Regardless of the negative reviews, the C5060 is one great advanced digital camera. Keep in mind that this is a point and shoot or creative shooting camera, but with little flexibility in lense add ons. The wide angle and macro capabilities are superb. The low light performance so commonly complained about can easily be overcome when neeeded by increasing the exposure by a third of a stop or two. I've taken over 8000 photos with this camera in 16 months and never had one problem with it. Be careful where you buy yours. There are refurbs and non-US versions out there now.
I've moved on to a digital LR but the C5060 was a great camera for me and expect it to remain so for it's new owner.

I have had the c-5060 for almost a year and am very happy with the camera. The wide-angle lens is great for landscape photos. I find that the amount of post-processing I need to do with photos from this camera is minimal. Sharpness is always good right off the camera. It also handles contrasty scenes very well and doesn't overexpose as much as other cameras I have owned.

I've had this camera since May '04, and I have never had any problem with it. No problems with the menu, with freezen, or any of the ones mentioned in other reviews. I'm not saying those problems don't occure, since I've read the same comments in other sites, but I consider myself lucky for not having to deal with that.
My experience have been great with this camera. It has lots of features, and even thought I take approx. 250 pictures a month, I'm still learning to use some of its features. I've taken night pictures, and, in comparision with the Canon G5 (which I considered when buying mine), the pictures from the C5060 are way better. No purple halos around the lights (like the G5, and when the noise control is ON, it really minimizes the noise in the pictures. Zoom control is a bit slow, but it offers a semi-decent range. I'm still planning to buy the 1.7x zoom magnifier. Obviously, if you want more you should try an SLR. 40.5 filters can be bougth online (B&H), or even found in Ritz Camera. I strongly recommend buying a polarizer, it really helps when taking pictures during the day.
One of the more common complaints about this camera is the use of proprietary batteries. Other than the cost of the batteries, the Olympus battery offers great capacity and allows you to take the camera for a 4-6 day trip without needing to change batteries. I recommend buying a 2nd battery, try an online search for a non-Olympus battery, I found one for $20 (a third of the cost from Olympus), and it offers the same duration as the Olympus.
Overall, after comparing this camera with others that I consider in the same level (Canon G5, among others), I would give this camera a 4.5 out of 5, based on all its features and the lack of problems I've experienced.

I have owned an Olympus C-3040 digital camera for 3 years, and decided to upgrade to the C-5060 for 4 reasons: 1) Faster processing; 2) Wide angle lens; 3) 5.1 megapixels; and 4)I am familiar with the Olympus software and menus, and didn't want to learn a whole new system again.

The C-5060 has met all of my expectations and is a great camera. My only negative comment is that I wish Olympus would standardize on the lens specs so that I don't need to buy new filters again. The C-5060 uses a 40.5 mm size, and I have not been able to find adapters for it.

The reviewers who moan about the camera's instruction manual are all not using the features of the Adobe Acrobat Reader software for the .PDF file that is on the CD with the manual. If you click on the Adobe drop down menu for fit to page, you get a beautiful 8.5 x 11 full page manual. And if you print both front and back -- print all odd no pages, then reinsert the paper and print all even no. pages -- the manual is only about 135 pages.

I purchased my camera new in mid-December, 2004, and the bugs described by some of the other reviewers here have not appeared. It worked perfectly out of the box after 6 hours of charging the battery.

I think Olympus has missed the boat here. This camera in no way improves on the 5050. After falling with the camera in my hand and breaking it I decided to 'upgrade' to the 5060 and so far have been disappointed with the results in "low light" ie any indoor shots, and the macro feature isn't as sharp.

I wish I'd saved the money and had my old camera repaired.

Bought this as a christmas gift for my wife. I got to try it out a few times and was never disappointed with the results. Wish I read up on the reviews before I got it, might have got something else instead.

I had dropped my old Olympus 3040 when visiting my sister and shooting pictures of my nephew and cracked the lens, so I had to get a replacement.

I had liked how the 3040 worked, so I decided to stay with Olympus and got this camera and was not disappointed. Though it is not a professional camera, there is many controls available to use (it can be used more than a mere point and shoot). And the wider angle lens is great to have to get group shots easier than mmy older camera.

The only quibble is thee battery pack, I prefer having AA Batteries so I can always have a charged set ready to go, but more and more cameras nowadays use the battery packs, so it is not something that is really that negative.

Hello. While this camera was nice for the first couple of months I had it, its got a well-documented manufacturer's defect that Olympus has yet to accept. I had to send it back TWICE for repair and, despite the fact that it was returned to me still broken, they now want me to pay them $244.65 to fix it. What? Is this a joke?

I created a website in honour of Olympus' behavior - OLYMPUSCHEATEDME*COM. You should check it out for the full story. If you have a similar story, please let me know.

I have to agree with most reviews that overall this is a good camera. But it is good only when it is working. 5060 (and I can speculate 7070 too) might experience what has become known as "FAULTY DIAL SWITCH" problem. If you search the web for those terms associated with "olympus" - you will most likely find a lot of disturbing complaints.

