick out, one of these, it would be nice if we could have one of them all. After all, the 5060 does have some nice features.
34 Should have kept the 5050's lens
It's hailed as an upgrade of the 5050 - but Olympus slowed down the most important part of the camera... the lens.
The 5050 used to start at f1.8 and top out at f2.6. Now the 5060 starts at 2.8 and ends at f4.8 at 110mm.
This makes it virtually useless for existing-light photos indoors or in other dim light. It also makes it tough to get a (built-in) flash photo when you're zoomed-in, as the flash can't pump out enough light to illiuminate a Christmas play (for example) from the front row. The only way to get f2.8 is to stay on the wide-angle, which shows significant distortion, especially at the edges.
I say they blew it, if adding the wide angle was the reason they lost the fast lens speed. They should have just let users add their own wide-angle converters.
It's a looks and feels like a beautiful camera - but for me the low light performance is a real negative. If this is an important part of your photography, keep looking, or buy an add-on flash - and if you buy the 5060, get it from a vendor who will take it back.
35 Proprietary batteries a bad choice
Most disappointed with the choice that Olympus made to go with proprietary batteries in most of their new C series digital cameras. Love their cameras and matter of fact have bought three C-5050 zooms this year for myself and family. However, there is nothing worse than having the batteries go dead on you and there is no way to recharge the batteries. With the C5050 Zoom camera it comes with rechargeable AA batteries , but in a pinch if they run down you can always use any AA battery at your local 7-11 store. One of my biggest bragging points and reasons for buying Olympus has been their choice not to use proprietary batteries, but now I am sad to say I have bought my last Olympus unless they rethink this. I know the proprietary batteries that comes with the C-5060 Zoom has a tiny bit more power and you can get a few more shots than with the rechargeable AA batteries that comes with the C-5050 Zoom, but Olympus did not do this for that very small gain. Olympus was thinking profits and only profits and they know this camera is almost worthless with one battery. They know most people will have to purchase a second "extremely over prices" proprietary battery and that means big bucks. Sometimes I just don't get corporate America. I understanding wanting more profits, but they need to calculate in how many customers they will lose doing it.
