I have been using a Canon G5 for the last year. I wanted higher resolution (althought the Canon is excellent for 8"x10" images). I have read C-8080 Wide Zoom reviews on the most prominent review sites. I noted the comments about the excellent image quality and the comments about slow writes shooting raw, the power button too close to the shutter release, etcetera...Forget all the negative nonsense. I acknowledge that I am only one user in thousands of my new C-8080, but this camera is wonderful. The image quality is stunning. I took the time to read the online manual (I don't care if it wasn't printed all nice and tidy). I studied the settings, got used to the features. It took a few days of practice.

I find myself truly motivated to plan outings to practice the art of photography. If my images aren't quite what I am expecting, I can use the incredible C-8080 feature array to make the necessary adjustments. I use a tripod when necessary. I use a polarizing filter when necessary. I am waiting to receive my FL36 Olympus flash for additional lighting when needed.

If you are more serious about image quality and control than a particular button being "here" instead of "there", you should give this camera serious consideration. Buy it. Use it. Enjoy the art of photography. I'm leaving now to take my C-8080 Wide Zoom and create some new works of personal expression. Good luck to you in your own photographic experience!

This camera takes excellent, clear, vivid, high resolution images. A myriad of different customizable variables. Super bright lense system. EXCELLENT battery life (more than 400+ photos w/ LCD screen ON and flash OFF). The startup time for the camera is very quick, among the fastest I've seen. Would definitely recommend over the other 8MP cameras. Owned the 8080 for about two months now.

I'm not getting it.

I have no problem with this camera defaulting to the xd card when you turn it on. It stays wherever it was when I shut it off.

I'm having no problem with the power switch. It's on the top, the shutter is on the front. Since I'm still trying to learn how to walk and chew gum at the same time, I don't understand the problem many seem to be having.

Swivel LCD? It's cute but the only use I found for it is taking a pic of myself in a mirror. (Not a pretty sight!) :)

Low light problems? I have no complaints. Contrary to popular belief, *most* indoor shots with a digital camera *don't* need flash. In fact, more often than not, flash will ruin it. The "film" is free. Try it both ways. :) Experience will let you know when you need it and when you don't. Don't just pop up the flash simply because you are indoors. I remember a few years back reading a lot of complaints about my old nikon coolpix 800 having low lite problems but I never did. No problem with the c8080 either. And if all else fails... that's what they make Photoshop for! (And I hardly ever need it with this camera)

Auto focus problems? Don't use it if it doesn't work for you. (Yes, it does have manual focus)

Remote shutter release plugs in? I must be missing something again. I got a cordless one with the camera.

The only con I have is that the manual has to be printed out, but what doesn't anymore? Never had a digital that came with a book.

Ok, two cons. Yes, I know it's a heavy piece of equipment but still I would have liked a wrist strap.

I learned from past experiences with digitals... even before you take your first shot, print the manual and read it.

If you go by the old adage... when all else fails, read the manual... you do this camera and yourself a disservice. And reading it on your computer doesn't really cut it. You need to print it out or you're going to miss a lot.

Ok, this isn't one of my usual hands-on reviews. I ain't got the kind of money to buy all these cameras and test them. But I wanted to give potential buyers some help...

Should you consider an SLR-type EVF (electronic viewfinder) digital camera or an interchangeable-lens digital SLR for serious photography? I faced this question and agonized over it for months. I wish I had come across this brief and very helpful article by Popular Photography Magazine (I'm not affiliated with them in any way):

[...]

The article compares five current-model EVF cameras: Canon PowerShot Pro 1, Konica-Minolta Dimage A2, Nikon Coolpix 8700, Olympus Camedia C-8080, and Sony Cybershot DSC-F828. It's a very easy read, and at the end the writers give you a helpful checklist for the EVF vs. d-SLR decision.

As for myself, I'm going with a d-SLR since I want 1) high-quality lens, 2) lens choices, 3) little to no shutter lag, and 4) accessory choices. Good luck!

