Rating: 
Summary: PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER'S DON'T WORRY
Review: A professional i will never be. But from the first photo
I am quite proud of the beautifulpictures, point and shoot.
It is also idiot proof ,in down loading.
Rating:
Summary: Keeps Getting Better
Review: Admittedly I'm an Olympus fan. This is my 4th Olympus starting with the D-340R and moving through the C2000Z, C3040Z, and now the C5050Z. With each model I've found that Olympus has incorporated improvements that solve real user problems and have added useful features. The C5050Z is no exception. There has always been some aspect of each camera that I wished they had done differently. On the C5050Z the only thing I would change is the on/off lever. I carry my cameras with me everywhere (and take more than 1,200 photos per month) and the new on/off lever projects enough to get advertantly turned on in the camera bag. The ability to hold two memory devices is a great addition, especially since they retained the SM card for backwards compatibility. A great camera with all the features I could have ever asked for!
Rating:
Summary: the best under $1,000 digicam out there
Review: After having my 4040 stolen about 1.5 years ago, I saved a bit for a replacement. I got the 5050 about 2 months after it was released and I couldn't be happier. The image quality blows away anything in its category, including the coolpix. Getting familiar with the RAW mode is highly recommended as it will give you smaller images than the tiff format (and in much better quality), eliminates all noise, and gives you a greater range of controls over the image once it is taken.The controls are exhausting, and took a bit of time to get used to, but now it's like second nature. The flash is a little too bright and requires some compensation for a decent image. In conjunction with a middle-of-the-road photo printer, I'm able to produce images superior to any point-and-shoot 35mm and that rivals my SLR.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic camera
Review: After three weeks of using my new C-5050, I have these words to say about it: I have been a dedicated film user for many years but always wished for the ease and speed of digital. I've been waiting for the digital quality to match the quality of film before spending this kind of money on a new camera. My family has a 2MP Olympus that we have used for vacation photos and snapshots, and the quality of those pictures is what has kept me from using a digital camera for more serious work. When Canon released the EOS-1Ds, I thought that was the perfect digital camera, albeit with a price ten times higher than this Olympus. I thought nothing short of the 11 mega-pixel Canon would produce images nice enough to fool any normal viewer. I have read many of the reviews posted here and elsewhere and even have a relative who uses this model, and after reading what they all had to say I decided to take the plunge and go digital. Out of the box, the pictures this thing takes are amazing. With the right system tweaks, the pictures are shockingly good. I usually print 8x10 inches on an Epson printer, but the pixel count is high enough for larger prints. Even better than the resolution, though, is the amazing clarity and detail you can capture with the nice lens of this camera. Admittedly, you have to turn down some of the camera's sharpening and ISO settings for the best quality, but you would use slower film for smaller grain in any camera. The RAW option is also nice if you want to export directly to Photoshop in 16-bit mode (the Olympus web site has a RAW Import Photoshop plug-in available as a free download), or you can shoot TIFF files (very large file sizes!) for the best quality 8-bit pics. The range of manual overrides is the best thing about the camera as far as I'm concerned - few serious photographers want the camera to do all the work - and the auto modes are simple enough for any family member to use. An all-metal body gives the camera a "pro" feel, too. If you want to show prints to your friends and family that make their eyes pop, you will not be disappointed with this camera. And I almost forgot: It uses the included rechargeable AA batteries, or standard AA batteries, or longer lasting lithium photo batteries. Of all the cameras that I compared this one to, this is the only one that supports AA batteries that you can buy anywhere in the world. Great feature!
Rating:
Summary: Who needs Polaroid?!
Review: As a professional photographer who still strongly believes in film (and first experienced digital imaging as a $40,000 option for a twin-lens Rolli) I've watched closely as digital cameras evolved. That said, it took me until I had a serious need for a camera that could hook up to my Speedotron studio strobes. I needed a replacement for a defunct Polaroid back so that I could test my lighting, etc. I also wasn't looking to replace my film based equipment so my need was for something reasonably priced that could produce fairly high quality images, can use camera/lens mounted filters and could fire off my studio strobes. I found that in this camera! Since the camera has a hot shoe (and no p.c. outlet) I'm able to attach a Wein Hot-shoe to PC adapter and fire my strobes. The camera has fantastic optics and amazing range of capabilities that I've yet to get the opportunity to fully appreciate. The picture quality is crisp and contrasty and yields excellent results under a variety of lighting conditions. The fast 1.8 lens (at the wide angle position) produces fine images even hand held at 1/15th of a second (not that I'd typically take something that slow handheld but, I had to try it!). Overall, a great camera for someone who needs the bells and whistles such as full manual exposure, multi-spot metering, flash exposure compensation, etc. PROS:
- Mult-spot metering
- Flash exposure compensation
- "MY Mode" custom exposure mode settings
- HOT SHOE!! (which can provide TTL flash with their flashes)
- fast lens
- adjustable display
- rugged construction
- Multiple media formats, multiple power source options
- much, much more! CONS:
- Doesn't go down to ASA 50 (though easily correctable with exposure compensation)
- Learning curve for multi-spot metering because of unclear directions in manual
- when in full manual the monitor doesn't show you what the image will look like at the current settings (check out the Canon A70 to see what I mean) it only shows you what a "proper" exposure would be (as determined by the camera's meter).
- f1.8 only at wider angle setting. Would be nice if it maintained f1.8 maximum through entire range.
- would like a minimum aperature of f16 or f22
- minimum aperature not consistant throughout entire zoom range.
