Testing / Performance

The Olympus C-5500 has 5.3 megapixels on its 1/1.8-inch CCD with 5.1 effective megapixels. The C-5500 uses a TruePic Turbo Image Processor, an Olympus technology designed to provide "smoother, more accurate images, even at low resolutions." While anticipation is high, this quote stems from the Olympus press release and actual quality of the C-5500’s image processor is still unknown

Physical Tour

Front

The front of the Olympus C-5500 has a two-tone brushed silver casing. The right hand grip is dark silver with a dark gray vertical stripe of rubber on it that acts as a finger grip. On the right side of the camera is the attractive lens, composed of polished silver lines. It protrudes slightly when turned off, but when powered on, two more segments extend out of the camera. Around the circular lens are the words, "Olympus Zoom Lens AF Zoom 7.9-39.5mm 1:2.8-4.8." The lens has a cover that snaps shut electronically when the camera is turned off. Above the lens to the right is the built-in microphone, which is a triangular series of 10 holes. Above the microphone is the brand name: "Olympus." Above the lens and a bit to the left is a flash and self-timer indicator LED light. To the right of the hand grip and the left of the indicator light is the small, square optical viewfinder. Below the viewfinder are the words, "Camedia Digital Camera C-5500 Zoom." Below those words, all the way at the bottom, it says "5.1 Megapixels." When the flash is manually opened, it protrudes from the top right of the camera, above the microphone and lens.

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Back**

The Olympus C-5500 has a back control panel with a pleasing look, which is difficult to achieve with so many control buttons. On the left is the 2-inch LCD screen with the word "Olympus" at the bottom. To the right of the LCD are four rectangular buttons, laid out vertically. At the top is the self-labeled Quick View button. The second button is labeled "AEL." The third button down has the common Flash symbol on it to select flash modes. The bottom button has a picture of a flower on it, the common symbol for Macro mode. This button also doubles as a Delete button in Playback, indicated by the trashcan icon beside it. To the right of these buttons is the four-way navigational dial with an OK / Menu button in the center. Unlike most dials, this one has four separate buttons, one for each direction. This is a nice feature; sometimes the dials get the directions confused if the user's finger accidentally hits middle ground. With these buttons, there shouldn't be much confusion.

At the far right is a tab to open the battery door. Above the LCD on the top left of the camera is the Flash button; this Flash button manually opens and engages the flash on top of the camera. To the right of the Flash button is the optical viewfinder with two LED indicator lights, vertically oriented. All the way to the right on the back is the Mode Dial, which has the following options: Auto, Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, Manual, Scene, Movie, Playback and a "My" Mode customized option.

Left Side

There is a speaker on the left side of the Olympus C-5500. Below the speaker is a rubber port door that houses USB and AV out jacks. At the bottom left is another rubber port cover with a DC IN jack below. There are tabs on the rubber doors, so users won't have to pry them open with sharpened fingernails.

Right Side

There is a plastic door on this side, with a hinge on the right. Beneath the door is a slot for an xD-Picture card.

Top

On the top of the right-hand grip is the shutter release button with zoom toggle controls surrounding it. The power button is located in the center of the top of the C-5500; it is clearly labeled "Power," but recessed slightly. To the left of this button are the words, "5x Optical Zoom." All the way to the left of the top is the pop-up flash, which can only be opened manually.

Components

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Viewfinder**

There is a real image optical viewfinder on the Olympus C-5500. It is incredibly small and somewhat inaccurate, as it is above and to the side of the lens - so it doesn't see the same picture. The LCD is the better viewfinder on this camera for sure, but it's nice to have the option when the battery is running low.

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LCD Screen**

The 2-inch TFT LCD screen contains about 110,000 pixels. The LCD screen takes up a large portion of the back of the camera and seems to be adequately sized.

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Flash**

The built-in flash must be manually opened to be used. It is easy to open, but tricky to close. The joints seem a bit rickety; it feels fragile. The flash can reach from 7.2 to 12.5 feet. The C-5500 has only three flash settings: Auto, Red-eye Reduction, and Fill-in. These are easy to find with the Flash button at the side of the LCD screen. Overall, the flash on this camera is sufficient. But if it breaks, it's no good to anyone. So be careful.