As someone who has jsut begun to get beyond the basics in photography, this camera has allowed me to really grow. This is a terrific tool and I have been extremely pleased with my pictures:

www.pbase.com/djsmack

Yes, it is slow in low light to focus. Yes it is a bit bulky (but feels good in the hand to hold) but that lens takes terrific pictures.

I have had the camera for about 6 months now and love taking it out more every day. Lots of flexibility and features to keep me busy.

I bought my C-8080 last summer, and I was immediately impressed with the image quality as I walked up and down the beach for hours testing the camera's features, not to mention the capacity of my Xd 512mb card. I have been abroad all year in France and this camera was the first item I packed. It has been able to withstand the Parisien winter downpours and still take some exquisite pictures. My shutterfly account has never been so full! The color tones of the camera's image sensor are increddible, and its feature set is limitless. The learning curve for the c-8080 is steeper than other cameras in its class, which is why I would call this camera a pro-enthusiast device. When you master the settings and buttons, the images improve that much more. One thing I have to comment on is the battery life...I have gone on trips for two weeks and did not bring the charger. It was only on the last day in Nice that the battery light started blinking, and I had gotten at least 35 pics in each day. The camera has survived my backpack, which is not the most forgiving place considering my traveling addiction, and has yet to have a scratch. Olympus has provided me with a great way to capture all my photographic desires in one package.

As other reviewers have already talked about this camera, I want to give my comparisons.

Olympus C8080- The best so far. 8MP, picture gives you complete details.
Olympus E10-A best 4MP SLR digital camera.
Olympus E20-5MP, but very slow.
Olympus C5060-Very good, slow start.
Olympus C5050-Great camera and slow, not so good for big prints.
Olympus C700 - Good zoom, very good color, bad contrast.
Olympus C3020-The best at 3MP, very good for small photo prints
Olympus C4040-The best at 4MP cameras, but had some issues with skin colors
Olympus C50-Horrible focus and not happy with
Olympus D510-Good camera for web photos, very poor color though.
Olympus D360L-Good for web photos, no optical zoom.

Nikon 990 & 995-The best 3MP camera but odd shapes.
Nikon 3200- except the size of the camera, very disappointed

Canon IS S1 - At 3MP and 10x optical zoom, this camera rocks.
Canon S400 & S410-Good cameras, but you can not get the details of the subject.

Panasonic DMC-FZ10K - Great optical zoom, but very poor image.

Hope someone using these cameras find my review helpful.

This will be short and sweet. I just moved up to the C-8080 from the C-5050 (which I loved for several years now). I am glad I did. This is a (realitively) simple camera, two media types, and very easy to use. The results have been great so far (4 days of joy) shooting plants, birds in the yard, the neighbors kids, and I can't wait for vacation this summer where I think it will shine shooting vistas in Arizona.
I am one happy camper that I bought this camera.
I might add that I bought an extra battery so I can keep one charged at all times. I'm still on my first charge.....
I highly recommend this camera...

I bought a brand new, USA warrenty Olympus C-8080 camera a few weeks ago from Buydig.com--for $472.00, about half what this camera cost when it first came out last year. Had considered an Olympus Evolt, but I went for the convenience of an all-in-one-piece high-end amateur camera which has been receiving very good reviews and seems considered the best of the 8-megapixel non-SLR cameras available. I'm an illustrator and large-format photographer--and a stickler for image quality. The C-8080 produces beautiful images with sharp resolution and even illumination from corner to corner. The lens and image quality are simply superb.

This is my second digital camera, the first being a Panasonic FZ10. Both these cameras have EVF's (electronic view finders) instead of optical view finders. EVF's are very useful--the screen actually gives some visual indication of an exposure before you take the picture. The FZ10's EVF is especially accurate in this regard. The C-8080's EVF is less so--but it is only a matter of experience decifering the image that appears in the EVF before making the exposure.

