Olympus C-5060 VS. Canon G5

[Jaxs]

I have owned a Canon EOS for 10 years now, and have always been happy. It is time for me to purchase a digital camera so that I can throw in a big purse and go shoot w/o lugging a lot of accessories around, etc. I do want some bells and whistles, and seems as though the Olympus C-5060 & Canon G5 fit my needs pretty well.

I shoot a lot of landscape, animals, outdoorsy shots, some portraits, as well as abstract photos-including close-ups, macro, etc. I want clear photos for enlarging, and crisp color.

Any feedback, opinnions, or constructive criticism on these cameras is welcome.

[cmr164]

I have owned a Canon EOS for 10 years now, and have always been happy. It is time for me to purchase a digital camera so that I can throw in a big purse and go shoot w/o lugging a lot of accessories around, etc. I do want some bells and whistles, and seems as though the Olympus C-5060 & Canon G5 fit my needs pretty well.

I shoot a lot of landscape, animals, outdoorsy shots, some portraits, as well as abstract photos-including close-ups, macro, etc. I want clear photos for enlarging, and crisp color.

Any feedback, opinnions, or constructive criticism on these cameras is welcome.

Go hold them in your hands.

[Jaxs]

I actually did today, and both are great. I guess i lack in my decision making process, and need that extra help to finalize my decision, seeing as though this is my first digital camera.

I like the accessories that go along with both, as well as the manual options. I am wondering if either have the ability to just point and shoot - and not fumble with the menus if need be.

Thanks


Go hold them in your hands.

[pathfinder]

I have owned a Canon EOS for 10 years now, and have always been happy. It is time for me to purchase a digital camera so that I can throw in a big purse and go shoot w/o lugging a lot of accessories around, etc. I do want some bells and whistles, and seems as though the Olympus C-5060 & Canon G5 fit my needs pretty well.

I shoot a lot of landscape, animals, outdoorsy shots, some portraits, as well as abstract photos-including close-ups, macro, etc. I want clear photos for enlarging, and crisp color.

Any feedback, opinnions, or constructive criticism on these cameras is welcome.You say you have owned an EOS for years - I will assume then that you have at least one or two Canon EF lenses as well? And are used to Canon EOS image quality. If this is true - I don't think you will really be happy with a G5 - Don't Panic - I own and shoot a G5 - but it will not even come close in image quality to what a 300D Digital Rebel will do. Nor will the Olympus I suspect.

The point and shoot camera's sensor sizes are about 1/2 the area of the APS sized sensor in the EOS 300D, EOS 10D or even the Nikon D100. The larger sensor size means that the images have MUCH less noise - At ISO 400 or higher the 300D will absolutely destroy the G5s image quality. If you only want to shoot 3x5s at ISO 100 without cropping you may be happy with the G5.
I think the 300D can be had for around $800 to $1000 - more than the G5, but you will still be happy with the 300D for the next few years - Maybe you should offer to buy my G5.................hmmmmm..............

If enlargements - 8x10 or bigger - are your goal - the 300D images will bitch slap those from the G5 - even if the G5 images are shot as RAW files which the G5 supports. I do not know if the Oly can shoot RAW or not.

How do I know this - I shoot and use a 10D and G5. I bought my wife a 300D to replace her nikon CooPix 5000. No contest - and my wife agrees with me too. Keep your Canon glass and grow your system with the digital SLR - There still are no point and shoots that can compare to the digtial SLRs. Plus the EOS digtal SLRs shoot and focus like you expect them too - not with the delay and focus and then shoot you get with the point and shoot cameras. The ONLY advantage of the G5 is that it will fit in a large shirt pocket and it is a little cheaper.

This was shot with a G5
http://pathfinder.smugmug.com/photos/1145255-M.jpg

This was shot with a 10D - same sensor as the 300D --http://pathfinder.smugmug.com/photos/2435989-L.jpg

If you look into the Wide Angle Thread - you will find a thread by Fish titled "Pathfinder is a Bad Influence" Fish is absolutely correct!http://www.dgrin.com/images/icons/Laughing.gif

[gus]

G'day jaxs...I have had a 5050 for about 6 months ( similar camera to the 5060 ) I am still very happy with it.

I did nothing but reasearch both the G5 & the Olympus for months prior to purchase...at the end of the day only 2 things swayed me to the olympus...AA batteries & a very fast 1.8 lens. The 5060 has neither of these features so i would peg these 2 cameras as a photo finish. It is a very hard choice as they are both excellent..i have played with a G5 & in my opinion i like the Olympus's on board menus better, nice & easy to operate.

