Product Reviews (27)
Best bang for your buck
Strengths: Macro ability. Extensive exposure/camera settings. Image quality. CF and xD card capability. Size and weight.
Weakness: Manual focus on distant objects. Battery meter. Menu system.
This is the most awesome camera you can buy for the price. I have the highest praise for this camera, and in almost two years of ownership have only had one issue (exposure sensor went bad), which was very quickly fixed under warranty by Olympus. The only real negative thing I have to say is regarding the battery meter. There's no graduated indicator like you have on other cameras, cell phones, or other electronic devices that tell you there's 60% left, etc. On this camera you have a green indicator for the battery, then, suddenly, it turns red and starts blinking that battery is almost dead. That can be a real pain when you're engrossed in photographing something and aren't mentally keeping track of either how long the camera has been on or how many photos you've taken, and like Murphy's Law the battery WILL die at the most inopportune time. At any rate, overall that's still a small issue and I absolutely love this camera. I highly recommend it to any serious photographer who wants to go digital.
By fyigmokid - Sep 10, 2006
I researched Canon, Nikon, Sony...
Strengths: Solid feel and build quality. Great night shots. Superb picture quality (i.e. color and resolution). Easy to use in auto mode. Has every type of manual setting for the serious camera bug.
Weakness: 5x optical zoom is a tad on the short side for this type of camera. However, I would rather have a 5x and great pictures vs. a larger zoom and average pictures.
I researched Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus for weeks before settling on this camera. I purchased the Olympus for 2 reasons: a.) I have owned a 35mm Olympus OM-2S SLR camera for 20 or so years and have been very happy with it. To me Olympus has always been perceived a "notch below" the other top brands by most people, however, I think they're a "notch above"...their cameras have always been very innovative and a great value. I believe they have to be this way due to the perception of Olympus relative to other top brands b.) I read expert after expert reviews of the competing cameras along with "user" reviews. When I added up all of the reviews the Olympus C-8080 seemed to edge the others in overall picture quality, value, and overall ratings. Even my monthly PCWorld magazine rated it a “Best Buy”.
After my research I went price searching on pricegrabber.com. I purchased the camera from Buydig.com for roughly $640.00. I previously purchased a digital camcorder from this same company without any difficulties. This a great price when compared to the other cameras. In fact, I purchased a 3-year additional warranty for $99. Thus, for just over $740.00 in total I have a great camera with a four year warranty (1 year from the manufacturer + 3 additional years) for equal to or less that the camera price alone of the competing brands.
I have not been disappointed in the least bit. I would suggest anyone interested read some of the expert reviews linked to from this site and form your own opinion. In the mean time I’m having a lot of fun taking pictures and trying out different settings, filters, etc. It’s great when you can experiment and see what you took right on the super high-resolution camera LCD screen. If you don’t like it you delete it and move on. I doubt I’ll ever use my old Olympus camera again.
By general2 - Dec 9, 2004
purchased canon powershot pro1...
Strengths: 1) excellent picture quality 2) auto focus, faster than others 3) excellent battery life 4) looks bulky, but surprisingly handy 5) well constructed body, magnesium alloy 6) low noise level
Weakness: 1) control buttons all over 2) looks bulky 3) optical zoom, only 5x 4) buldled xd card is a joke 5) still pricy
purchased canon powershot pro1 with greater expectations, which neve met..auto focus function was terrible, without assist lamp for $1,000 camera?? took forever for focussing @ low light..returned & got oly 8080 instead, and the difference was a night & day..picture quality was about the same, bright & alive..auto focusing was fast & accurate in most of times..clearly gives you an edge on sport mode with fast shutter speed..looks a lot bigger, but is is well designed, which fits perfectly in my hand no matter how small your hands are..only drawback is recording times @ some modes, and it does not get helped by cf speed..not sure about reliability due to short ownership, but on one seem to complain..overall, an excellent camera among 8 mp group..
By dkdonkim - Sep 12, 2004
The camera isn't perfect (very few...
Strengths: Very well build solid camera. Great lens. A lot of features with easy access. Outstanding picture quality
Weakness: Optical zoom is marginal for cameras in its class. Very awkward positioning of ON/OFF button. A bit noisy. No manual zoom ring.