The C-8080 has far more functions than I am likely going to explore using. Since I am mostly shooting landscapes , all I really want is confidence in the exposure and focusing functions of the camera--and after a few days of experimenting and a 2 day trip in Yellowstone shooting scenics, I'm quite pleased with how the C-8080 handles.

I especially like the AEL (auto exposure level) button on the front of the camera. It allows you to preset the exposure before focusing on the image--and generally, if a scene has both dark and very bright components, you will not get a good exposure if you just point and shoot. I found it necessary to point the camera at the brighter/brightest elements of a scene (pointing it well up into the sky with clouds, for example), then set the AEL, then return to the scene to be photographed and make the exposure. The C-8080's EVF does not give you an accurate visual indication of the exposure--if the scene in the EVF looks good, likely it will be a little or more overexposed. If the scene in the EVF looks disturbingly dark, then it is about right. When you have to choose between what looks good in the EVF and what the AEL button gives you, trust what the AEL button gives you--even if the view is very dark. Having shot 4x5 and 5x7 film in the field with a lightmeter and faith, the C-8080 exposures are a breeze.

One disappointment with the C-8080--the manual focus functions. Various user reviews dating back to last year mention problems with the manual focus--and it seems to be a design flaw. Not only is manual focus a time-consuming multi-step effort, but it doesn't work. Photo results using manual focus at infinity are noticably inferior to the same scene in auto focus. Hard to believe Olympus let this camera out of the lab with such a crummy manual focus ability. I hope Olympus is reading this--they ought to design an easy, fast, one-step, "get-me-there-now!" manual infinity lock. In some low-light conditions, the auto focus has a hard time locking onto infinity--and you have to scout around in all directions to find anything far off that the cameras will settle on. Using manual focus instead is out of the queation. I should note, that in the two days in the field in Yellowstone, I did not have any problems with auto focus--it worked fast and reliably.

The above said, the C-8080 is a great digital camera. Prefered settings can be programmed and returned to quickly by turning the dial to 'My Mode", which is very handy. Very good battery life. Very good low compression JPG's. TIFF and RAW if you want them. Image color is very accurate (some call this neutral) and can be adjusted with various settings in many small increments. Also, the memory cards and batteries are compatiable with top-of-the-line Olympus SLR models. Just be sure when erasing memory cards in camera that it is set to the card you intent, since the C-8080 defers to the xd card (if an xd card is in the camera).

Purchased the C-8080 Wide Zoom to replace my Olympus C-3020. Excellent decision at first. Two months of great pictures, except in low light situations (poor focus). Then the bottom dropped out. The camera froze in the middle of the operation - just like my computer often does. Nothing worked - no zoom, no shutter, no on/off switch. Had to reboot by removing and replacing the battery.

Operated normally for 10 shots, then ... iced again. Changed battery - functioned normally for 15 shots, then ... again. Changed to additional battery - three batteries - frozen again. Removed cards, one at a time - no difference. Currently undergoing repair at Hauppauge, NY.

Love the camera - fits my hand well, everything except POWER SWITCH in acceptable position. Looking forward to getting it back. Optics are superb. Movie capability is excellent, with great sound pickup. Should be 4-star+.

Will continue using my old 5-star rated C-3020 until the C-8080 returns. See follow-up review when I get it back. Will also include time duration for repair.

I have the D-490 Zoom and needed to upgrade.Great picture quailty but not enough MP and zoom.After reading reviews and being so satisfied with the Olympus I have I decided to buy the C-8080. I am no professional and needed a camera that would do almost everything automatically. The pictures are exceptional quality. I am still learning but that is why I bought one with so many features. I can grow with this one.

After having had 2 older olympus cameras I decided that I would stick to what I am familiar with and I purchased the C-8080. I am very pleased with the camera.

