Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom Review

The Mode Dial has the On/Off power switch mounted around it. First seen on the C-5050, the Jog Dial is operated with your thumb. You press and hold one of the "Direct" buttons (described below) and turn the Jog Dial to change the settings.

To the left of the flash hot shoe is the Focus mode direct button. Focus options are: AF, Macro, Manual Focus, Super Macro and Super Macro MF. Below that is the Metering mode direct button. Press and hold it while turning the Jog Dial to select ESP, Spot or Multi metering. In playback the Metering button serves as the Protect button as indicated by the blue "key" icon.

Focusing modes


Metering modes

On the back left side of the camera are the Exposure compensation and Flash mode direct buttons. Hold the Exposure compensation button down and turn the Jog Dial to select the desired exposure override value (+/- 2 EV in 1/3 steps). The Flash mode button cycles through: Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Fill-in, Slow Synch (first curtain), Slow Synch (first curtain) w/red-eye reduction and Flash Off.

Holding down both the Exposure comp and Flash mode buttons lets you adjust the amount flash output power.

Flash modes


Flash output

Controls on the back: AEL auto exposure lock (serves as the Delete button in playback), Quick View for image review, the Monitor button turns the color LCD on/off and controls the amount of data displayed on it. The 4-way "Arrow Controls" for navigating menus, changing settings and selecting playback images. The OK button accepts menu selections and calls up the menu. The CF/xD button selects the desired storage media.

Off to the right is the Jog Dial and the "Card Busy" indicator lamp.

On the left side is the speaker and the I/O ports:

A/V output, video is NTSC or PAL, audio is monaural

USB 1.1 data port

DC INput for AC adapter or battery pack

The C-5060 stores its images on xD-Picture Card or CompactFlash Type I or II cards including IBM Microdrives. The C-5060 is FAT-32 compatible so it can make use of high-capacity CF cards and Microdrives that exceed 2GB. I have personally tested it with the new Hitachi 4GB Microdrive.

The CF2 and xD slots can be occupied simultaneously and selected by pressing the CF/xD button on the back of the camera. Olympus includes a 32MB xD-Picture Card with panorama function.

The C-5060Z is powered by a BLM-1 7.2V 1500mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery pack. This battery has more power than four AA type batteries and is also lighter in weight. The small and portable BCM-2 AC charger is included with the camera outfit.

With the new Power Battery Holder B-HLD20 your C-5060 Wide Zoom becomes a powerhouse that has the energy to keep on shooting for hours and hours as it can hold up to two of the BLM-1 battery packs.

The B-HLD20 features a portrait mode grip, shutter release button and zoom lever to permit comfortable vertical framing. A lock ensures that users will not accidentally misfire their C-5060 Wide Zoom cameras. It also has a port for an optional wired remote control.

The B-HLD20 even has a space to store an additional xD-Picture Card to replace the one in use when it becomes full. You'll see where it fits between the two BLM-1 batteries.

The C-5060's battery door must be removed before installing the B-HLD20. Don't worry about losing it, there's a place on the battery holder that "keeps" the battery door with the holder.

One of my favorite Olympus accessories, an infrared remote control. This allows you to trip the shutter in record mode for self-portraits and is also handy when doing macro shots on a tripod.

The one thing that puzzles me is why Olympus chose to bundle the RM-2 instead of the more capable RM-1 remote?  This is a top-of-the-line camera so why not bundle it with their deluxe remote control ???

With the PT-020 Underwater Housing you can take the C-5060 Wide Zoom and several of its accessories 130 feet below the surface of the water to capture breathtaking images underwater. This stylish and durable housing is for anyone looking to pursue underwater digital photography when diving, snorkeling or surfing - and it's also ideal for use during activities that call for ultimate protection from the elements such as skiing, fishing, sailing, or even certain industrial situations.

The PPO-02 (sold separately) replaces the standard lens port and allows you to use the WCON-07C Wide Conversion Lens (CLA-7 Conversion Lens Adapter required) for greater photographic flexibility. Having a wide-angle lens of this caliber underwater is ideal for capturing breathtaking images of undersea life. And there's a separate underwater housing available for the FL-20 electronic flash that allows you to add external flash capability where it's most needed.

The PT-020 is made of durable transparent polycarbonate with grips and levers fashioned out of distinctive red-colored polycarbonate. The transparent nature of the housing ensures that users can view their shots with ease, as well as show off the stylish bodies of their cameras. The housing features fluorite (FL) glass lens windows for greater clarity when shooting photos underwater. To reduce glare caused by sunlight on the camera's LCD, the housing has a hood located on the outside back that makes viewing the LCD easier above and below water.