The camera isn't perfect (very few things in this life are :-), but I believe that at the present time is the best value for the money. I bought it at 6ave.com at $755 including shipping and was very happy with the transaction. At the end of the day after all "games" with features and performance you are left - with the end result - your pictures, and the quality of pictures is superior to what you can do with the competition from Sony, Minolta or Canon. I think that it is due to the new generation lens specifically designed for the new 8MP digital censor. I found flash adequate. Features are plentiful and access is easy and "makes sense" although dealing with custom modes can be confusing (keep in mind that I was used to Olympus 750C with similar controls). I love the ability to choose between 3:2 and 4:3 ratios. The camera has the fast ON time I've ever seen, but interval between shots is average. I would highly recommend to use Olympus xD 512MB card (found the best price at MemorySuppliers.com - they are very good) because it is very fast and enables you to take panoramic pictures. I also tried with 4GB Hitachi Microdrive - very fast and plenty of room, but it tends to get warm and drains the battery a little faster. Also buy a spare OLYMPUS battery (the best price I could find at TangoShop.com - very smooth transaction). Although the battery is very good, you will have to re-charge it eventually, but if you have a spare, you won't miss any shots. As I mentioned before positioning of ON/OFF button is very annoying - you will trip it by accident more than once, but considering that camera turns ON/OFF in less than a second it is not a major problem. The absence of manual zoom ring is a more serious shortcoming, and after being spoiled by 10x optical zoom of 750C I found 5x zoom to be restrictive.
Overall the camera is great for novices and enthusiasts alike. I can sincerely recommend it.
By gleb_fomin - May 21, 2004
2 1/2 months actually, I've had it...
Strengths: Wide angle; comfortable, secure grip; CUSTOMIZABLE BUTTONS!; minimal shutter lag; sequence setting; remote control
Weakness: Lack of manual focus ring; least zoom of competing 8MP cameras; not the size of a credit card =)
2 1/2 months actually, I've had it since the end of August. I bought it just before I left on a trip to Chile and did take a lot of pictures. As the camera should have, everything is manual. EVERYTHING. When it comes to taking pictures, I'm often a control freak. Of course this isn't the PERFECT camera, but its most definitely a wonderful camera. The ONLY reason I bought this camera instead of a digital SLR is because its much more manageable in terms of size and transportation, and I'm not read to deal with multiple lenses quite yet. The only other 8MP camera that I've heard competes well with this one is the sony dsc-f828. But that camera is HUGE and if you put out just a little more money you can buy an SLR and they'd be the same size. Also, SLR's don't do video, which comes in handy for me at times. Anyway, I'd recommend this camera (I'd actually give it 4 1/2 stars, but that wasn't an option). Probably even a batter camera for the price now, I'd recommend this camera above the other 8MP cameras.
By user_review - Nov 16, 2004
The camera by today standards is...
Strengths: Great pictures, easy to use,battery good for 400+ pictures,help line to Olympus toll free,full info on all shots in viewfinder or screen,camera fits naturally into hand ,works well in low light
Weakness: The USB 2.0 conection to the camera is tight, I had several issues but they were all resolved by the toll free call to Olympus
The camera by today standards is on the large side but it fits well into your hand and the controls are easy to use. It is well constructed using excellent materials. The quality of the picture will say it all. The zoom is short for the price range but once you get use to the camera you can work around the short zoom. The pictures per continous shooting is 1.6 and others are up to 5 fps the quality of the picture makes up for the frames as you can blow this up and not lose the integrity of the shot. Downloading pictures the software that comes with the camera is good but the Pro version is better at extra cost. Since the camera uses both CF and xD-picture cards this a BIG plus for us with a lot of CF cards.
By Keno55 - Oct 16, 2004
I use it for 8 months and for...
Strengths: Good picture quality, long lasting battery, good grip on camera
Weakness: The on/off buttons, optical zoom and manual focus ring
I use it for 8 months and for wedding photgraphy, It has superbs result especially ini low ISO. Great camera and all my customer agreed with that
By Visk - Apr 26, 2005
If I had to be nit-pickey and find...
Strengths: Beautiful picture quality, fully automatic and full manual control, dual picture cards, LONG battery life, amazing color, rugged feeling, feels great in your hands
Weakness: Absolutely nothing.
If I had to be nit-pickey and find something wrong, I'd have to agree with what some have said about the power button being in close proximity to the shutter button. I did accidently turn it off a couple of times when I went to take a picture. However, this was just part of learning the camera and I don't do it any more. Again, to be nit-picky, when ejecting the compact flash card, it doesn't come out very far. This doesn't make it too hard to pull out, though. Neither of these things should discourage anyone from buying this camera.