Most of my picture taking is outdoor scenery and wildlife so that is what most of my review is based on. I rarely take indoor photos so I have no opinion as to the quality of it's indoor pictures.

For outdoor use..
Pros:

Picture quality is very good (Best for daytime use). It has a very quick startup time and the different options it offers are very nice. It allows you to set up the features you use the most and then saves those settings for future use (My Mode)..very handy in a pinch. I have discussed problems with the focus below BUT I wanted to point out that when you do get the camera in focus the pictures turn out fantastic (see butterfly photo in album). I have been using this camera for capturing butterflies and insects on flowers and am very pleased with the results! I have also photographed elk and deer with it and have gotten some awesome pictures. The battery on this camera is also very good. I have yet to purchase a second battery because the one that came with the camera has a long use life. I do plan on purchasing a second battery only because it is just a good idea to have one on hand. The camera is, in my opinion, easy to use and a very good camera for the money.

Cons:

Nothing is without it's flaws and this camera is no exception.
I, like many other reviewers, am not real pleased with the focusing on this camera. If I want a closeup shot of a flower(for instance) then I have to back up a good distance away in order for it to work. The manual focus is not fantastic and you usually have to sit there for several minutes trying to get it to focus and, occasionally you will wind up taking several blurry pictures before you get one that will work. This is NOT good when you are trying to take pictures of moving targets! I have taken several deer pictures where the deer is fuzzy but the tree in front of it is clear as can be. Good thing it's digital and you can remove the unwanted photos! I have also found that in low-light settings the photos are almost not worth having as they are very grainy.

The sinister Minister here. To give you some insight on yet another camera that has inspired me to go forth and take pictures! The C-8080 has been my 2nd Olympus camera,(The e-300 was my first) and will most definitely not be my last.Some of you may have seen my review of the Sony V3 camera which I considered the ultimate point and shoot camera, that was until I got my C-8080. The c-8080 has all the important features of the V3 such as dual memory capability (XD & CF 1&2, Hot shoe, Etc.) But it surpasses in many other areas such as 5X optical zoom as opposed to 4X on the Sony. A swiveling LCD Screen, 8MP instead of 7.2 (yes it makes a damn difference) and finally a much more in depth and concise menu system and exposure control, allowing you tons of other options in how you expose and take your pictures,(Scene presets, shutter speeds, exposure control, focus options, White balance, ISO settings) On almost all counts the 8080 came out the topdog over the V3. Even the battery life is better.It was even as good as the V3 in low light wich really surpised me! Now understand that this is not a pocket camera neither is the V3 for that matter, I mean you could kill a mugger with this sucker and take his picture afterwards! Again not so with the V3, it is a sturdy camera to be true, but the 8080 is made of metal and forever. While on the subject of design-the 8080 is a larger but more comfortable camera to use, it fits sweetly in your hand and not quite as chunky as the V3. Shot to shot I rate them about the same as far as speed, and the Sony I think is a little quicker on start-up but not by a margin that would be outstanding. Okay so we did the tech thing now what about the pictures? Again I have to go with the C-8080. I found the color reproduction a little more on the money and over a wider selection of settings (which the V3 didn't have to begin with) I still love Sony's film clip mode and in camera editing features better than anything else out there however so that one goes to the V3.
This review comes a wee bit late, Olympus has already released thier new models for the 2005 Holiday season and most of those suck in comparison to the 8080 (except the E-500-mines on order!). But even so I would reccomend picking up this camera while you still can. Because in its class there really isn't anything out there that can touch it as far a form, function, and the ability to take amazing photos! Some cameras do outlive upgrades & trends (like the Sony F-828) I think the C-8080 will follow suit.Actually its the new designs that have turned the 8080 into the ultimate point and shoot camera! Most point and shoot cameras are now between 6&8 MP (Fuji has a 9MP!!) have an optical range of 3-5X and are getting faster by the day! (well some are)

The little camera that could? That could still be around in 2 or 3 years because its just one hell of a camera! I still stand by my 5 star rating I gave the V3, but as we speak I've sold mine and kept the 8080 to take its place.By the way theres one thing you should know about digital photography, that no salesman or self-proclaimed pro will likely tell you...you will outgrow your camera! But hey thats a good thing right!? So if YOUR ready to grow look no further! Thanks for reading and Happy shooting!

