Olympus CAMEDIA C-50 Zoom

I first came across this camera when working in a camera shop. It came highly recommended, and we had some sample prints, which at 12x8 inch/ A4 size were virtually indistinguishable from traditional camera prints.

After purchasing this camera, whilst still working in the store, a couple of cameras were returned for repair, as dropping the camera had resulted in the track (which the lens cover runs on) getting cracked. This meant that the camera would turn on an off erratically as the track also acts as the power switch. Having said this, no digital cameras, in my experience, survive being dropped particularly well! Build quality, otherwise is great, the body is plastic and metal, so feels solid. The included battery lasts ages. I haven't counted the number of prints, and it obviously depends on how much you are using the screen, flash etc, but it seems to last for ages!

Trying the camera out, the manual overrides are great, but I have one issue: The P,A,S and M modes (Programme, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, and Manual) are all on one dial setting. That is to say, that you turn the mode selector dial on the top of the camera to select PASM, then you have to use the menu controls in order to select which of those four modes you wish to use. This seems a bit long winded and clumsy, and Olympus has cured this problem with the next camera up, the Camedia C 60, but they have also changed the position of the zoom button, which I find more uncomfortable to use!

Print quality is fantastic, and if you do not plan to print larger that A4, the quality of the lens, and the specification of the sensor mean that you will get great quality prints. I haven't printed at A3 yet, so I am not going to comment on larger sizes. Manual overrides mean that you can achieve the picture that you imagine, and the Auto mode is as good as any other digital compact.

This is a camera that you can learn and grow with, but the lack of a decent printed manual, (its mostly on CD) means that you have to experiment (which is what photography is all about!)