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Zoom Lens**

The Olympus 5x optical zoom lens measures 7.9-39.5mm, which is equivalent to 38-190mm in 35mm photography. The lens protrudes slightly from the camera, but sticks out even more when turned on. Two more segments extend from the camera body. The lens has apertures from f/2.8-f/4.8. It also has 4x digital zoom, however, the 5x optical zoom should be sufficient for most users.

Design and Layout

**Model Design / Appearance
**The body of the Olympus C-5500 is a brushed silver color with polished silver highlights around the lens and some buttons. The right-hand grip is a darker silver tone with a dark gray rubber grip for the fingers. The rubber is a great functional design feature. The C-5500 is an attractive digital camera with a logical and ergonomic design. The lens looks especially sexy with its polished highlights and clean edges.

Size / Portability

The C-5500 is not a slim card-sized camera, but it is still compact. It is too bulky for a pocket, but could easily be transported without a camera bag. The C-5500 measures 4.9 x 3.3 x 3.9 inches. The camera weighs 8.6 ounces without the battery and memory card. The lens protrudes from the camera when turned on, adding more bulk. The weight seems evenly distributed though, so it doesn't tip forward or backward terribly.

Handling Ability

The camera is easy to navigate and comfortable to hold and control. The right-hand grip makes handling feel natural. The rubber on the right-hand grip provides a nice padded feel and good gripping texture for the fingers. The buttons on the back of the C-5500 are clearly laid out, enabling quick adjustments to shooting settings without straining the fingers.

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Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size**

As with most digital cameras, the Olympus C-5500's control buttons are located on the back of the camera. They are adequate in size and placement. The layout looks and feels logical. All of the buttons are clearly labeled with either words or commonly known icons like the Flash symbol. The Mode Dial is located near the top of the camera, so quick mode changes can be made without seriously interrupting shooting.

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Menu**

The menus are at least preliminarily designed in accordance with previous Olympus models. The initial menu screen enters into a four-way selection with Image Size/Quality, Self Timer, Monitor, and Setup options available, directing the user into the various subsets of control. All components of the C-5500 Zoom menu screen are superimposed over the live feed image, enabling the user to perceive possible alterations to the image prior to selection. **

****Ease of Use**

The Olympus C-5500 is comfortable to hold and easy to operate. The buttons are logically placed and properly sized for easy access. The casing is ergonomically designed with recessed areas and protruding buttons to enhance comfort while shooting for long periods of time. This camera is still considered a point-and-shoot, but has far more options than most digital cameras in this price range. **

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Modes

****Auto Mode**

The Auto mode is clearly labeled and easily accessible on the main mode dial, located on the back of the C-5500. In full automatic mode, the camera will meter, focus and expose the image without any necessary user control. This is designed to accommodate true point-and-shooters and allow for instantaneous capture, rendering all necessary adjustments to shooting settings automatically. **

****Drive / Burst Mode**

The C-5500 contains a rapid burst mode that will capture images at 2.7 frames per second. This is incredibly fast for a camera under $400. **

****Playback Mode**

Images can be played back in single frames or thumbnails of 4, 9, or 16. Images can be enlarged up to 5x. Slide shows can be played with fades and other inserted transitions. Histograms can be viewed and rotations made; what more could one want? Movie clips can be played back with audio at normal speed - or fast-forwarded or frame-by-frame. **

****Movie Mode**

The Olympus C-5500 has a movie mode that has image stabilization, which is unheard of in this price range. It shoots at 320 x 240 resolution, which is not the greatest, but no digital still camera will parallel camcorder-quality movies. The clips can be recorded with or without sound. **

****Custom Image Presets**

There are 11 scene settings, found in the "Scene" section of the C-5500’s main Mode Dial. Within the Scene setting are: Portrait, Sports, Landscape, Night Scene, Picture for Keepsake, Beach & Snow, Fireworks, Sunset, Candle, Available Light and Portrait settings. **

