Overview

The Camedia C-50 Digital Camera is Olympus' 5.0 megapixel digital camera that blends quality manual features with the simplicity of a point-and-shoot camera. After using this camera for about a month, the painstaking effort that Olympus has taken to ensure a quality piece of technology becomes readily evident. This camera was meant to take pictures and unlike others in its class that have additional features like full-memory-card Quicktime movies with sound, Olympus chose to prioritize exactly what this product is... a picture-taking digital camera.

Specifics

The Olympus Camedia has a 3X optical zoom with the capability to have a 12X zoom when combined with its digital zoom capability (4X digital zoom). It should be remembered that digital zoom technology still isn't where it should be across the entire digital camera industry and greatly degrades both the quality of the image and what can be done with it (in other words, we typically choose to ignore the digital zoom capabilities of the cameras we review).

In addition to the 3X optical zoom, the Camedia C-50 Zoom also has a removable, rechargeable Lithium Ion battery included with the camera and a maximum resolution of a whopping 5.0 megapixels. It also has the capability of taking 10-15 second silent Quicktime movies. As of the writing of the review, the Quicktime feature on the Camedia C-50 seems more like an afterthought as 10-15 seconds isn't really long enough to produce a movie of any true worth. However, as mentioned earlier in the review, this is a digital photograph camera not a digital movie camera. The camera uses xD Picture Card technology includes a 32MB card with the camera, the Win/Mac USB data cable, a wrist strap, RM-1 Remote control, and the battery with its charger as well as the Olympus' CAMEDIA Master Software Package.

The size of the camera itself is best described as TINY. The camera will easily fit in the palm of the average adult's hand. However, don't let its small size fool you, the LCD preview monitor is crisp, clear, and has a very satisfying refresh rate that lets you truly see your subject. The C-50 Zoom has 12 different shooting modes though, if you're like me, you're going to stick with the AUTO or manual functions most of the time.

The camera is made of high-quality, durable-feeling metal in what Olympus describes as a "stylish, compact design." I'd have to agree with that description. It also includes the capabilities to add Black & White, Sepia, and Image Resizing from within the camera. In addition, the C-50 Zoom offers 5 different Flash modes - Auto for low and backlight conditions, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-in, Slow Shutter Synchronization, and Off.

Summary

The camera itself offers loads of options and capabilities. It takes beautiful images. The only problems we had with the camera came in the way of documentation. The manual (written in at least 5 different languages) is best-described as sparse. The manual is so skimpy that we would have given this camera a much higher rating if only the manual would tell the user more about its features. Though the manual will give the user enough information to whet his or her appetite, most of the time a user spends with the camera when first opened will be spent familiarizing the controls and figuring out exactly how to get to use all of the features. Overall, we love this camera. It's a great tool for the aspiring amateur photographer or as the relaxed family digital camera. A high-quality piece at an affordable price.

Manufacturer's Link: Olympus Camedia C-50 Zoom

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