Olympus C-5000 Zoom(none)<<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & InterfaceReview First Posted: 11/04/2003 |
Image Storage and Interface
The
C-5000 Zoom uses xD-Picture Cards and comes with a 32MB card. Extra
cards currently can be purchased in sizes as large as 256MB from either
Olympus or third parties. Only Olympus-branded cards will enable the
camera's Panorama function, but third party models should otherwise be
identical.
The C-5000 Zoom can store images in both uncompressed TIFF and compressed JPEG file formats. The TIFF setting can be assigned to any one of seven(!) resolutions through the camera's Mode Setup menu. JPEG compression levels include Super High Quality (SHQ), High Quality (HQ), and Standard Quality (SQ1 & SQ2). The myriad size options can be assigned to the camera's quality levels via the record setup menu, as shown in the table below. (Green table cells indicate image size options that can be assigned to each named quality setting.) Whatever image size/quality options are assigned to the five named quality settings can be quickly selected either by the "shortcut button" (see the description of the user interface later) or via the record setup menu.
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Size Options |
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2,272 x 1,704 |
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I appreciated the C-5000 Zoom's file naming protocol, which includes the month and day at the beginning of the file name, and provides the option of numbering images progressively from one card to the next, or of resetting the naming sequence for each card. The C-5000 Zoom lets you write-protect individual images from accidental erasure by pressing the Protect button on the rear panel.
As just mentioned, the C-5000 Zoom offers a verging-on-absurd range of resolution and image compression settings, including one interpolated size. The table below shows all the available size/quality options, the number of each that can be stored on the included 32MB memory card, and the amount of image compression employed for each.
| Resolution/Quality 32MB Memory Card |
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| 2,560 x 1,920 | Images (Avg size) |
2 16MB |
8 3.6MB |
26 1.2MB |
| Approx. Compression |
1:1 | 4:1 | 12:1 | |
| 2,272 x 1,704 | Images (Avg size) |
2 12.8MB |
11 2.8MB |
33 0.9MB |
| Approx. Compression |
1:1 | 4:1 | 12:1 | |
| 2,048 x 1,536 | Images (Avg size) |
10.7MB |
2.3MB |
0.8MB |
| Approx. Compression |
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Images (Avg size) |
6MB |
1.4MB |
0.5MB |
| Approx. Compression |
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Images (Avg size) |
3.7MB |
0.9MB |
0.3MB |
| Approx. Compression |
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| 1,024 x 768 | Images (Avg size) |
13 2.4MB |
55 0.6MB |
153 0.2MB |
| Approx. Compression |
1:1 | 4:1 | 11:1 | |
| 640 x 480 | Images (Avg size) |
33 0.9MB |
142 0.2MB |
399 0.08MB |
| Approx. Compression |
1:1 | 4:1 | 12:1 | |
The following table shows the maximum seconds of movie recording time (with sound) that can be recorded on the included 32MB memory card. NOTE that the maximum time per clip is fixed at 32 seconds for HQ mode, and 140 seconds for SQ mode, regardless of the memory card size.
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Movie Time in Seconds | |
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(15 frames/sec) |
33 | |
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(15 frames/sec) |
148 | |
The C-5000 Zoom comes with interface software and cables for both Macintosh and Windows computers. It employs a USB Auto-Connect interface for high-speed computer connection. Like all of Olympus' most recent digicams, the C-5000 is a USB "storage class" device. This means it can connect directly to Mac OS Version 9.1 or later, or Windows Me or 2000 computers, without separate driver software. Storage-class or Auto-Connect connections are generally faster than device-class ones. I clocked the C-5000 at a transfer rate of 528 KBytes/second on my G4 Mac. This is faster than the average USB v1.1-connected camera although not quite at the top of the charts. While it's becoming more commonplace now, Olympus was one of the first companies to pioneer storage-class camera connections. - I really like not having to load driver software to connect the camera!
Lost Images? - Download this image-recovery program so you'll have it when
you need it...
Since we're talking about memory and image storage, this would be a good
time to mention the following: I get a ton of email from readers who've lost
photos due to a corrupted memory card. It's tragic when it happens, there
are few things more precious than photo memories. Corrupted memory cards
can happen with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody is immune.
"Stuff happens," as they say. A surprising number of "lost"
images can be recovered with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software
though. Given the amount of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include
this paragraph in all my digicam reviews. The program you need is called
PhotoRescue, by DataRescue SA. Read our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now,
so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then
it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for
Windows or PhotoRescue for
Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the
PDF manual and quickstart
guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you
need it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when...
PhotoRescue is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital
photos I've seen. (Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of
the product, but I'd highly recommend the program even if we didn't.)
OK, now back to our regularly scheduled review...
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