Mine broke couple of months after the warranty expired, right before we were about to take a family vacation. When I turned on the camera - it did not respond to any buttons. Then, it started activating menues all by itself as if the camera was trying to catch up with the previously pushed buttons. In effect camera became inoperational.

Sent it to Olympus. Got a letter back asking for [...] in repair costs. Called Olympus customer service. Was told that they charge flat fee regardless of the problem. Told them that this is ridiculous, its a wide-spread problem and Olympus should stand behind their product. Car-manufacturers normally issue recalls or extend warranty for such problems. 5060 is not worth [...] I paid for it [...] a year and a half later. Rep. went to speak with a manager and came back saying that "Ah! If it is only the switch problem - then will charge you [...]". Apparently they did not even look at the camera before sending me the [...] bill.

Needless to say the whole process took about a month. Spent vacation with my 5 year old Canon Digital Elph.

If you insist on buying Olympus - just be aware of the problem and that it is random and frequent and that Olympus does not handle it well. One thing I am sure about - my next camera is not going to be made by Olympus.

I got a C5050 which was the predecessor to this camera. After about over 1 year of non-frequent use, the CCD is having problem. I did a search on Google and this seems to be a common product defect problem. The symtom of the problem is that the LCD screen looks like a bad TV signal reception. As first, I thought it was the LCD problem but when I took a picture. The picture turned out all badly which than I realized it's the CCD problem. I have another Olympus D490 which is almost 4 years old and no problems.

I bought the C-5060 a year and a half ago and within 3 months the dial unit started malfunctioning. I sent it in for repair while still under warranty and the process was very easy, I got my camera back working perfectly with no cost or real hassle to me. Then about 2 months ago the same problems started again. The modes just start jumping around and the camera is unusable. I spent a lot of time on the phone with Olympus trying to get them to fix it for anything less that the flat $167 rate for camera repair to no avail. They were actually quite belligerent about the fact that this is not a known problem. I pointed out that my brother has the same camera and had the same problem and that I had read a lot of reviews online with people having the problem but I guess that does not mean that it is known. The camera has been great other than this dial problem and if it weren't for the pigheadedness of the service people at Olympus I would never have complained. I now would never buy another Olympus camera and am undecided as to whether it is worth the money to fix this one.

For the first year we owned this camera, it worked pretty well. You can read online camera reviews for the specifications.

But then it started to malfunction badly. It would lock up, refuse to go into certain modes, display random menu settings on the screen, etc. These problems seems to occur to many 5060 cameras after several months of use.

In a word, it is unreliable. You're probably better off looking for a more reliable camera.

I'm an amateur photographer so I chose the Olympus C5060 for it's automatic settings capabilities. I also had heard of some problems with the C5060 so I purchased an additional 2 yr warranty from Olympus for only $50. So far (over 1yr) I've not had any problems.
The camera takes great pictures, with excellent color even in low light conditions. I've take outdoor, long range, indoor, macro closeups, etc and every picture looks good to me. I especially like the C5060's picture quality in no flash indoor pictures.
Overall a very good camera with excellent results.

I have had a 5060 for about 2 years. Paid $700 for it new, now selling for around $400. I started having problems with not being able to access any of the menu functions. Started researching the problems on the forums and find that it is a common problem with this camera. Sent it in to Olympus for repair. Their charges are to be $180. An e-mail to them begging for consideration was never answered. I do not advise anyone to buy this camera...

I certainly respect that others have had issues with this model. However, I am going on my 3rd year with mine and have had no issues at all and have thoroughly enjoyed using this great camera. Quality issues aside, I've found it's a great all-around camera to have. It's definitely not an SLR -- but it's also not just a point and shoot. Photographers with experience will enjoy the ability to use the manual modes and other creative functions.

The articulating viewfinder has been really enjoyable - flipping it around and being able to hold the camera above the crowd - and still see the LCD view of what you're taking was especially good.

Pros: Feels good in the hand, controls are easy to use, menus are generally very intuitive. The top-mounted LCD (data) is handy to avoid having to look at the color LCD for basic camera settings. Wide range of lighting and settings to get creative have been enjoyable.

Cons: the optical viewfinder is pretty useless - poor representation of what's really in the picture. The LCD display is generally very good, but in very bright sunlight it's extremely hard to see. There are hoods available that strap over the camera - very nice to have in order to see what's on the LCD.

DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT! The internet is full of reports of mode dial problems. This is a design flaw that Olympus apparantly has not addressed for out-of-warranty users. This problem will render your camera useless and it a very expensive repair.

I have had my Olympus C5060 for just over 3 years. I felt like I was one of the fortunate people that seemed to avoid the all too familiar MODE PROBLEM. All of a sudden... it happened! My camera is now USELESS! As soon as I turn it on it just starts going haywire. You can not get out of the menu mode, you can not take a picture! (other users, just you wait.. the dreaded Mode problem will get you too!!) I did write to Olympus, several times, and they have not bothered to respond. Apparently that seems to be the norm, from other reviews that I have read about this camera. I HIGHLY recommend that you DO NOT waste your money on this camera, unless of course, you have $500 + to just throw away! After spending that much on a camera, I thought that I would have it for quite a long time, not 3 years! When it worked, the first few years, it was great! So.. if you insist on buying this piece of junk, know that you will need to start saving for your next camera. I'm going to try a Canon next, keeping my fingers crossed that this will last me longer than 3 SHORT years!

