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Olympus Camedia C-50 5MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Olympus Camedia C-50 5MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

List Price: $549.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent with some exceptions...
Review: Overall this camera has been great since I received it. However, some pictures take a little practice to get right. When you take them correctly they are absolutely perfect. However, if you don't have your setting correctly set or if you are taking a picture in an odd setting they tend to come out fuzzy or "off" in some way (as mentioned by some other reviewers). With a little practice though this can be resolved and over all the camera is well worth the money. Just be sure to read your manual before you start shooting to get an idea of what to do. I hope this helps some.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great pics....sometimes
Review: This is my 7th digital camera and I've taken and published pictures around the world. The auto focus on the C-50 is spotty, sometimes very good and more often producing a blurred picture. When its good its very good, color is great, 5MP gives you a lot of room for editing and cropping, etc., but the overall performance is average. A coworker has the same camera, has the same opinion. Just "lost" a couple of great shots from a trip to Europe, not too satisfied at the moment.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: huge disappointment
Review: I just received this camera, I ordered this one after I dropped my power shot elf - 2.1 from canon, I loved this camera and thought I was ready for an upgrade. Well not this one. The Olympus S50 did not do what I thought it would.
Almost all the pictures I took were blurry, took to much time in between the images, soft ware has a lot to be desired, manual in the package is flimsy - not at all what I am used to from the user friendly canon. I am sending it back and getting the upgrade from canon Powershot S400 and never changing again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: TRUE LOVE !!
Review: This is a BRILLANT camera!! Being that it is a 5MP, it takes great photos. The compact size is a PLUS as is the stainless steel (front) body. Be forewarned ... this camera does take time to get to know and I would NOT recommend it for people with larger hands or "troubled eyes". It has a VARIETY of features. It can be used on auto or you can adjust, and store, the settings to suit your preference, it even has a light meter. You learn this camera by "playing around" with it first. The manual will give you the hi-lites, the rest is up to you. The LED screen is quiet small and the icons are even smaller - "tired eyes" will not like it. Transfer of photos is easy, either connecting to the computer directly, or using a "card reader". The software that comes with this camera is "ok". I perfer to use other programmes. IF YOU ARE PATIENT, CREATIVE, AND HAVE SOME KNOWLEDE OF CAMERAS, DEFINTIELY BUY THIS ONE. (In a "past life", I did photography for commercial purposes, having abandoned the profession all together, this is one of the few digital cameras that I like. I don't like limitations.)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Pleasant Surprise
Review: I had refused to go digital until recently because I doubted that I could get the image quality that I had come to expect from my Canon FTb and then AE-1 with wonderful old FD lenses. While I can't say that the C-50 equals my old cameras in terms of image quality, it comes close enough to suit my purposes. I needed quality images, a hiker's sized camera, a range of manual options, and the usual digital advantages. The C-50 produces very sharp pictures outdoors, and that's what I mainly need for travels, etc. Indoor pictures under typical (for me) lighting have been better than I expected. I haven't ever really been excited about taking photos in dim light, and I refuse to lug a tripod, so that reported weakness hasn't been an issue for me. Have fun.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Camera!!!
Review: "Olympus Camedia C-50 5MP Digital Camera" is an excellent
camera. I have been using this camera since December 2002.
And I have already taken more than 800 pictures. This
camera is simply remarkable.

It is easy to take pictures. Excellent picture quality.
Easy to carry. Wonderful long lasting battery life.
Easy imaging (black/white, sepia) with wonderful quality.

With a tripod, you can take pictures of nice night view
without using flash. I took several pictures of San Francisco
from the treasure island.

The only minus point is that the pictures may look little blurry
when you take pictures in the dark without the flash. But that
applies for all the digital cameras in the market.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: As good as 35mm
Review: Having been a serious amateur photographer for years, I was very skeptical that a small snapshot size camera could effectively compete with film. I am converted.