Are you aware there is now an Olympus 8080 ?
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Olympus/oly_c8080wz.asp

Either way you will end up with a good camera...dont be talked into an SLR. They are a different teapot of eels...i would dearly love one & have been tempted but it would defeat the purpose for me. I carry the 5050 in my backpack as i run to & from work (except this morning which was possibly a tragedy equal to or greater than that day long ago when russell perkins split his head open on the slide at school & i was at the dentist, veronica james said you could see his brain wiggle everytime he had a thought...just one of those sunrises that looked like the japanese flag & I MISSED IT !!)

These 2 cameras are just a good size in between from a pocket camera to an SLR & the photo quality rests about in the middle as well...a good compromise. Plus you dont get any lens envy.

[wxwax]

Good summary, humanganoid.

[gus]

There was something else i forgot to mention that made me choose the Olympus...it can take smart media...compact flash...xD...& micro drive , whereas the G5 only takes type i, ii compact flash.

[fish]

the G5 only takes type i, ii compact flash.
Why is this necessarily a bad thing? Are the other media types either cheaper or more reliable?

[gus]

Why is this necessarily a bad thing? Are the other media types either cheaper or more reliable?
Not at all...i have always found CF the cheapest & easiest to fiddle with if you have big hands/fingers...

buuuttt.........why do i ride a bike that isnt as quick or nimble as an R1...cant roost & slide like a WR 450 but will kick both of their arses if they ever stray into each others paddock. Versatility my good man...versatility.

[cmr164]

I actually did today, and both are great. I guess i lack in my decision making process, and need that extra help to finalize my decision, seeing as though this is my first digital camera.

I like the accessories that go along with both, as well as the manual options. I am wondering if either have the ability to just point and shoot - and not fumble with the menus if need be.

Thanks
Both will have equiv photo quality and features. Both will be easy to use. If you have been happy with Canon for 10 years and all else is equal then pay them for that happiness with some brand loyalty. http://www.dgrin.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

I have a humongous dslr and a bunch of lenses and an itty-bitty little DimageX for putting in my pocket when riding or wearing a Tux and it is not appropriate to be all laden down with camera gear. My choice then was based on an unbeatable price, tiny size, and the right feature set. Otherwise I would have gone for a Canon of some sort.

[pathfinder]

G'day jaxs...I have had a 5050 for about 6 months ( similar camera to the 5060 ) I am still very happy with it.

I did nothing but reasearch both the G5 & the Olympus for months prior to purchase...at the end of the day only 2 things swayed me to the olympus...AA batteries & a very fast 1.8 lens. The 5060 has neither of these features so i would peg these 2 cameras as a photo finish. It is a very hard choice as they are both excellent..i have played with a G5 & in my opinion i like the Olympus's on board menus better, nice & easy to operate.

Are you aware there is now an Olympus 8080 ?
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Olympus/oly_c8080wz.asp

Either way you will end up with a good camera...dont be talked into an SLR. They are a different teapot of eels...i would dearly love one & have been tempted but it would defeat the purpose for me. I carry the 5050 in my backpack as i run to & from work (except this morning which was possibly a tragedy equal to or greater than that day long ago when russell perkins split his head open on the slide at school & i was at the dentist, veronica james said you could see his brain wiggle everytime he had a thought...just one of those sunrises that looked like the japanese flag & I MISSED IT !!)

These 2 cameras are just a good size in between from a pocket camera to an SLR & the photo quality rests about in the middle as well...a good compromise. Plus you dont get any lens envy.
Hugo -
I did not mean to step on your toes or offend - I use the G5 in the tank bag on my 650s - small, easy to carry, less stuff to mess with, and it takes nice pictures. But like you said - the image quality is not up to the DSLRs - but sometimes that does not matter. The new 8 mpxl cameras may be getting closer to the DSLRs but their sensors are STILL 2/3rds not APS sized so they still will suffer from more noise than the 300D.

But Jaxs is a SLR user in film and already may have Canon glass - thus the answer I gave him. But like you - I carry a G5 in my backpack everyday.

Canon has announced their new 8mpxl Powershot Pro1 point and shoot also - might be worth looking at too as well as the Oly 8080

Here is the link for the Powershot Pro1 http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_pro1.asp

I am sure Michael Reichman will review it in the next few weeks - he has already reviewed the 8mpxl Sony and the Oly C8080 - He was not a fan of the Olympus C8080 ( And Hugmongus I have nothing against Olympus - I used OM-1s, OM-2s, and OM-4s for years http://www.dgrin.com/images/icons/lickout.gif)

Hope fall is coming for you and will give you some cooler weather.....

