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Olympus C-5000 Zoom (none) Select a topic Reference: Datasheet C-5000 Test Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on C-5000 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Viewfinder :(Previous) | (Next): Exposure & Flash>> Page 5:Optics Review First Posted: 11/04/2003

Optics

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The Olympus C-5000 Zoom is equipped with 3x, 7.8-23.4mm lens, providing a range of angular coverage equivalent to that of a 38-114mm zoom on a 35mm film camera. The glass lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.8 -f/4.8 (depending on the zoom position).

Focus ranges from 19.7 inches (50 centimeters) to infinity in Normal mode, with a Macro mode ranging from 7.9 to 19.7 inches (20 to 50 centimeters). A Super Macro mode lets you get as close as 1.6 inches (4.0 centimeters). You enter either macro mode by pressing the macro/spot metering button on the C-5000's back panel, but Super Macro mode must first be enabled through the LCD menu system. In normal Macro mode, you can zoom the lens back and forth across its range of available focal lengths, but Super Macro mode restricts the lens to a single, slightly wide-angle setting. Minimum coverage in normal macro mode is an unimpressive 6.64 x 4.98 inches (169 x 126 millimeters), but Super Macro takes that to a truly "super" minimum area of just 1.84 x 1.38 inches (47 x 35 millimeters).

The camera's TTL (through the lens) autofocus system uses a contrast-detect method to gauge focus, which means that it should work just fine with auxiliary lenses. The green LED next to the optical viewfinder glows solid as soon as the subject is in focus. (A flashing green LED generally means there's a problem focusing, so you may need to switch to Macro mode, back away from the subject, or get more light on it for the AF system to "see" by.) The C-5000's AF system appears to work well down to a bit less than one foot-candle (11 lux) of illumination, about the level of lighting found in typical city night scenes, corresponding to a shutter speed of 2 seconds at f/2.8, and ISO 100. (An AF-assist light would be really welcome for darker conditions.) Although the C-5000 doesn't feature an automatic focus lock, you can manually lock both exposure and focus by centering the desired portion of the subject in the frame, half-pressing the Shutter button, and then recomposing the image while continuing to half-press the Shutter button. (See the subsequent Exposure section of this review for a description of the independent autoexposure lock control.)

You can also designate the AF area that the camera uses to gauge focus. A total of nine AF area options are provided, two each above, below, left, and right of center, plus the default center position.

A manual focus option is available by pressing and holding the OK / Menu button on the back panel, which displays the manual focus distance scale on the LCD monitor. The up and down arrow keys adjust the focus distance, and the right and left keys select between MF and AF focus modes. When you adjust the focus manually, the LCD viewfinder display changes to show a 2x magnified view of the central portion of the image while you're actually adjusting the focus, to make it easier to see whether or not your subject is in focus. The display returns to normal size once you release the up or down arrow button. I found the enlarged view pretty helpful in setting focus when the lens was at or near its telephoto position, but less so with the lens at wide angle focal lengths. (This is almost certainly due to the much greater depth of field obtained with the lens set to wide angle.) I really like the C-5000's use of a bargraph focusing distance display, combined with numbers indicating specific distances. Some cameras offer only a bargraph display, with no numeric information, a much less useful arrangement, IMHO. Having specific numbers to refer to can be invaluable in low-light situations, where there's not enough light to see whether the subject is in focus on the LCD screen, and your only option is to estimate the distance to your subject.

The C-5000 Zoom's exterior lens barrel incorporates filter accessory threads that couple to Olympus' lens adapter tube, the CLA-6. (At the time of this review, the CLA-6 was not yet available from Olympus, and thus I have no specs on this product.) This optional adapter extends the threads outward, so they are flush with the front of the lens when it's fully extended. A range of accessory lenses then couple to the CLA-6, extending the camera's wide angle, telephoto, and macro capabilities.

As much as 4x of digital zoom is available in addition to the 3x optical zoom, increasing the C-5000's total zoom range to 12x. Digital zoom is only accessible when the LCD monitor is engaged; when the LCD is turned off, the digital zoom returns to the 1x setting. It also cannot be used with the uncompressed TIFF mode. As always though, remember that digital zoom just "stretches" the image from the central portion of the CCD, which directly trades off resolution for magnification. Digital zoom images will always be softer and less sharp than those with equivalent magnification delivered entirely by an optical zoom lens.