Product Reviews (25)
What can i do with this camera to...
Strengths: Easy to use and wonderful photos while it worked well
Weakness: Right now doesn`t work because of the DIAL MODE PROBLEM, dial buttons donnot work, i cannot erase the photos, and olympus people just say pay for us$200 maintainance service. I can`t enter the menu!!
What can i do with this camera to get it fixed whitout paying for that quantity of money, this is a problem that has itself the camera and it was not because of the us.
By frango - Jan 18, 2005
Its a great camera, sharp...
Strengths: Sharp pictures, long battery life. Can take pictures from any angle: ground-level shot of a puppy or high picture of a crowd.
Weakness: Reliabilty & long life of the camera is a big issue.
Its a great camera, sharp pictures, long battery life. I took ~ 250 shots on a single charge and life still left. After about a year, it starts acting up. I think its sensitive to humidity, the lens gets noisy, and the camera became non-functional. Lucky me, I got the extended warranty at the last minute, and if you still have time, get the extended warranty.
By gotts - Nov 18, 2005
A speed trap for the unwary
Strengths: Lot of great features for the advanced amateur
Weakness: Does not work after a year and a half
Takes great pictures when it works. The control and arrow dials do not work after 15 months. Very poor software. Do not buy this camera unless you are prepared to spend an additional $170.00 for repairs within 15 months.
By hgl27 - Aug 15, 2005
I've taken numerous pictures since...
Strengths: 5.1 MPixel, 4X *optical* zoom, VERY comfortable to hold, quick startup, no shutter lag (after focus lock), plethora of file formats to save as, is WA and PictBridge compliant
Weakness: (Minor) Proprietary battery -- which is a very good one and lasts really long (taken over 500 pics using the LCD and still haven't had to recharge).
I've taken numerous pictures since getting the camera. It is VERY smooth in operation. The zoom is very smooth and works fast enough. As mentioned above, key factors for me were:
*Form/shape. It seems a bit awkward at first to hold, but very quickly it fits well in your hand and very comfortable. Other SLR-type digicams have large handgrips that bulge out; when you wrap your fingers around them, they pinch against the barrel of the lens (e.g. Canon G5). No such case here.
*Dual card format: I like options. I like having 2 different cards installed at the same time. I use one as the primary, then if that fills up, I have the extra as a back-up.
*Quick startup. Don't worry about missing shots.
*WA compliant. Some flash memeory manufacturers (Lexar, for example), have a special software system they integrate into their flash media to make writing the digital information to the media by the camera (if the camera also has this software) MUCH quicker.
*PictBridge copmliant. Any printer that is also has PictBridge, you can hook your camera up directly to the printer WITHOUT a computer at all and just print pictures by yourself. This is a nice option, not having to have a computer or have the computer on.
*Excellent photo quality. I've printed 8x10 at Price Costco from the flash memory cards. The pics are absolutely gorgeous.
*There is NO artificial coloring. Unlike other cameras (e.g. Kodak), their camera sofware does NOT modify the colors of the picture to make them more "life-like" or "robust". It takes it like it is. Some like the color modifications. Photography is a hobby, so I like the pictures true without modification.
By grizmd - Apr 3, 2004
DO NOT BUY! Olympus has a problem...
Weakness: Horrible customer service.
DO NOT BUY!
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.
By sreese93 - Sep 8, 2004
I've shot several hundred images...
Strengths: Quality construction. Important functions directly addressable via buttons. Great LCD viewfinder. Awesome wide angle to zoom lens. Fast.
Weakness: A little bulky, but it needs the real estate for the features.
I've shot several hundred images since purchase. Most of my shooting involves sports so fast power up to shooting ready is helpful. The "motorized" function is great for sports. I have tried the "bracket" function and have found that 95% of the time the factory preset shot was the best. The flash is very powerful. The wide angle lens is much better than I expected. I even got a shot of all 4 of my family in a jail cell (while visiting Alcatraz on vacation)! I shot a couple RAW images and was amazed how slow the process is and how much memory it uses. I'm using a Lexar WA512 card and the 1.7 teleconverter. I like the card's size and speed. The teleconverter's less than I'd hoped for. The images this camera makes gets "oohs" and "wows". I'm thrilled with it.
By n_tesla - May 26, 2004
I shopped for MONTHS for just the...
Strengths: Very well made. Much higher quality than the competition. The Wide some is much more of an asset than the lack telephoto zoom is a liability. The lens is sharp as a tack and f/2.8 is fast.
Weakness: The only weakness was that I had to turn off the autoflash everytime turn the camera off and then back on.