Before buying this camera I also seriously considered the Canon EOS Digital Rebel and was able to take it on a trial run. However, the C-8080 has additional features that the Rebel did not, like shooting movies with sound, the dual camera cards, color modes, and longer battery life. Everyone takes pictures differently and I just felt the C-8080 worked better for me and fit better in my hands (I'm a woman so have smaller hands) though they both took amazing pictures.
I highly recommend this camera to anyone who wants to take beutiful pictures that can be blown up to poster size. Even if you're not 100% up to par on all the manual adjustmetns you can make, the automatic settings will provide more than you could hope for. You can always grow into all of the settings, especially if you are into photography.
By fucial - Sep 28, 2004
I have used this camera for one...
Strengths: Best quality pictures, low noise in high ISO setting, high color accuracy.
Weakness: Battery charging time is quite long. Menu confusing sometimes.
I have used this camera for one month. I really satisfy with the picture quality. Color and sharpness of pictures are really awesome for this camera. The fully manual control is pretty good, although sometimes I am confused about accessing menu. The picture with high ISO is great. It provides pictures with really low noise.
The life of battery is good. However, the time to charge battery is quite long, so you might need to prepare backup battery for a trip.
Anyway, I love this camera. It is awesome. Did I say awesome? It is really awesome.
By wiper - Dec 19, 2004
The picture quality is the most...
Strengths: Excellent pic quality under iso200. Very sharp lens. Fast start-up and focus. Battery life.
Weakness: A little bit too bulky. Zoom range is relative short. Some buttons' position are odd.
The picture quality is the most important thing for me and I am not disappointed for choosing this camera. Very good auto exposure and white balance under most of circumstances. Fast response can make me capture what I want. The picture is stunning sharpness with very natural color. In fact, I more like the skin color tone from Canon pro1, it make people look more vivid and healthy. But Oly C-8080's color is more natural. Lots of advanced function, such as multi-metering, is very useful in some difficult exposure conditions.
This camera will take 2-3 seconds to perform auto focus under dim light, much slower than under the bright. But I believe some more expensive DSLR also have this "problem". It's also very hard to use super-macro setting to auto focus on a very small object, such as small bud, even this object locate at the center of focus frame. The manual focus setting is useful at that time.
Overall, it's a great camera. It deserve a 5 star at its class.
By wanglu98 - Jun 24, 2004
This is my first digital camera,...
Strengths: this camera has fabulous resolution. I am no pro, but get great results 95% of the time.
Weakness: Low light focus is not terrible, but is not the best either. I have taken my share of blurry shots due to AF not working properly.
This is my first digital camera, and I love it. Like I mentioned, the low light AF could use some work, and the write time of the RAW files are long (12-14sec.)....but otherwise, this camera has captured our first baby's birth wonderfully (initial reason of purchase). Definately rec. this camera.
By 14stylz - Nov 5, 2004
We took over 200 shots in the...
Strengths: Picture Quality (and that is the point isn't it?)! Point and shoot performance. Abitlity to customize modes and access them immediatly.
Weakness: Optical zoom and weight.
We took over 200 shots in the first 3 days and close to 400 by day 8. Wow! I started in the point and shoot mode and it worked about 99% of the time. Being able to adjust flash intensity, shutter speed, aperture or just change modes means 100% of the time I can get the shot I want. It takes black & white, sepia and panoramic, which are fun to play with.
The true test was printing the photos and having the picture quality equal to or better than a 35 mm. This camera does it. We even blew some up to 8 X 10 and there is no degradation. We compared it to the Nikon 8700, this camera blew it away on picture quality. I haven't accidentally hit the power button either.
P.S. Print your pictures on a Fuji machine. We compared Fuji to Kodak and the Fuji looks so much better.
By jnaspence - Jan 4, 2005
I spent four years looking for the...
Strengths: A great camera that exceeded my expectations. The pictures are the best I have seen . The only thing thing it doesent do is bake bread.
Weakness: There are none that I could find.
I spent four years looking for the best digital camera at a price I could afford. The 8080 met my specifications and has lived up to my expectations in every way. The instructions provide flexability beyond anything I had expected The camera is fast and the battery is long lasting. I have been taking pictures all my life but now find I am at the beginning of a new learning and satisfying experience. I am completely satisfied with this camera and would recommend it to anyone wishing to extend themselves to the SLR threshold.
