A monster gadget at an affordable price
Written: Jun 13 '05
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Pros: Long lasting battery life and crisp pictures with the wide zoom lens.
Cons: slow focusing (auto) during low-light setting.
The Bottom Line: Try it out at the camera store and talk to professionals about your need. This is perhaps the most affordable camera for an amateur enthusiast like myself.
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| suepslew's Full Review: Olympus Camedia C-8080 Wide Zoom Digital Camera |
When I first consider getting a digital camera, I was afraid that it will be out-performed by the rapid movement in the digital technology. After months of research online and seeking advice from friends, I'd listed out 3 cameras of my choice. The Olympus C-8080, Sony F828 and Canon PowerShot Pro1.
I was looking for high performance camera that I can use for a long time as a back-up to my Mamiya. Pricing was important as well. These three cameras came close in terms of pricing. They were sold between 600 and 900 dollars at most camera dealers. Being a novice in digital photography, I depended on my visits to different stores to try out the cameras, and how they feel in my hands.
All three cameras have great body size. Sony F828 feels the bulkiest and weight the heaviest, although it is built with great lens. I did not like the positions of the buttons on the side, which to me is a little out of place. The C8080 looked bigger in the catalogue than it really is. It is, however more heavy and slightly bigger than the Canon. The magnesium alloy body makes it look durable, and I love this feature of the camera. It was a tough choice to pick between the canon and the C8080.
The wide zoom lens is another appealing feature of the C8080. Although I have heard many great things about the F828, it appears to me that it is a high maintenance camera, as of any Sony product. Storage is less convenient as most sony cameras work better with the memory stick and microdrive while both C8080 and canon can take the more economical XD, Compact flash and SD memory.
Needless to say, I picked C8080 which came at almost 200 dollars cheaper than Canon Pro1. So far, the pictures have not been disappointing. Saving in RAW format is a little slow, but the problem can be solved by using other format and photo editing can be done later on using Photoshop and or other softwares. I do not find this troublesome at all. Because I do not save it in RAW often (just did it once or twice), I don't find that it affects me.
Using the camera at a higher ISO will produce loud noise. I was concern about this problem at first, but was told by a friend that it is common for any higher resolution camera working at any ISO level beyond 80 or 100. Otherwise, the shutter speed is fast, although a friend who owns the f828 commented that it is not as fast as his F828. I do not find this a problem because it does what I need it to do - producing nice pictures.
I am considering the underwater housing for this camera in the near future. I love this feature of the camera that allows it to be used underwater. My passion is the sea, and this camera works for me. I must say though that it is still a little poor when being used in low lighting. The autofocus tends to be slow when used in low light setting. A nice backlight should be available when being used. I usually bring out my film camera when this is the case but if one is not picky, the c8080 is not bad at all. Again, I've read lots of comments about many canon cameras as well as Nikon that has the same problem capturing in the low-light setting.
I enjoy the camera, and hope that this review will help some of you in making your decision. :-)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 650
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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Epinions.com ID:
suepslew
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Location: Canada
Reviews written: 55
Trusted by: 3 members
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