Why I’ve Got a Soft Spot for the Olympus C-5060
Why I’ve Got a Soft Spot for the Olympus C-5060
One of the problems with buying and selling cameras is that occasionally you come across one you’d quite happily keep. The Olympus C-5060 is one of those cameras for me.
It’s a chunky little thing, with a proper grip, plenty of buttons and absolutely no interest in slipping neatly into your jeans pocket. I really like it. There’s something about its design that makes me want to pick it up and take photographs.
The C-5060 Wide Zoom dates back to 2003 and has a 5.1-megapixel CCD sensor. Saying “five megapixels” now almost sounds like you’re apologising, but for everyday pictures, sharing online and smaller prints, there’s still plenty to work with. We managed to take perfectly worthwhile photographs before every camera needed a specification sheet longer than a tenancy agreement.
One of its best features is the lens. The 27–110mm equivalent zoom gives you a useful wide angle for buildings, landscapes and general wandering about, with enough reach to tighten up a composition. That’s a range I can see plenty of use for without needing to carry a bag full of lenses.
It’s also a more capable camera than its age might suggest. You get RAW shooting, manual exposure, aperture priority and shutter priority, along with an optical viewfinder and an adjustable rear screen. There’s plenty to get involved with if you enjoy having control over your photographs.
That’s a big part of the appeal for me. I like a camera with controls you can get your fingers on. A few buttons and a mode dial make me happy. Apparently, that’s where I am in life now.
Of course, you have to approach something like this with sensible expectations. It’s an early digital camera, and I wouldn’t buy one expecting the speed or low-light performance of a modern model. I’d want to enjoy it on its own terms: take it out in decent light, think about the composition and see what I could make with it.
For anyone considering one, the practical bits matter too. It uses an Olympus BLM-1 rechargeable battery and accepts CompactFlash or xD-Picture Cards. Check what’s included when buying, because a camera arriving without a battery, charger or suitable card can put a fairly quick end to your afternoon’s photography plans.
Selling older cameras has given me a real appreciation for how much useful equipment is already out there. A camera doesn’t stop being capable of taking a photograph simply because something newer has appeared.
The Olympus C-5060 is exactly the sort of camera I enjoy seeing given another go. It has character, useful features and enough photographic control to keep things interesting.
I’m supposed to be selling cameras, of course. Getting attached to the stock is a slightly inconvenient habit.
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