My background in photography extends back to my high school days in 1976, through selling cameras professionally for 6 years in retail post high school, and then later after college taking wedding photos with a Hasselblad and pro lighting for a few years 'on the side.'

In 2002, I sold all of my film-cameras, and went digital with an Olympus C-3020 to start (a 3.2 mega-pixel camera). In 2004, I upgraded to a C-8080 and bought a 2-gig card and extra battery. In 2005, I purchased an E-300 Olympus, and both are 8 mega-pixel cameras. The battery is exactly the same, so now I have three batteries and two chargers. Staying in the Olympus family made the transition to new menues very easy, and when my wife takes the C-8080 (recently on a trip to China) I have the E-300 to use with additional lenses.

I am very happy with the image quality of the C-8080, and with a 2-gig card, this unit can hold just over 1,000 high quality photograps, making vacation and family photography enjoyable and almost flawless. Many have discussed the advantages and how "great" this camera is. So, I will touch on some of the more sensitive areas. Understand, first, that these are overcome by the other qualities of this camera -- it is really super.

The C-8080 is an SLR (see through the lens), but understand that the image that one sees through the camera is a projected image, like a TV screen. This is on EITHER screen, inside the camera or on the back.

Contrast this with the E-300 and one sees the acutal image just like looking through a real (film) 35mm SLR in the E-300. This is partially why I gave the C-8080 camera 4 stars (I would have rated it at least 4.5 if that rating selection was available).

What that means is that, with either view, the image is using battery power. Still on a two week treck across the US to Ohio and Michigan, I over came that worry with the extra battery, and in two weeks and over 400 images, I still had power to spare when I returned home.

Additionally, looking at the image, one again does not see the actual image, but its reproduced equivalent. In lower light, one cannot pick out, say, a reflection on a subject's shirt button or other small point of reference to use as a manual focusing reference (the screen does not display well in very low light).

One offsetting advantage, though, is that the image display plate on the back of the C-8080 can be 'pulled out' and positioned (adjusted) so the photographer can hold the camera overhead to make shots in crowds of people, or it can be adjusted to view the image at waste level - kudos, Olympus!

The other disadvantage that I find is the focusing in lower light. Where on the E-300 that camera uses a pulsed flash to help in focusing, the C-8080 actually sends out an amber-colored beam to help "illuminate" a lower ligted area, but this is not a strong beam and doesn't help the photographer, other than to give one some illumination to try to see and watch the camera re-focus if at first the unit doesn't succeed. This is the other reason why I gave this a 4-star rating.

Overall, though, I love this camera. It's all I used on several travels now, and each time I've been pleased with the results. Even with its fixed (non-interchangeble) lens, the variety of focal lengths was quite enough in 98% of the photos, and the exposure meter is exceptional. It can be used as easy as a point-and-shoot, and has some really nice advanced features.

A person can take photos "out of the box" when the battery is charged, and in the meantime walk through some of the neat things outlined in the manual to learn the menu system and make advanced modifications.

Last, but not least, the overall Olympus quality in digital cameras has without a doubt impressed me.

I've owned by C-8080 for over a year. Several months ago, I bought a Canon Rebel XT DSLR. The XT gets better resolution, focuses and stores faster, has a broader dynamic range, and slays the C8080 in medium and low light hands down. Add an image stabilized lens to the XT, and performance-wise, the C8080 gets left in dust accross the board.