- would prefer a camera that had a zoom range of 28 - 135 (35mm equivilant) Now, that being said, the minimum and maximum aperature issue seemed to be consistant through every brand I played with. Overall, the Olympus 5050 best fit my needs in features, performance, quality, etc. For someone who loves the technical side of photography this is a great addition to your set-up. For the avid amature, you won't be disappointed! As another reviewer pointed out, the Olympus CLA-1 lens adapter is a must. Not only so that you can use filters on the camera but also to protect the zoom lens from damage (a fear of mine where all non-SLR or non Pro equipment is concerned). So much more can be said but I'll leave it at this. You can't go wrong with this camera if it's in your price range.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good, a few issues.
Review: Been using the 5050 for while now. Very happy with the quality of most shots. Features and flexibility are pretty good. The shooting modes are nice, programmability is good. Memory card flexibility is great (accepts Compact Flash, Microdrive, xD cards and Smart Media). The camera also offers a lot of resolution and compression options (including seperate TIFF AND RAW modes, in addition to other JPEG compression settings. Also includes a charger and rechargable batteries. Nice touch. The onboard flash is a little aggressive, causes lots of hot spots on subjects' hair, etc. Even with home-rigged diffusers it's a bit much. Fortunately, the hot shoe is not a dummy (it has contacts) so perhaps a suitable external flash can compensate for this. Images come out with significant noise in low light situations. Combined with the flash issue, this makes for problematic indoor shooting. I will probably keep this for the studio setting and pick up another camera for point-and-shoot stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Sees in the dark like a cat.
Review: Being an old SLR owner, I like a camera with a lot of glass. The C5050, with the f 1.8 lens, will amaze you in subdued natural lighting situations. It will generally show things much brighter than your eyes would. I recently photographed some of my wife's homemade Christmas ornaments using only a lamp across the room and the tree's own twinkle lights. Of course, a tripod was very helpful as was the C5050's tiny remote. No need to touch the camera, so no shake. Beautiful! I give this camera 5 stars but not the software and the manual. The Camedia software is a fluffy icon-infested version of its buggy predecessor. Come on, guys, you could have done a lot better by now. (I've had an Olympus 460Z 1.3mp for years and the software that came with it.) If you don't know something about photography to start with, you will have a very difficult time with the manual. Get a good paperback book on basic photography and you'll be OK. As someone else said, this is not the camera to give your sweet 16 for her birthday, unless she happens to be in the photography club at school! Here's a quickie tutorial on running the menus: All the buttons under your left index finger are menu selectors. Pick one and hold it down. The LCD display will light up with an animated ring of settings to pick. Use your right thumb to scroll the selector wheel until the setting you want is in its proper place. Let go of the button and you're done. The manual is written exactly backwards for understanding this. (If you learned to speak in the manner the manual is written, you would have had to memorize the dictionary before you would be taught to say, "Da Da.") Explore the menus with your left index finger and your right thumb and all will become clear with time. Recommendation: buy an extender tube (they're cheap)to go over the lens. It will allow you to use filters (the polarizer with a clear blue sky is wonderful) and it will protect the delicate moving lens from impacts and grit. Do the old SLR trick of leaving a UV filter on at all times. Very inexpensive insurance. Pros:
1. Sees in very subdued lighting.
2. You can manually intervene on most everything.
3. The macro modes are marvelous. It will focus right up to the lens. (How about a full-frame of your fingerprint?)
4. AA batteries are the way to go. Buy a bunch of NiMH AA's and a good charger. Look around; there are deals to be had. Cons:
1. Reverts to default settings every time you turn it off except if you put them into the My memory. Annoying but managable.
2. The manual. What can I say...
3. The software was created by the art department, not users. It does work, however. Bottom line: I LOVE THIS CAMERA. At my house, film is dead.
Rating:
Summary: Very happy - near 35mm SLR quality
Review: Can't say enought bout it. Nice hand feel, clear and sharp images, plenty of options. Picked up a 1GB storage card for it and can still use all my old smartmedia at the same time (dual slots) This is THE semi-pro choice at the moment.
Rating:
Summary: Like a pro - Great Camera!
Review: Fantastic camera that allows you to have 8 preprogammed settings. This feature is perfect for very precise work where you want to get certain creative effects. Like blue toned pictures or settings for high contrast lighting. Writes images pretty fast (except Tiff) Flash is bright but you can easily reduce it's intensity with settings, but with a hotshoe, you can get a different flash. Viewfinder is decent. Great grip and well built, metal body. Only flaws are the delay when you turn it on (3-5 seconds) and "manual focus" is really not usable (some digital system with focus on LCD), and no Tiff abort write command. You won't outgrow this camera until 10MP cameras are cheap!
Rating:
Summary: Digital Reincarnation of the OM-1
Review: For more than ten years of mountaineering, running rivers and exploring remote corners of the world, my OM-1 was my constant companion. Although not a professional, I was passionate about photography. In 1990 I was experimenting with low-light color photography. In a cement health clinic in a roadless corner of Nicaragua, my OM-1 suffered a fall and a fatal head injury.
I had bought and experimented with half a dozen cameras since, but none could begin to replace my photographic partner. After only a week with my C5050, I am still learning just how to get the precise image I envision - but already I am capturing wonderful light effects, the color is true, the display almost as good as the SLR. The brilliant optics, the feel of the shutter, the sophisticated but not unfriendly programs and manual override, and the ease of in-camera composition echo this camera's great film predecessors. My beloved OM-1 is reincarnated for the 21st century. I can hardly wait to get back into the wilds.
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