By kingkirk1 - Jun 26, 2004
After careful research, reviewing...
Strengths: built like a tank, numerous features, high quality lens
Weakness: some what heavy, power button to close to mode wheel ocassionally causing accidental power offs. need to keep iso levels low to decrease noise.
After careful research, reviewing numberous web sites, magazines and in store handling i decided on this camera.
My main concern was for image quality, not features, while the other 8 megapixel cameras (canon, sony, nikon, & minolta) had greater zoom ranges, the had in my opinion picture quality failures. The Olympus, while not perfect seemed to made the best compromises in favor of picture quality. In my short time using this camera i have been very pleased in the quality, in terms of sharpness, low noise (providing you set the iso below 200) and ease of use. I would have liked for the LCD to be more adjustable like the 5060. all in all a high quality prosumer camera
By prucol - Jun 6, 2004
Overall I love this camera. I did...
Strengths: This camera has excellent picture quality even at the default settings.
Weakness: Location of power button. Also had a problem with the zoom for a couple of hours one day. The camera would not even come up it just kept beeping and saying "zoom error". Luckily it corrected itself
Overall I love this camera. I did a lot of research before buying a higher end digital camera and I am very please with my purcahse. The only other drawback that I would add is that it's not an SLR. It would be nice to be able to change the lenses.
By dalley333 - Jun 15, 2004
Excellent Camera If It Meets Your Needs.
Strengths: Great picture quality. Solid feel. Lots of bang for the buck.
Weakness: No manual focus. No image stabilization. Auto focus a problem in low light.
Given my large hands, when holding this camera, because it’s heavy, small and rounded I’m always worried I’m going to drop it. A neck or wrist strap pretty much protects against this, but combine this worry with no image stabilization and I’ve basically relegated it to studio work where it always sits on a tripod. I’ve been using it for a little over a year. At first it had truly remarkable battery life, but recently that’s changed.
This sounds like a lot of negatives, but pictures is what cameras all about and the superb 8MP images, combined with a solid feel and the price makes for a fine camera
By jimmm - Jul 28, 2005
I spent 2 monthes researching the...
Strengths: One of the best lenses to be found in a prosumer camera, battery life, usb2 interface, high quality image processing, color histogram, sub-second startup time, on and on....
Weakness: not a DSLR. could use a larger zoom.
I spent 2 monthes researching the 5060, 8080, 300D, and several others. I wanted to get the most bang for my buck. I could have saved money by going with a consumer camera like the C-750 or such, but I wanted great looking pictures. I wanted great pictures, but did not want to spend $2000 (after purchasing lenses) on a DSLR. even after plopping down $750 and having used the camera, I do not regret having not gone with the $350 consumer camera. the 8080 is worth the additional $400.
By garystad - Jun 9, 2004
Wow, the first time i used this...
Strengths: Picture Quality, Processor speed, build quality, ergonomics, intuitive mode menus.
Weakness: Zoom,
Wow, the first time i used this camera was in a nude photoshoot in a cave. The amount of detail that the long exposures picked up in almost complete darkness was breathtaking. The camera is extremely intuitive, and I found myself able to utilize many of the advanced features right of the bat. It has an incredible burst mode for a camera of such high resolution. The camera's build qulaity is outstainding, and its weight and proportions are reminiscent of my film SLR. The buttons are positioned so that your fingers always rest in a neutral position. I have yet to hit a button on accident. I only wish it had an optical viewfinder and a mechanical zoom, but nonetheless, I can't recommend this camera enough.
By sananablug - Jan 28, 2005
This is an excellent camera! The...
Strengths: Great pictures
Weakness: None so far
This is an excellent camera! The image quality is the best among current 8MP cameras and the panorama feature is full of fun. However, you will have to buy the Olympus brand xd card in order to use this feature. The only draw back of the xd card is its price - a 1 GB CF card is 15% less than the 512 MB Olympus brand xd card.
By PM168 - May 15, 2004
The camera overall is solid -...
Strengths: - Lots of features at fingertips - Fairly intuitive if u get the hang of olympus - Agree with dpreview.com -> the images are very sharp which to me is the basis for any camera
Weakness: - HAD THE AUTOFOCUS NOT WORKING FOR A FEW DAYS (see detailed comments) - Zoom only to 140, but can be fixed with teleconverter - Flash is too puny - need external flash
The camera overall is solid - would have given it 4 stars or even 5 if the Autofocus had not failed for a few days - never figured out why it failed. But pressing a series of random buttons on the menu made it work again, and have not had that problem since. Firmware issue, perhaps? Who knows.