**Along with the host of image presets offered on the C-5500, the user can select from a series of modes selection options, including: Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual and Movie modes. **

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Control Options

****Manual Control Options**

The C-5500 Zoom includes Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes as well as a full Manual mode on the camera’s main Mode Dial. This allows the user to set and control various aspects of the exposure, using aperture, shutter speed, and ISO ratings to create the desired image. **

****Auto Focus**

The auto focus uses a contrast detection system and can focus as close as 1.9 feet in normal shooting mode. In the Macro mode, the C-5500 can focus from 3 inches to 3.9 feet. In Super Macro mode, the camera can focus from .07 to 3 inches. This camera has an extremely impressive Macro mode; .07 inches is nearly unheard of in this price range. **

****Metering**

The Olympus C-5500 has both Digital ESP and Spot metering modes. **

****Exposure**

Like many digital cameras, the exposure compensation settings lie within the standard -2 to +2 range in 1/3 steps. **

****White Balance**

The Olympus C-5500 uses a through-the-lens multi-pattern system to determine its automatic white balance. If that is not sufficient, users can access the following modes: Daylight, Overcast, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, and a White Balance Compensation mode. **

****Shutter Speed**

The C-5500 can shoot as fast as 1/1500th of a second and as slow as 15 seconds. This is a decent range for the versatile shooter and is manually accessible in Shutter Priority and Full Manual modes. **

****Aperture**

The Olympus zoom lens has an aperture range from f/2.8 to f/4.8 in 1/3 steps. While this appears to be a somewhat restricted range, users can control the diaphragm in both Manual and Aperture Priority modes. **

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Image Parameters

****Picture Quality / Size Options**

There are plenty of resolution options to choose from: 2592 x 1944, 2592 x 1728, 2288 x 1712, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, and 640 x 480. **

****Picture Effects Mode**

The sharpness, contrast and color phase can all be adjusted in the camera before and after shooting. Images can also be tinted to either Black & White or Sepia tones when desired. **

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Connectivity / Extras

****Connectivity**
Software

Olympus Master Software is packaged with the C-5500. **

***Jacks, Ports, Plugs
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There are several port doors where users can find various jacks. Under one, the USB and AV out jacks can be found. Under another, the DC IN jack is hidden. A plastic door covers the slot to the xD-Picture card. On the bottom of the camera is a separate plastic door for the 4 AA batteries. They all seem to be unusually scattered about, but when would all these doors and jacks be used at once anyway? **

***Direct Print Options
The Olympus C-5500 is PictBridge enabled and compatible with all PictBridge compliant printers. *

****Memory**

The Olympus C-5500 has a slot for an xD-Picture card. This camera can accept cards up to 1GB. **

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Connectivity/Extras

****Other Features**

There is a self-timer that delays the camera by 12 or 3 seconds before it captures the shot. There is also a Panorama mode that stitches up to 10 frames automatically with the Olympus Master Software. **

**There is also a Pixel Mapping function accessible within the camera’s menu options. This feature scans the sensor to detect the hot or inactive pixels across the CCD. Rather then bringing the camera in for repair, the C-5500 user can utilize the Pixel Mapping option to rearrange the pixels and maximize the sensor’s sensitivity. **

****Value**

This camera is packed with many more options than most cameras priced around $349.99. With lots of manual and automatic settings, the Olympus C-5500 will satisfy beginning and intermediate users for awhile. **

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Conclusions

****Conclusion**

The Olympus C-5500 has a full automatic mode, both Shutter and Aperture Priority modes, 11 scene modes, and a manual mode. These provide a versatile range of shooting options for both beginning and intermediate users. Beginners who purchase this camera can expect to keep it for several years. It is easy to navigate and operate, which is a feature that attracts all levels of users. The 2.7 frame-per-second burst mode and 5x optical zoom make this camera a perfect candidate to shoot soccer games or action-packed sporting events. The image stabilization function active on the Movie Mode is a rare feature that only enhances the value of the C-5500. The 5.1-megapixel Olympus C-5500 seems to be an impressive camera and will be enhance the Camedia series when it hits shelves in February 2005. **

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Specs

****Specs Table**
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