Olympus C-50 ZoomOlympus packs a 5.0-megapixel CCD into an ultra-compact body, with a host of advanced features too.<<Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests :(Previous) | (Next): Camera Modes & Menus>> Page 8:Operation & User InterfaceReview First Posted: 11/26/2002 |
Operation and User Interface
The C-50's user interface is similar to that of other recent Olympus
C-series digicams, so it didn't take long for me to get familiar with the camera.
Even for users new to Olympus, the menu layouts are quite straightforward with
multi-functional controls. A handful of external control buttons change the
camera's basic settings, and a Mode dial on the rear panel changes capture modes
quickly. When you do have to call up the LCD menu, a shortcut screen appears
first, with quick links to the image quality, white balance, and ISO settings.
(You can also edit the shortcuts through the Setup menu, to link to a variety
of camera functions of your choice.) Once you get into the actual Record menu,
options are organized by subject, accessed by a series of tabs down the left
side of the screen. This layout lets you quickly skip to the options you need
without scrolling through pages of menu items. In any of the manual exposure
modes, aperture and/or shutter speed is adjusted via external controls, as is
exposure compensation. Once you get the hang of things, the control layout is
quite intuitive and efficient.
Control Enumeration
Zoom Lever: On top of the camera, surrounding the Shutter button, the Zoom
Lever controls the optical zoom in all exposure modes, and the Digital Zoom
when enabled through the Record menu.
In Playback mode, the lever switches between Index view, normal image display, and playback zoom.
Shutter Button: Located in the center of the Zoom control, the Shutter button sets focus and exposure when pressed halfway and triggers the shutter when fully pressed.
Mode Dial: In the top right corner of the rear panel, the Mode dial
controls the camera's operating mode. Choices are Auto, Portrait, Landscape/Portrait,
Landscape/Scene, Night Scene, Sports, Self-Portrait, Movie, My Mode, and Program
/ Aperture / Shutter Speed / Manual (P/A/S/M) modes.
Flash / Erase Button: Located to the right of the optical viewfinder on
the rear panel, this button controls the Flash mode in all still capture modes.
Pressing it cycles through Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-in Flash, Flash Off,
Slow Sync, and Slow Sync with Red-Eye Reduction modes.
In Playback mode, this button lets you erase the current image.
Spot / Macro / Protect Button: Directly to the right of the Flash / Erase
button on the back panel is the Spot / Macro / Protect button. In all Record
modes, this button cycles between normal metering (Digital ESP), Spot metering,
Macro (Closeup) mode, and Macro with Spot Metering modes.
In Playback mode, this button either write-protects the displayed image, or removes protection if it's already protected. Once protected, files cannot be erased or manipulated in any way, except through card formatting. (NOTE that reformatting the memory card erases *all* images, protected or not.)
Four-Way Arrow Pad and OK / Menu Button: Made up of four buttons arranged
in a circle around a single "OK" button, the Arrow Pad controls many
of the camera's operations. In all capture modes except Manual, the left and
right arrow buttons increase or decrease the exposure compensation setting (provided
the LCD monitor is active). In Aperture or Shutter Priority exposure modes,
the up and down Arrow buttons adjust the lens aperture or shutter speed settings,
depending on which mode you've selected. In Manual mode, the up and down Arrows
control shutter speed, while the left and right Arrows control aperture.
In Playback mode, the left and right Arrows move forward or backward through the pictures stored on the card, or scroll around portions of the expanded image in Zoom Playback mode.
In the LCD menu system, the Arrow buttons navigate through menu screens and select settings. The OK / Menu button in the center of the pad displays the settings menu in any camera mode, and also confirms menu selections.
Display / Playback / Quick View Button: Next to the top right corner of
the LCD monitor, this button turns the LCD monitor on or off. If pressed twice
in quick succession, it displays the Quick View function, which calls up the
previously captured image on the screen (you can also access all Playback functions
here). A third press returns the LCD to its normal display.
Pressing and holding this button when the camera is powered off turns it on
and activates Playback mode.
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