[Jaxs]

THank you for all info, this is very helpful. I too would like to throw a compact advanced camera in my backpack and go, minus a lot of the accessories, and less on bulk. The C-5060 does have a great looking menu that seems easy to thumb thru. I like that option...but am curious, if something catches my eye quickly, or I want to just pop the camera out and snap a quick photo, do I have to mess with a lot on the menu, or is it just as easy to click on and shoot??

Please excuse me for asking such 'dumb' questions, but this will be my first digital camera, and want it to fit all of my needs exactly...

thanks in advance :thumb


Hugo -
I did not mean to step on your toes or offend - I use the G5 in the tank bag on my 650s - small, easy to carry, less stuff to mess with, and it takes nice pictures. But like you said - the image quality is not up to the DSLRs - but sometimes that does not matter. The new 8 mpxl cameras may be getting closer to the DSLRs but their sensors are STILL 2/3rds not APS sized so they still will suffer from more noise than the 300D.

But Jaxs is a SLR user in film and already may have Canon glass - thus the answer I gave him. But like you - I carry a G5 in my backpack everyday.

Canon has announced their new 8mpxl Powershot Pro1 point and shoot also - might be worth looking at too as well as the Oly 8080

Here is the link for the Powershot Pro1 http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_pro1.asp

I am sure Michael Reichman will review it in the next few weeks - he has already reviewed the 8mpxl Sony and the Oly C8080 - He was not a fan of the Olympus C8080 ( And Hugmongus I have nothing against Olympus - I used OM-1s, OM-2s, and OM-4s for years http://www.dgrin.com/images/icons/lickout.gif)

Hope fall is coming for you and will give you some cooler weather.....

[gus]

PF...what i was saying is the either the 5060 or the G5 is suited to throwing in a bag without all the other stuff.

With the olympus you can simply (like most cameras) turn it on & put it on 'P' & the camera will choose a good setting. Also you can store 8 personal settings at what ever you want for a manual setting...just flick the dial to personal & hit what number you want. The other thing i have been doing of late is to use the 'bracket' mode whereas the camera takes 5 different shots at the same time all at different settings so you get to choose if an over or under exposed shot is sometimes better than 'normal'

As for immediate speed i just leave the camera in a type of sleep mode, uses very little battery & hit a button to wake it up for a quick shot. In this mode the camera is also locked. This gets around the startup time.

I think the new 8 Mp's are getting too big for me...a camera has to fit in a bike jacket pocket or else i wouldnt use it.

[Jaxs]

Wow, that sounds extrememly impressive...I have been leaning more towards that C-5060, seems to have a lot of really great settings, it has a really nice menu-and easy to flow thru.

Highly recomended on your side? over the G5?

thanks


PF...what i was saying is the either the 5060 or the G5 is suited to throwing in a bag without all the other stuff.

With the olympus you can simply (like most cameras) turn it on & put it on 'P' & the camera will choose a good setting. Also you can store 8 personal settings at what ever you want for a manual setting...just flick the dial to personal & hit what number you want. The other thing i have been doing of late is to use the 'bracket' mode whereas the camera takes 5 different shots at the same time all at different settings so you get to choose if an over or under exposed shot is sometimes better than 'normal'

As for immediate speed i just leave the camera in a type of sleep mode, uses very little battery & hit a button to wake it up for a quick shot. In this mode the camera is also locked. This gets around the startup time.

I think the new 8 Mp's are getting too big for me...a camera has to fit in a bike jacket pocket or else i wouldnt use it.

[gus]

Hope fall is coming for you and will give you some cooler weather.....
Autumn started here last week....funny thing was that the temp dropped that night...down to 68f...i remember getting up in the middle of the night looking for a blanket, we put them away for most of the year. I even started thinking that i should take a jacket to work to run in in case it got much colder :rofl Crazy ideas.

Its our cyclone season now (hurricane)We have a massive anti-cyclone closing in on us right now. I call them that as the winds are strongest on the outside. Its been brewing in the Coral Sea for a week...still may form into a normal cyclone. We are expecting winds of 110 mph & massive tides this morning but its 5.20 am & the place is black outside & dead calm...quite spooky.

[gus]

Wow, that sounds extrememly impressive...I have been leaning more towards that C-5060, seems to have a lot of really great settings, it has a really nice menu-and easy to flow thru.