I shopped for MONTHS for just the right camera at the right price point. This is 5.1 MP with a nice sharp wide angle lens. I didn't realize how nice the wide angle would be until I took shots both indoor and outdoor and knocked the socks of my friends and family. (Yes, they're all shopping for one to replace their two-year old cameras) Unless you are able to enter the 8.0 MP market (beware of the sensor problems) than I would put this camera on your list to try. Remember, it has a rubber coated metal body, a swivel/tilt sharp LCD screen, a non-electronic view finder (a big plus to those who have had to use an evf), great autofocus, even greater manual features, and uses two media types that you can switch while shooting with the press of a button. Olympus did improve on the C-5050, don't let people crying for their f/1.8 bother you. You can get plenty of speed from the f/2.8 and that aperture is fine. (I have many fast lenses for my SLR and unless you are prepared to blur everything but a single focal plane, you rarely need to open it all the way up)
By burnett_ryan - Apr 14, 2004
This is a great camera! I was...
Strengths: Picture quality, flip LCD, info display on top, battery life, menu, controls, features to grow into, remote, lens cap pops off if I forget, wide angle lens, holds 2 cards, built/looks solid.
Weakness: Documentation is on CD, except for small quick reference manual. Viewfinder only shows about 80% of shot, but LCD shows about 98%.
This is a great camera! I was taking great pictures right out of the box (after the battery charged in 6 hours). Recharge didn't take that long, probably only 3 hours. Battery lasts a long time. Great low light shots with auto assit. Feels solid in hand. Easy controls.
Remote is nicer than a timer, but it has a timer too. Still learning all the features and controls, but many are very intuative. Has quick skip feature to go directly to sub menues. 1.8 LCD is bigger than most. The top display means you don't have to use LCD and can save power.
Picture quality has been excellent. Surprised with great low light shots! Seems like it has all the adjustments ever needed. Haven't tried action shots or played with presets, but the the fast shoot feature works great to take rapid fire sequence shots.
As far as documentation, the CD is loaded with info, but inconvienient to use. I am printing out pages selectively and will create a binder. Don't let the lack of a hard cover manual be the reason not to try this camera.
The predecessor 5050 had smaller apuratue (1.8 compared to 2.8), but 2.8 is pretty standard. Would have liked a 6x zoom, but shots are so high quality I can zoom in later on the computer and get closer shots. Of course, I lose some of the shot, but most times its ok. Thinking about a 1.7x telephoto attachment (costs about $120 plus $35 for adaptor).
Checkout Imaging-Resource.com and Steves-digiacams.com for comparisons.
By KimballRobert - Dec 17, 2003
Was initally looking at the Nikon...
Strengths: Image quality, speed, build quality, versitility, and options
Weakness: Slower F2.8 lens, no good RAW software support yet, view finder coverage isn't 100%
Was initally looking at the Nikon 5700, Canon G5, and the Olympus C-5050. However when I stopped by the local camera store, they brought out an Olympus C-5060 for me to try out. I was immediately impressed with the look and feel of this camera. The build quality seemed much better than the other cameras I was considering. Then after compairing the image quality, I was even more impressed. However, I do wish Olympus would've kept the F1.8 lens that the C-5050 had. Have been using this camera for about two months now and have not had any regrets.
By edhumphrey - Dec 21, 2003
I love this camera. I was for...
Strengths: All possible (and more) features a camera can have. Very fast, great pictures, virtually noisy free images (very very low at 400 ISO), fast AF, great low light condition performance, robust, ergonomic
Weakness: None
I love this camera. I was for years a Canon user (SLR EOS50E, A20, G2). I tried the G5 before buying this camera (G2 better than G5). Just compare how pictures taken with other brands look and you will convert as I did to Olympus. The 5060 pictures seem to be taken with my EOS using my beloved Velvia 50 ISO film, and I have so much flexibility!
By Marco Polo - Dec 15, 2003
Update from my previous...
Strengths: Solid, precisely built. Fast start-up. Focus assist light. Quick review button lets you check back and delete without leaving shooting mode.
Weakness: Slow lens when zoomed long.
Update from my previous experiences:
"Stay wide when you're inside" and zoom with your feet. If you don't stay in the 27 to 35mm range, the lens darkens down quickly. That means darker images or blasting flash.
Trouble is, there's significant distortion at the edges when you're wide.
If you have a 5050 already, I can't see why you'd want a 5060. It's a beautiful camera, with a weakness in the most important part — the lens.
I'm sure if you work outdoors in bright light, it's a wonderful machine. For half of my year (in Canada) much of my time is inside or in dim light and the 5060 doesn't cut it.
By barstewart - Dec 6, 2003
I have foud out that outdoor...