Good Luck!

Donna

I loved my 5060 until the menu system failed the second time. Just a year after repair and three years of ownership. Dissapointing reliability performance. I don't yet understand how long a digital camera should last. My expectation is 5 years without issues for cameras above $300. That may be unrealistic. I don't love Olympus anymore and poor servcie from a long standing company can not be tolerated by consumers. I will not buy another Olympus until they have proven to be loyal to me and you.

I bought the C5060 reconditioned over a year ago, and I am always amazed at how beautiful the photos are and what I see through the monitor. The drawback I ran into was that you cannot see your info through the viewfinder. My local camera shop sold me a "shield" for bright times of day, and that helps a lot. My daughter is a photographer (mainly in the modeling field), and she really loved handling and using it. I'm thinking of getting her one for her BD in two weeks. I'm saddened by the poor reviews of it here and there, but I'm wondering if we surveyed 500 users what the percentage of the mode and/or dial problems would surface. ANY camera, ANY machine CAN have something wrong. Since I love the output and already own it and have a 5-year warranty since day one, I'll go on my merry (but a bit more informed) way and enjoy it. If it breaks down, I'll send it to Olympus or to my local shop, and my warranty will cover it at 100%. I have purchased approximately 8 or more Olympus cameras, but I've not had problems with any of them. If one should get "sick" I'll grab my C700 (GREAT camera BTW) and my Stylus 500 and go on my way. It pays to have more than one camera. I'm still of a mind to get this thing for my daughter since she loved it so, and she took gorgeous photos with it.

I'll take the chance as the cost sure beats the original cost when I was dying to get it ($1,000!). I think I paid just over $400 completely with Olympus warranty, and Olympus has never been less than gracious with me!

I think "stuff happens" and I may or may not get hit. I'll proceed to learn, and if it fails big time, and my warranty is not honored, I'll go to another model, but Olympus has had my heart (due to lenses) since the 70s and their SLRs!) I'd probably go E-Volt or one of the other SLR digitals they have been putting out.

So as long as they repair, I am covered by warranty, and they treat me as nicely as they always have, I'm an Olympus die hard. ;)

Lindsay

I bought this camera a couple years ago when I was trying to get more serious about taking pictures, and I did. Learned to use and love it and got great photos, but then after it was a little over a year old it malfunctioned and has become useless. Every time I turn it on it gets stuck trying to zoom and no dials or controls will respond, I can't really afford or justify paying another $150 for repairs. I'll be very cautious if I'm considering another camera from Olympus in the future.

A camera as expensive as this one should work for more than a couple of years. I used to love the camera and Olympus but will not buy there products ever again. The menu options have malfunctioned making the camera usless. And after reading the most current reviews the same problem has happened to many other people. Seeing that so many people have had this same problem shows that Olympus makes poor quality equipment even in there more expensive cameras. Look elsewhere.

I purchased this camera almost three years ago and thought I had made a bad decision based on the forum comments that I had seen at the time. However I kept my fingers crossed and thoroughly enjoyed what was an exceptional product. Picture quality is excellent, easy to use and a very nice camera to look at. I thought I had evaded the mode dial problem when it 'attacked'with a vengeance and my camera is now almost useless.
I thought for the price I paid that I would have a trouble free camera.
At this point I am at a loss since all the comments point to Olympus non responsiveness to the issue.
I have always loved Olympus products and have purchased many different cameras, from the excellent iS 20 QD to C-3000, C 4040 C -5060. I am just no longer sure whether I want to take the risk on another Olympus product.

I too have had my C5060 for more than three years and I have used it quite often during that time. Occasionally it would experience the dreaded mode-dial problem, but I would wiggle a few things and turn it off/on a few times and the problem would go away. About a month ago, I turned on the camera and the mode-dial problem was back with a vengeance. None of the buttons worked correctly and nothing I did would fix it - I even tried most of the "fixes" suggested in the various forums (but NOT the WD-40).

Since I needed a wide-zoom camera, I bought a pocket sized camera and thought I might have to discard the C5060, since the cost of an out-of-warranty repair could not be justified. A few days, ago I turned it on again and the mode-dial problem was still there. I really do like my C5060, so I tried something I never saw suggested anywhere - I took my trusty air duster can, pointed the nozzle tube at the mode-dial and forced compressed air into every nook and cranny I could reach. When I turned the camera back on, it worked perfectly - the dreaded mode-dial problem was gone!

Today, the camera still works fine, but it is only the 3rd day after the "fix". However, maybe this technique will work for some other people too...

I was sad to see many users having issues after a few years of owning this camera. I've had mine for about 4 years now, and after several thousands pics (and dropping it a couple times), I've been fortunate to not have any problems.