Photography - Olympus 8 Megapixel Camedia C-8080 ZLR

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Olympus 8 Megapixel Camedia C-8080 ZLR

I'm going to play devil's advocate about this camera ....

All the good things one reads about the 8080 are true...excellent lens with
a useful zoom range, great picture quality, great build quality, great
features, feels good to hold, etc, etc...

I bought a C 8080 after reading all the reviews and testing it in the store.
I used it for one week under all sorts of conditions, then returned it to
the store for a refund...

Why you might ask ? .... well, there are two flaws with the camera that most
reviewers gloss over....
The first is that the EVF is mediocre at best. The image is small,
(although fully visible with eyeglasses) and it's dull, with poor colour,
poor detail, and difficult to use as a critical composition aid.

The second problem is, imho, a fatal flaw... the LCD viewfinder is
completely, and utterly, useless in bright daylight. It has a very
reflective coating that bounces light back into your eyes, the image is
completely washed out making it next to impossible to use. Under subdued
lighting, like say, inside a store, it looks quite good... but under bright
daylight...forget it. Tweaking the brightness setting for the LCD didn't
make much difference.

Also, the LCD is not completely articulated...I knew that of course, but
didn't realize how much of an issue it would become in actual use. To use
it in portrait mode, you have to hold it up at eye level and out from your
face about a foot or so,.depending on how good your eyes are. Probably the
worst possible position to avoid camera shake....you'll need a good
tripod...no image stabilization. Of course you could always use that
mediocre EVF...but it's not much better.
And if you want to use the camera at ground level for macro shots, you can't
use it in portrait mode unless you're lying on your stomach...

A live LCD image is the biggest advantage the ZLRs have over the DSLRs. It
can be a tremendous tool in framing and composing a picture. All of its
viewfinder weaknesses make the C8080 frustrating and difficult to use in
daylight... I went from loving it initially, to absolutely hating it after
one week. It just wasn't any fun taking pictures.with this camera.

I should state that my three year old Canon G2 has none of these problems.
The G2 LCD just blows the doors off the Oly... I can use it in any light,
even direct sunlight, and the LCD is bright and colourful.
It really is a shame that Olympus put that piece of crap on the back of the
camera. The C8080 would be truly outstanding if it had a good, fully
articulated LCD.

My advice to anyone thinking of buying this, or any camera, is to bring your
own CF card to the local photo store, take a camera out for a while, and
test it under the conditions that you'll be using the camera. Don't rely
entirely on published reviews....
Me ? .... I'm still looking for a new ZLR with a good LCD...
.....M

"Lukas Varossieau" wrote in message
om...
People are posting ZLR reviews, and I have not seen any posted for the
excellent 8 megapixel Olympus Camedia C-8080 Wide-Zoom so here goes.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusc8080wz/

http://www.photographyblog.com/revie...mpus_c8080.php

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/C8080/C88A.HTM

http://www.megapixel.net/reviews/oly...80-review.html

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/ol...ew/index.shtml

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/c8080.html

http://www.dp-now.com/archives/000610.html

"MTBike1970" wrote in message
...
Me ? .... I'm still looking for a new ZLR with a good LCD...
....M

E-20, great lens, TTL viewing + live LCD preview, excellent build quality,
same size sensor as the current 8mp crop - but lower noise due to fewer
pixels, loads about at good prices - still knocks the pants off the 'toy'
cameras like the Z series, Dimages, etc.

Michael wrote:
"MTBike1970" wrote in message
...
Me ? .... I'm still looking for a new ZLR with a good LCD...
....M

E-20, great lens, TTL viewing + live LCD preview, excellent build
quality, same size sensor as the current 8mp crop - but lower noise
due to fewer pixels, loads about at good prices - still knocks the
pants off the 'toy' cameras like the Z series, Dimages, etc.

3 years old and three times the weight of anything I'd want to carry! Can
you still buy SmartMedia cards?

David

"David J Taylor" wrote in message
...
Michael wrote:
"MTBike1970" wrote in message
...
Me ? .... I'm still looking for a new ZLR with a good LCD...
....M

E-20, great lens, TTL viewing + live LCD preview, excellent build
quality, same size sensor as the current 8mp crop - but lower noise
due to fewer pixels, loads about at good prices - still knocks the
pants off the 'toy' cameras like the Z series, Dimages, etc.

3 years old and three times the weight of anything I'd want to carry!

Well, yes, Plastic can be Fantastic, and is the industry's material of
choice for their toy cameras.

If, however, you prefer a solid chunk of optically precise
electro-mechanical engineering, it just has to be encased in metal.

Sorry to hear of your incapacity, perhaps you could use some sort of small
trolley to allow you to move a real camera from place to place? - is it your
wrists?....

...

Can
you still buy SmartMedia cards?

Dunno - but since the E-20 takes Compct Flash/Microdrive, why lose any sleep
over the question

Michael wrote:
[]
Well, yes, Plastic can be Fantastic, and is the industry's material of
choice for their toy cameras.

If, however, you prefer a solid chunk of optically precise
electro-mechanical engineering, it just has to be encased in metal.

Sorry to hear of your incapacity, perhaps you could use some sort of
small trolley to allow you to move a real camera from place to place?
- is it your wrists?....

The metal cameras I carry weigh far less than 42oz - usually nearer 16oz.
Perhaps they use a better material? I was, quite frankly, amazed when I
saw the E20 quoted as 42oz (2.6lb). Is that perhaps a mistake?

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse20/page2.asp

..

Can
you still buy SmartMedia cards?

Dunno - but since the E-20 takes Compct Flash/Microdrive, why lose
any sleep over the question

Oh, that's fine - no problems!

David

In article . com,
Larry wrote:

Is the E-20 available in the US??? I've looked (even with google) and cant
find anyone selling it.

Olympusautions on ebay has a couple for sale right now.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?B27F457D9
hth,
NB

nellybly wrote in
:

Olympusautions on ebay has a couple for sale right now.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?B27F457D9

Please do not post links to auctions or for-sale items here. The charter
for this newsgroup does not welcome such postings. Thank you.

--
Bill

Please do not post links to auctions or for-sale items here. The charter
for this newsgroup does not welcome such postings. Thank you.

Dear Woodchuck Bill,
The Post I was repling to asked:

Is the E-20 available in the US??? I've looked (even with google) and
cant
find anyone selling it.

--
Larry Lynch
Mystic, Ct.

I have no personal connection with Olympus, and these auctions are
direct from the manufacturer. I cannot understand why you took
exception to my post. Is it illegal to tell someone where they might
find something they wish to buy?
I do not see this newsgroup gaining popularity if people who try to be
helpful to others are sanctioned in this way.
Happy Holidays,
NB