Strengths: very good image quality, good manual focus, great macro mode, possibili to mount a filter directly on lens, solid body, low light focusing, batery life (~ 400 - 500 images)
Weakness: manual WB fails when using flash. barrel distortion at wide angle, exp. longer than 4s only in M. In P you have 1s only, lens might be faster, AF might be faster, panorama mode should be improved
I have foud out that outdoor images tend to be a bit dark, +0,3EV of compensation is often needed.
I took some longer (0.5 - 1s) expozitions inside buildings and the result was really good.
I took some macro images and this is really a placde where you can play, but you will need a tripod for superMacro. You can get more details as with naked eye
In panorama mode you can't use flash and it works only with Olympus xD card.
Video mode is not bad, but to get it more smooth one would need at least 20 img/s.
Remote controler is perfect especially for long exposures.
If in under some special conditions AF fails - You can use very good Manual focus - indicator of the distace is really usefull.
It fits very well into you hand - but you will need some time to find the control you are looking for - the are spread over the whole camera.
Alltogether it is very good camera - you can not go wrong with it, I now I should decide - I would buy it again.
By matus - Mar 24, 2004
I really like the camera. Just a...
Strengths: Good pictures, Easy to use basics, Takes good video. Quick and easy preview mode. Can save special mode settings. Many options (still need to read full manual). Saves pictures quickly, very little lag
Weakness: No focus once video recording started. When shutting off, all settings return to default.
I really like the camera. Just a couple annoyances with all the settings returning back to the default, so it can be a pain if you are taking pictures only periodically and want the same settings (pic size, etc.). I have not read through the full menu yet, so I may be able to set the settings. Had no trouble focusing in low light. Even took respecable video inside at night with only overhead lights.
By dmayer3 - Mar 5, 2004
This camera is amazing, i got it...
Strengths: 5mp, wide zoom, swivel lcd, great picture quality even on auto mode.
Weakness: the panorama sux, you can only use it with an olympus brand xd card.
This camera is amazing, i got it for my birthday i am 15 and have been taking photos for 2 years now and this is the best ive ever used, better than cannon digital rebel, even pcworld said so! The included software is very basic and you need photoshop or similar. And the panorama feature is useless. Just get stitching software and it is much better. Olympus should have packaghed the rm1 remote but they gave only the rm2 but other than those very minor (corectable) problem this camera rox!!!!!!!
By olympusrox - Apr 22, 2004
This is my first digital camera. I...
Strengths: Tremendous range of capabilities and, despite the daunting array of buttons, dials, and menues on the screen, it is surprisingly easy to use. Excellent picture quality. Wide angle great for indoors.
Weakness: Non except for 1) the 32 meg xd card included is virtually worthless for a 5 megapixels camera, 2) additional proprietary batteries are very expensive, 3) less capable remote compared to the C-5050.
This is my first digital camera. I have previously used 35mm SLRs and point and shoot automatics. Despite the daunting array of controls I was able to take it out of the box and use it the day it arrived with no more instructions than those included in the Quick Start guide. I found the controls very intuitive and easy to use. I was able, on the first day, to take pictures, upload them to my computer, and e-amil them to a friend.
The wide angle option is great for taking pictures indoors - getting much more in the picture than is possible with a 35mm equivalent range.
Picture quality seems excellent so far. And I am looking forward to learning the full capabilities of this very capable camera.
No regrets yet and pleasantly surpised with the ease of use.
By amendelowitz - Jan 30, 2004
At this point Olympus refuses to...
Strengths: Pictures I took are excellent.
Weakness: Camera functions gave out after 1 week. Viewfinder shows much less than in actual picture. Batteries hard to locate. Order a second set when you purchase.
At this point Olympus refuses to back product and company I purchased from says 14 days to return are up even though I was in Australia and couldn't return it until I returned. Very disappointed in Olympus product and even more so in their lack of response to the problem.
By tonikiss - Dec 19, 2003
Great pictures! That's all what...
Strengths: GREAT PICTURE QUALITY (even in low-light conditions), fast start-up, swiveling LCD, nice to handle, manual setting options
Weakness: disappointing software (well, i purchased the product not because of this)
Great pictures! That's all what matters really why one buys a camera. I have been eyeing the Olympus-C4000 and the Sony Cybershot P9 for more than a year now but the battery life, low-light condition pics, and not so great pic quality of the cybershot was a turn off :( The C-4000 only has 4.1 MP quality, and the lens (cylinder moving according to some reviews) again were turn-offs :(
So I finally decided to get the C-5060 (yes, I stuck to the Olympus brand) and i made the right choice! Great pic quality! The wide zoom lens is also nice, I can take a picture of our whole family inside a van not having to move backward and finding a good position to shoot! Great position of buttons for manual shooting settings! If you are intimidated by those buttons, fear not! You can always use the default settings and have great pictures! And besides, the cd has a manual clearly describing all the uses of those buttons and you can shoot like a pro in no time! You have to be patient browsing the manual though. But it's well worth the time! The LCD is great! And the battery is good for around 450 shots (with LCD turned on)! By the way, the Sony P9 lasts just around 80 shots, no-contest really.