But I still often I pack the C-8080 and leave the XT at home. In good light or when using flash, the C8080 takes great pictures, with very respectable resolution and clean, bright, vibrant Olympus style colors. It boasts a lens with one of the widest front diameters of all the digicams on the market (and thus captures more light), and the quality of the glass is superb. Raw mode storage is slow, but the results can be wonderful---you can sqeeze one more level of resolution and color depth from raw. Comparable pictures shot with my XT would blow up to bigger size, but the C-8080 is more than adequate for the typical 8-1/2X11's that I print at home. The C-8080 can produce fine prints in many cases at 13X19.

While not "compact," the C-8080 is a tidy, convenient, sturdy tool that is suitable for the serious photgrapher. The 28-140 mm is too short for field sports, but it's great for indoor people shots, landscapes, and the majority of common shooting situations. Autofocus is generally "fast enough." The dual memory card format offers a convenient way to organize pictures and immense storage capacity. I like the tilting viewfinder. The control layout is a bit complex, but you learn to maneuver it. It offers more precise control over shutter speed, aperture, and ISO than most digital cameras; ISO choices are, for example, 50, 64, 80, 100, 125, etc., instead of the more standard 50, 100, 200, etc. This means, among other things, when you haven't got enough light for ISO 100, you might not need to drop to ISO 200 where you will pick up more noise; instead, maybe you can capture the shot at ISO 160. Noise is typically not an issue until you are pushing ISO 200.

I wish the C-8080 offered image stabilization. I wish it did better in dim light. I wish it zoomed out to 200mm or better. But it is an easy camera to pack and operate, and in many, many situations, it does more than well enough. This is useful, quality gear that was built to last a long time.

Before this camera I owned the Oly C3030 and C5050. All great cameras but they pale when compared to this one. Even as I write this today, I would still recommend getting this camera used at a great price rather than spend more on a newer model. It has every control a camera enthusiast could hope to have short of owning a higher end SLR, with the convenience of having everything in one fairly compact package. After a little bit of a learning curve, this camera becomes intuitive and is a joy to use.

Who is this NOT for?

Someone who needs to shoot a lot of images in rapid succession at high ISOs, and who want interchangeable lenses.

This camera has a rather slow buffer and file write time, especially if you are shooting RAW. Also it only goes up to ISO 400 and noise is quite noticable at that ISO.

Who IS it for?

Everyone else. If you shooting style is more sedate and you shoot at lower ISOs, you will be reward with stunning imagry and very little noise, if any. You can exercise the utmost control over every aspect of your photography, or just set it on auto and let it do it's thing. You will love the results and the wide angle 5x zoom is like have 3 lenses in one.

Don't want to take my word for it?
Feel free to visit my website (kramerkreations dot com) and peruse my photo gallery. I think you'll agree that is one amazing camera at a great price. If I had to do it all over again, I would get another C-8080WZ without hesitation.

Happy shooting!

i think it makes things more complicated than they really need to be but it takes great pictures. also....after purchasing the product, i learned that the camera has to have a proprietary zoom lens that is way more expensive than say, canon. but other than that i am very happy.

I have been reviewing the reviewers of this product.
I have owned this camera since it came out.
I have the lens adapter and lenses that are available for this product and have used them.
The pros: The camera has minimal turnaround time from shot to shot.
It works the best in bright light whether indoor or out.
It makes great portraiture shots in good lighting.
It has great battery life.
You can make a video with sound in video mode and the video is
as long as your storage card will allow.
You can play back video with sound on your camera.
It takes two different brand of cards.
This is a wide angle camera. I also purchased a wide angle
lens specifically for this camera that takes approximately a
100 degree shot.....maybe more.
The cons: Does not do well in low light.
Automatic view finder centers on wrong object.
Searches when focusing sometimes (low light).
I bought the telephoto lens specifically for this camera and
have found that you cannot zoom with this attachment. Also if
you tend to get a tunneling effect if you do not have the fixed
zoom lens positioned right. I used this tunneling effect in my
photos with good results.
Does not take good action shots.