Highly recomended on your side? over the G5?

thanks
You see i wanted the f1.8 lens & the AA batyerys...this was in the 5050 but it is not in the 5060. So now the 2 cameras would be on a par for me. I am just very happy with the Olympus ...love the menus. I would think its cheaper as well..it is here by maybe $200 0z (170 usd). At this stage i would buy another one if something happened to it.

Good Luck !!

[Jaxs]

Thanks so much, you've been very helpful! :bow



You see i wanted the f1.8 lens & the AA batyerys...this was in the 5050 but it is not in the 5060. So now the 2 cameras would be on a par for me. I am just very happy with the Olympus ...love the menus. I would think its cheaper as well..it is here by maybe $200 0z (170 usd). At this stage i would buy another one if something happened to it.

Good Luck !!

[Jaxs]

P.S...

Why the AA batteries over the Lithium-Ion rechargeable?


You see i wanted the f1.8 lens & the AA batyerys...this was in the 5050 but it is not in the 5060. So now the 2 cameras would be on a par for me. I am just very happy with the Olympus ...love the menus. I would think its cheaper as well..it is here by maybe $200 0z (170 usd). At this stage i would buy another one if something happened to it.

Good Luck !!

[gus]

P.S...

Why the AA batteries over the Lithium-Ion rechargeable?
Well i buy the rechargable AA's & they also fit the 284517 things that my daughter has as well.

Dig cams love their batteries...if i run out of power i can just go to any shop & buy a set or often i carry 4 AA's for extra backup. Cant be done with a manufactures battery.

[Jaxs]

Very true. and I have thought about that. WOuld you say that is the only real major difference between the C-5050 & The C-5060?



Well i buy the rechargable AA's & they also fit the 284517 things that my daughter has as well.

Dig cams love their batteries...if i run out of power i can just go to any shop & buy a set or often i carry 4 AA's for extra backup. Cant be done with a manufactures battery.

[Jaxs]

Stupid question, as I do know there are differences between the two, I'm trying to decipher which one would be more pratical..



Well i buy the rechargable AA's & they also fit the 284517 things that my daughter has as well.

Dig cams love their batteries...if i run out of power i can just go to any shop & buy a set or often i carry 4 AA's for extra backup. Cant be done with a manufactures battery.

[gus]

Stupid question, as I do know there are differences between the two, I'm trying to decipher which one would be more pratical..
Which camera or which battery ? Some cameras use AA baterys & others have a battery made by the manufacturers. ...its a matter of choice, not many left that take AA's so i would have to go without it now if i was to buy again. No big deal it just means that you will need to by a second battery to take with you when you head out. AA's means that you dont need a power outlet to recharge thats all.

[gus]

Very true. and I have thought about that. WOuld you say that is the only real major difference between the C-5050 & The C-5060?There are a few differences..

5050

3x optical zoom
20mm macro
1/1000 shutter
35mm wide lens
f1.8-f10 lens (i can only find f1.8-f8 but 1.8 takes a nice photo in the dark)
AA Batteries
iso 100,200,400
5 white balance settings + manual

5060

4x optical zoom
30mm macro (the metric system will win eventually you know guys)
1/4000 shutter (thats pretty damn fast !!)
27mm wide lens
f2.8-f4.8/f8
rechargable lithium iron battery
iso 80,100,200,400 & manual
higher pixels on LCD screen
9 white balance settings + manual
less lag i am told

If i had to buy now i would buy the olympus...just one thing that G5 owners said they didnt like was the lens barrel being visable in the viewfinder...i cant remember it though but it did piss a few off. I think the olympus is also a bit smaller than the G5

Hell....i just love my camera

[wxwax]

Just a note or two on the Canons. I have the G3. I actually like the custom batteries - they have an incredibly long life. I always have two, and have never run dry on a day's shoot. 200-300 shots per battery.

Like the Olympus, the G-series cameras are excellent point-and-shoots, if that's what you prefer. Set it to Auto and it does a nice job of automatically white balancing, exposing and focusing your shot for you.

I think the G3 is a well made, dependable camera that takes excellent shots. You might read reviews of both cameras in which you're interested at www.dpreview.com or www.stevesdigicams.com.

[jimf]

There was something else i forgot to mention that made me choose the Olympus...it can take smart media...compact flash...xD...& micro drive , whereas the G5 only takes type i, ii compact flash.