I took some well lit test shots then sent them off to get printed at 8 by 10 on photographic paper (via ofoto.com). I was blown away. These vibrant 8 by 10's have all the accuity and impact of 35mm film. This is not true of a 3.2 megapixel camera we own. It cannot produce professional quality 8 by 10's. But the 5 megapixel C-50 can.

At nearly $... you had better plan on more than snapshots. Any of the $... cameras can serve that role. But if you plan on doing serious photography - easily and well, this little camera is your choice.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great for Everyday Use
Review: I originally bought this camera because it was only the only one on the market that has all these qualities--compact size, 5M pixels, and user reviews. But now, I am in love with it. Though as small as my first digicam, the Olympus nonetheless can be carried around with ease. Its sturdy frame invites confidence for the wear-and-tear of daily jean-pocket abuse (my girlfriend, playing with the camera, somehow managed to jammed the head, upon which I actually had to physically nudged it for it to retract).
But since she is capable of breaking anything, such incident should not be held against the quality of the camera. And what quality! Whatever I shot turned out wonderously. Especially still-lifes. The out-puts, from an Epson 1280,are simply life like and vivid.
Granted, the Canon S-40 and G-2 took even better pictures and would probably have also created great print-outs at 13X19. But since that I rarely take pictures in dark-settings nor do I need the superior response of the G-2, the differences between the quality of Olympus C-50 and the Canons are indiscernable. Size, thus the real chance of regular usage makes all the difference. The C-50 is the total package.
P.S. The battery-life is good enough to last through the 128MB card, just remember to turn the camera off between use. The horror of saving in the TIFF mode has been greatly exaggerated. It can take over 10 to 15 seconds at the optimal mode especially when the battery is low. But considering that a typical TIFF picture takes up 15MB, you wouldn't be taking picture in this mode except for those special moments, which should make the wait a none issue.
I ranked Support at 6 because that has yet to be an issue.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Camera
Review: I have had this camera for a week and a half. I love the pictures, the camera body, all the features. There is a handy remote to take pictures of a group with out having to reset the self timer. I love how small the camera is, the sleek metal body, the size of a 35mm point and shoot with all the functions Olympus has to offer.

I have had other digital Olympus cameras and can figure most things out, if this is your first camera the paper manual leaves out some details. The cd-rom manual was hard for me to follow. The camedia editing software looks pretty, but doesn't do a lot of "editing". I use Image Expert to download pictures from the camera and Adobe to edit. To edit "video" from the camera you have to pay [money] for their "Pro" package(offered from Camedia's Main menu after software is installed). For me it was worth it to be able to change brightness and make cuts.

I have called tech support twice and was helped and off the phone in minutes. (The first minute is an automated menu where they try to talk you into checking FAQ's online.)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Olympus C-50 Zoom - Initial Use
Review: Having previously owned and shot Kodak and Nikon digital cams (2.2 to 5.0 MP) as well as a few Olympus point-and-shoot 35mm with the same form factor as the C-50, I looked forward to picking up this powerful ultra-compact cam. The size and power of this camera is very impressive - you can almost wrap your hand around it and it easily fits in your pants pocket.

I hate to say it, but I am bit disappointed with the C-50, specifically with the surprisingly high level of red eye that crops up in inside/low-light portrait shots (even with using the on-board red-eye reduction and/or customizing settings). I've not yet used it for outdoor shots and hope to be pleasantly surprised.

One other minor note - one thing that initially bugged me was Olympus's use of the Fuji/Olympus XD-Picture Card format. I'm used to CF and was not crazy about another format but have been impressed by the XD format. The recycle rate between shots is hands-down the best I've seen yet in a digital cam of any price. Shooting using the SHQ quality (5.0 MP, high-quality JPEG), my best guess is 2-3 seconds between shots, which, as compared to my experience with CF devices, seems at least 50% faster. The result is outstanding battery life. Olympus makes a CF adapter that allows you to insert XD cards into the adapter, thereby creating a CF card that can be used by any CF-compliant input/output device. It works great - used it to try in a Nikon.


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