The camera is a bit noisy - i use sandisk extreme 512mb and its fast; i wish there was a way to default to CF instead of xD (maybe there is but i havent found it); also defaults to 8MP instead of last setting used
but overall, better than the nikon and canon (which i researched very long and almost bought one of them - love the nikon brand in general and canon dig cameras). dpreview.com made me get the olympus and so far i have been satisfied with picture quality. Especially the fast setting which I used liberally traveling on the TGV at 250km/h+ speeds - images look great !
By skalyana - May 16, 2004
Finally a prosumer camera worth...
Strengths: Best prosumer available to date.
Weakness: Very slow write time for RAW & Tiff files. No manual zoom ring.
Finally a prosumer camera worth it's price tag. Excellent image quality. Very little postprocessing necessary. Consistently good results. Good build quality.
Full review here: www.dpreview.com/revie...
By grummanaa1 - May 17, 2004
This was my upgrade from Kodak...
Strengths: Fast bootup time. Very sharp pics. Takes great pics at default settings. Very nice feel.
Weakness: No power-on lcd indicator. Power button location.
This was my upgrade from Kodak DC-280 2 megapixel. While I haven't experimented with all the features, my wife has taken excellent pictures using as a point-and-shoot. Menus are easy to access. Settings can be made using buttons or menus after a little practice. I have had very little prior camera experience and feel that this camera is very easy to use. I have accidently powered the camera off while intending to take a picture. Some sort of power-on indicator would have been nice. If you want to take panorama shots you must use an Olympus brand xD card.
By johngee - Jun 9, 2004
After having the C5050 and was...
Strengths: Very good pictures. Rather easy to handle and the zoom is good
Weakness: Just after 2 weeks of use I could not get the images to be view on the screen. I could only see the images via the view finder
After having the C5050 and was pleased with the pictures I decided to upgrade to the C8080. In just 2 weeks of use I could no longer get the images to be viewed on the screen. Contacted Olympus and they gave suggested some things to try, but to no avail. In the end I have had to send the camera back for repairs. Now awaiting its return.This is very much unlike Olympus. I have had the C3030, the C5050 and now the C8080. This is the first time that I have been let down by Olympus. What a pity!! Now I am not sure if I will buy or recommend another Olympus!"
By cheong1 - Oct 20, 2004
C8080 A Home Run by Olympus.
Strengths: A great all around SLR afford great print quality, lending itself to large-scale enlargement with magnificent clarity of detail. Have used it for many magazine articles, and for graphic illustrations
Weakness: With all the usage I have derived ftom this unit, there is little I can cite in the way of serious weaknesses. A great travel companion for a photo-jjournalist or website developer.
We have a condo in Cancun, Mexico. Our graphics have been used by hotels, restaurants, and other tourist facilities for their marketing and promotional efforts. I particularly like having 2 different photo cards (xD & CF) in the same camera.
I have used the C8080 with great success in photographing highly invasive cancer sugery performed my a long-time close friend, who is a noted Oncological Surgeon and Professor of Surgery. The vivid slides we produce are a great help in his teaching.
By anonymous; - Nov 30, 2008
olympus camedia c-8080 wide zoom digital camera
Olympus Camedia C-8080 Wide Zoom Digital Camera receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 3.11 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #47 standard digital camera of all time. The overall rating represents an intelligent balance of features, value as a function of price to features, and a summary of reviews from a variety of sources. The TopTen REVIEWS' formula gives a picture of important consumer...
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By TopTenREVIEWS.com - Jul 16, 2008
Olympus C-8080
The Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom is a great all-in-one solution and a real alternative to the weight and bulk of a DSLR with several lenses
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By pocket-lint.co.uk - Jun 15, 2004
Olympus Camedia C-8080 Wide Zoom
The Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom is Olympus' entry in the 8-megapixel derby, and a fine entry it is. Olympus chose to go with a shorter zoom range on it, but appears to have taken advantage of the shorter zoom ratio to deliver a camera with a real "no compromises" lens. You'll have to read the review to learn all the reasons why, but this is a very strong contender in the 8-megapixel market. Check it...
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By Imaging Resource - Feb 12, 2004