The camera is also very tough (fell from a table the 3rd day i bought it and no dents, working just fine)!!! The video's great too! And you can have a good grip on the camera because of its shape and the material of the casing. Well, you can buy those models with metallic casing and look cool holding your new digital camera. Or you can choose the C-5060 while looking (and shooting) like a pro.
By Arvieviloria - Jul 7, 2004
The picture quality is Excellent...
Strengths: Wide angle, Low Noise, Compactness.
Weakness: Not-so-popular lens thread size of 40.5mm, little slow in writing images to cards.
The picture quality is Excellent as most other reviewers have said here. There is no perceivable shutter-lag unlike it's predecessors and competitors. The lens is slow at the tele-end but the quality is very good even in low light. You just need to stabilize it some way.
The Auto Focus works great even at very low light. And in my experience, it has never failed to lock. Sometimes (mainly in macro mode) it focuses on the unintended subjects, but that can be corrected manually.
High ISO images have little more noise than I would have liked, but I can live with it. But I can't justify buying another step-up ring / adapter to be able to use all kinds of filters. Not many filters are available for this 40.5mm thread. Also it's little slow to write to flash cards. I have a Sandisk Ultra II CF Card but can't see any difference in writing speed over a normal card used in the camera.
Apart from these, I am really very happy with the performance of this camera. At current price (below $450 online), it's an excellent choice. Recommended for everyone looking for good quality for less.
By rexian - May 26, 2004
My main reason for purchasing this...
Strengths: Wide angle lens, compact size, detail of pictures, ease of use right out of the box.
Weakness: None at this time.
My main reason for purchasing this camera was for the wide angle lens for shooting before and after shots of refurbished interiors, exteriors and landscapes. I also strongly considered the Canon Rebel, for it's larger file size, but the compact size of the C-5060 would better meet my needs. The lower price of the C-5060 factored into my decision. This is the first digital camera that I have used, and has many more features than my Minolta XG-SE SLR camera which I have been using for more than 20 years. I have ordered the Fl-20 flash for photographing large rooms, even though the built in flash does quite well. I have also ordered a larger capacity xd card. I prefer to take my photos with larger files just in case I want to make an enlargement of any pictures that I do take. I am very happy with my selection.
By RabbitRoy - Dec 28, 2003
The Olympus C-5060 is an extremely...
Strengths: Excellent picture quality;good battery power
Weakness: None
The Olympus C-5060 is an extremely versatile camera, offering good image quality, a wide range of manual controls, and a remarkable number of image quality settings. On the downside, the 5060's images can be a little noisy at the default camera settings, and the controls can be confusing for less-experienced operators
By saileel - Mar 9, 2004
Overall, all I am looking for in a...
Strengths: Great focusing ability, esp in dim illumination. Terrific & quick night shots/Convenient flexible, top unfolding LCD screen (nose doesn't rub on screen)/Easy to understand menu & quick menu changes.
Weakness: Erasing photos from compact flash card is SLOW, maybe 10-15 seconds per photo/Easy to lose hot shoe plastic cover. Nice to need a Olympus leather case.
Overall, all I am looking for in a newer, 5 MP camera with convenient LCD and good dim illumination photos, with quick snap shots and easy to carry.
By ervfang - Mar 30, 2004
Olympus Camedia C-5060
Olympus Camedia C-5060 receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 2.1 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #295 standard digital camera of all time. The overall rating represents an intelligent balance of features, value as a function of price to features, and a summary of reviews from a variety of sources. The TopTen REVIEWS' formula gives a picture of important consumer features, market value, and a...
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By TopTenREVIEWS.com - Jul 16, 2008
C-5060 Wide Zoom
Jeff Keller looks at the Nikon Coolpix 3700, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10, Hewlett-Packard Photosmart 945, Minolta Dimage A1, Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom, Olympus E-1, Pentax Optio 555, and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828.
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By Macworld.com - Apr 19, 2004
Olympus C-5060 WZ digital camera
A good solid camera from olympus for the pro-sumer
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By pocket-lint.co.uk - Dec 16, 2003
Olympus Camedia C-5060 Zoom
I'd already called the previous C-5050 Zoom "the best camera Olympus has made yet," but now comes the C-5060 Wide Zoom, with a wider lens, seemingly better optics, and a handful of added enhancements, including a nice tilt/swivel LCD panel. All for the surprisingly low price of $699. Definitely a "Dave's Pick," you need to look this one over carefully if you're in the market for a high-end...
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By Imaging Resource - Nov 21, 2003