Speaking as an owner of a C2500L, which does smartmedia and CF, I'll skip SM. I've had a number of chip failures in the 4 years I was shooting with the C2500L, and every single one of them was SM. I've never had a CF fail.

When I was shopping for the replacement for the C2500L the only media type I put on the list was CF. Lots of options, cheap, and durable. (So then I went out and bought a microdrive; we'll see how much "durable" means. :-)

Except for the SM failures I was very happy with my C2500L, up until I got the 300D. It's amazing how much less sensor noise the 300D has.

[gus]

I recon CF is a good way to go as well...how did you fimd the micro drive Jim ?

Yep an SLR is a much better camera & I may buy one one day down the track, but have a long way to go to learn the olympus 1st.

[jimf]

I recon CF is a good way to go as well...how did you fimd the micro drive Jim ?

Yep an SLR is a much better camera & I may buy one one day down the track, but have a long way to go to learn the olympus 1st.

I admit to having been very wary of the microdrive; I like solid state. But it's half the cost per gig, and I needed space bad with the 300D grabbing 6M per shot in raw mode. An unexpected bonus is that it's noticably faster than the 22x CF card I bought first. I gather it works at about the limit of the CF spec's data rate whereas most CF cards operate well below that limit. I can't shoot continuously but it doesn't lag nearly as much as the docs say it'll lag, and in the end I can shoot faster than I could with a manual wind SLR.

So speed plus relatively cheap high capacity are double-plus good.

By all reports you want to be kind of careful handling it though. I am not so much concerned while it's in the camera, since dropping the camera would be a lot more expensive than just the drive :-/, but I've fumbled with it during removal/replacement on occasion. Extra care is required.

cmr164 pushed me towards the microdrive; Charles, if you're reading this, how long have you been using yours?

The thing that that's been bumming me out is how long it takes to pull the data off the microdrive and onto the laptop. I can shoot like a half gig of pictures in ten or fifteen minutes when I'm doing portraits, then I spend about as long pulling it off the drive and onto the laptop. I'm going to be experimenting with a firewire reader to see how that works; the Lacie USB 1.1 reader I'm using now is slooooow but I am not sure if it's the reader or the drive. It's kind of a cheapo reader so I'm betting that that's the problem.

[cmr164]

By all reports you want to be kind of careful handling it though. I am not so much concerned while it's in the camera, since dropping the camera would be a lot more expensive than just the drive :-/, but I've fumbled with it during removal/replacement on occasion. Extra care is required.
aerodynamics and weight I do not think an odinary fall even on concrete wouldWith the power off the microdrive is good for a 1000G impact. Given its generate 1000Gs.

cmr164 pushed me towards the microdrive; Charles, if you're reading this, how long have you been using yours? Bought my first 2 340M microdrives in Nov of 99 at the Hunts show and the 2 1G ones at the show one year later. All of them still work. I sold one 340M to a friend who uses it in her Canon S400 and the other is doing duty as extra storage in a PDA. So the oldest are 4.5 years and still in use.


The thing that that's been bumming me out is how long it takes to pull the data off the microdrive and onto the laptop. I can shoot like a half gig of pictures in ten or fifteen minutes when I'm doing portraits, then I spend about as long pulling it off the drive and onto the laptop. I'm going to be experimenting with a firewire reader to see how that works; the Lacie USB 1.1 reader I'm using now is slooooow but I am not sure if it's the reader or the drive. It's kind of a cheapo reader so I'm betting that that's the problem. Good god man! They are ATA devices. You can pick up a PCMCIA adapter for less than $10 bucks and the speed will be almost as fast as your notebook drive.

I probably have a spare I could give you. I owe you anyway for the help http://www.dgrin.com./images/icons/icon10.gif

[jimf]

Good god man! They are ATA devices. You can pick up a PCMCIA adapter for less than $10 bucks and the speed will be almost as fast as your notebook drive.

I probably have a spare I could give you. I owe you anyway for the help http://www.dgrin.com./images/icons/icon10.gif

If only ... but the 12" G4 Powerbook has no support for PCMCIA. I actually have several adapters that I used to use with my Linux laptops (in fact, I just discovered another one in my file cabinet at work this morning) I just can't use them :-(.

[jimf]

If only ... but the 12" G4 Powerbook has no support for PCMCIA.

I borrowed a co-workers firewire CF reader. It's about five times faster than the USB 1.1 reader, pulls a full gig in something like 5 minutes. My USB reader is about to become a spare.

That's still only a bit more than 3M/sec, and I gather the card is supposed to be able to do upwards of 13M/sec. Oh well.