Does the new wide-angled zoom lens and ultra-flexible LCD screen make the C-5060WZ a must have?

The C-5060WZ (Wide Zoom) is the latest addition to the Japanese manufacturer's Camedia line. The new shooter brings to the table the widest angle of view for any enthusiast camera to date. As the follow up to the popular C-5050Z, the new Camedia also features a new ultra-flexible LCD.

The C-5060WZ maintains much of the C-5050's functional design but does gain a few grams with a slightly larger form factor. The former measures about 116 x 87 x 66mm and hit the scales at 520g (with battery and media card installed), making this one of the larger compact cameras around.

Like most feature-packed units, the C-5060WZ has controls littered across the entire body to ensure quick and easy access to commonly used functions. As most of the layout remains the same, users familiar with the C-5050Z should find adapting to this latest Camedia a cinch.

To Olympus' credit, it has addressed most of the mutterings with regard to the C-5050Z. The lens cover on the C-5060WZ no longer prevents the unit from extending the telescopic lens--which results in annoying beeps--and even pops off by itself. The other notable improvement is the flexible LCD screen. The display is now able to flip 180 degrees in the vertical axis and swivel 360 degrees allowing you to frame your shots in a great variety of situations--most useful being self-portraits.

While we'll miss the fast F1.8 lens for some of our photographic situations (underwater photography comes to mind), we did enjoy the new wide-eyed glass. The 27mm (35mm equivalent) focal length did allow us to take some nice landscape shots without the need for wide-angle add-ons.

In our other tests, we found the C-5060WZ to be average. The Olympus was ready to shoot in 3 seconds after a flick of the power switch. Moving along to our shot-to-shot runs, the unit performed commendably with the flash off. The camera was able to capture 10 frames in 8 seconds before a short 5-second delay (for part of the buffer to clear) to take the next shot. With the flash enabled the numbers dropped slightly, averaging about 2 to 3 seconds between shots.

The autofocusing (AF) system was also pretty good, often taking less than a second for situations with adequate lighting. Under dim or bad lighting, the AF assist lamp helped to keep performance up, averaging about 2 to 3 seconds.

Battery performance was also rather good. The Lithium-ion power pack showed no signs of giving up even after about 150 shots under normal usage. However, the change of power source might become a point of contention for some users. Unlike with its predecessor, users will lose the added convenience of using AA-sized batteries for the C-5060WZ.

In terms of image quality, the Camedia delivered average-quality 5-megapixel photos. In outdoor shots, we found the C-5060WZ to deliver neutral-collared tones like other Olympus cameras. Metering generally gave accurate exposures and white balancing proved accurate most of the time.

There's really nothing to complain about in terms of features. Suffice to say, the C-5060WZ offers plenty of freedom for creativity as you're able to independently control both shutter and aperture settings, as well as other in-camera processing options. Olympus' has also created a completely new set of accessories which include a power grip for extended battery life in addition to wide-angle and telephoto add-on lenses.

Still, there's a compromise for everything. The C-5060WZ sacrifices lens speed for the increased zoom range and wide-angle capability. While the older C-5050Z had an ultra fast F1.8 lens, this latest model comes to terms with a more average F2.8 lens.

Besides its extensive list of shooting options, other notable mentions include a hotshoe that's compatible with the manufacturer's range of external flash units as well as support for both CompactFlash and the proprietary Fujifilm and Olympus xD-Picture Card media.

Coming to store shelves with a sticker price of around AU$1,299, the C-5060WZ doesn't exactly represent value for money, especially, if you consider that Fujifilm's 6-megapixel 6x zoom S7000 sells for the same. However, we think it'll boil down to what tickles your fancy. Landscape shooters will probably go for the C-5060WZ and purchase a telephoto lens should added range be needed. At the end of the day, we feel the C-5060WZ adds to the list of capable 5-megapixel 4x prosumers such as Canon's PowerShot G5, Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-V1 and Nikon's Coolpix 5400--even if a little late.

Olympus Camedia C-5060WZ
Company: Olympus
Price: ~AU$1299
Distributor: Selected resellers

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