Product Description

The performance features of the C-60ZOOM are as impressive as its stylish metal exterior. This 6.1 million pixel camera is packed full of innovative technology to make your shots come alive, including the new TruePic TURBO image processor and sunshine LCD. With its precision automatic functions, the 3x zoom model can take care of all the details for you. But it also allows you total creative control to discover new areas of expression.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43423 in Camera & Photo
• Size: 4xsize
• Brand: Olympus
• Model: 60 Zoom
• Dimensions: 3.00" h x 2.00" w x 4.00" l, 1.00 pounds
• Display size: 1.8
• Included Software: ecs test software

Features

• 6-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 14-by-19-inch enlargements
• 3x optical zoom combines with 4x digital zoom for 12x total zoom
• Movie mode with audio; PictBridge enabled
• Store images on xD memory cards
• Powered by rechargeable lithium ion battery (included with charger)

Amazon.com Product Decription
The performance features of the C60 are as impressive as its stylish metal exterior. In addition to a 6.1-megapixel resolution, the compact, durable C60 features Olympus's new TruePic TURBO image processor, a dual autofocus system usually found in SLR-style digital cameras (like the C-8080), and sunshine LCD technology that makes it easy to review your photo shoot even in bright daylight. The C60 also offers a 3x optical zoom lens, USB 2.0 connectivity, PictBridge compatibility, and movie mode with audio.

Optics and Resolution
The C60 has a maximum resolution of 2816 x 2112 pixels, which will produce 30 x 40 print enlargements. It also offers these lower resolution modes: 2560 x 1920 (5 MP), 2288 x 1704 (4 MP), 2048 x 1536 (3 MP), 1600 x 1200 (2 MP), 1280 x 960 (1 MP), 1024 x 768 (SVGA), and 640 x 480 (VGA). The 3x optical zoom aspherical glass lens has a 35mm equivalent of 38mm-114mm. It also features a 4x digital zoom, for a 12x total zoom.

Movie Mode
In addition to still images, the C60 can record video with sound at two resolution modes: 320 x 240 and 160 x 120 (both at 15 frames per second). Movie length is only limited by the size of your memory card. The included 32 MB XD card will record approximately 80 seconds of high-resolution video.

More Features
The C60 is one of the first Olympus models to feature TruePic Turbo, a new image processor that sharpens image clarity, contrast, and color for life-like results. This feature also makes the camera 30% faster in processing images and is combined with a super-fast shutter release time. Other features include:

• 1.8-inch low-temperature poly-silicon LCD (approximately 134,000 pixels)
• Thirteen shooting modes give you the flexibility to capture amazing images for various situations
• Full aperture and shutter control in Manual mode
• Built-in multi mode flash and Dual Auto Focus system is designed to ensure your subjects are properly lit and in focus quickly
• Stitch up to 10 images together to create a single panoramic with an Olympus-branded XD memory card

Olympus' new Sunshine LCD technology enables you to review your shots even in direct sunlight. An optical viewfinder aids in composing shots.

Olympus Sunshine LCD Technology
Olympus' new Sunshine LCD technology enables you to review your shots even in direct sunlight. A standard display reflects sunlight from its surface and therefore in bright sunshine it is difficult to review an image. The Sunshine LCD, however, has semi-transparent layers which enable the sunlight to penetrate a few layers into the panel. This light is reflected by the underside of the liquid crystal layer, and images are clearer and brighter thanks to this additional "back light." The display also adjusts its brightness to cater for the surrounding light conditions, whether it be on a beach or in a brightly-lit room.

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on tiny XD memory cards, and a 32 MB card is included with the C60. You'll be able to store 7 shots of SHQ (or 14 HQ) 2816 x 2112 pixel images on the included card. The C60 transfers images to Macs and Windows-based PCs via a speedy USB 2.0 connection.

Direct Printing
The C60 is PictBridge compatible, which enables you to transfer pictures from your digital camera to a compatible printer (such as the Olympus P-10), without a PC or image-editing software. All PictBridge devices share three basic features: camera-to-printer connecting, single-image printing, and uniform error messages (in case something goes wrong).

Power and Size
The camera is powered by a proprietary rechargeable lithium-ion battery (LI-12B). The C60 measures 3.9 x 2.22 x 1.6 inches (W x H x D) and weighs a lean 7 ounces without batteries or recording media.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Olympus C60 digital camera, 32 MB XD memory card, rechargeable lithium-ion battery (LI-12B), battery charger, remote control, wrist strap, USB and AV cables, and CD-ROM with Camedia Master software.

From the Manufacturer
All the resolution and advanced shooting features that you could want in an ultra-compact durable metal body. Since it's so easy to take along, you'll be sure to take advantage of every photo opportunity that comes your way.

Features:

• 6 Megapixel CCD
• 12x Seamless Zoom
  • 3x Optical Zoom + 4x Digital
  • (38mm – 114mm equiv., f2.8 to f8.0)
• 13 Shooting Modes
• Quick Time Movie mode with audio
• New engine (TruePic Turbo) for faster processing speeds
• Durable metal body
• 1.8" Low-reflective LCD
• PictBridge enabled
• xD-Picture Card compatible
• USB Auto-Connect for easy connectivity
• Li-Ion rechargeable battery

Customer Reviews

Better than C-50 by a mile
My previous digital camera was the C-50 and I shelled out the cash to upgrade to the C-60, and am greatly pleased. The advantages of the C-60 over the C-50 are:

-6 megapixel instead of 5 (not a huge deal if you're not printing anything bigger than 8x10s)
-Movies have audio (C-50 video only)
-Casing designed better (C-50 rubber flaps were always coming loose)
-SuperMacro mode as close as 4cm (C-50 macro mode was horrible, only about 20-30cm focus minimum)
-Mode dial more closely resembles other SLRs, with P/S/A/M options instead of having to navigate (C-50) through the digital menu to specify whether you want the shutter speed or aperature to be adjustable
-Supports up to 512MB xD cards by default (C-50 supports only up to 128MB unless you ship it to Olympus for them to install a BIOS update)
-Lens opens/closes more quickly (C-50 took 3-4 seconds)
-Better LCD review screen
-Supports higher capacity 12B Lithium battery instead of just 10B

And it's still the nice small size that fits in my pocket when I travel.

buy it
I recently fell into a river and irretrievably destroyed my C-50 (not Olympus's fault, obviously). Having been so happy with that one, I immediately replaced it with the C-60. What follows is a comparison between the two, in the form of a user review I wrote for the C-50:

[The C-50 is] a very powerful, versatile, and impressive little camera. For taking shots in conditions of plentiful light, this camera was hard to beat, at least when it came out (it's since been discontinued). When it hit the market, it was unquestionably the most powerful digital camera of its size.

There are problems, however:

1. On the little movies, there is no "sound" available.
2. You have to turn the camera off and close the cover to review the picture you just took!
3. This camera cannot take pictures in low lighting conditions at all. Not without the flash, at any rate. Starting from about the late afternoon on, this camera is all but useless for natural-looking shots. They'll be far too blurry; this is a constant annoyance.

Olympus recently came out with the C-60 Zoom, which is the new version of this camera. With that one, they have fixed problems 1 and 2 but not 3: still a major problem, but this is not the only brand of digital camera with this problem.

Also note: if you're replacing a c-50 with the new c-60, you'll be able to use your batteries, your battery charger, and your memory disks with the new version. You'll also be able to recycle the little cable that connects the camera to your USB port.

Also, the C-60 can take memory cards of up to 512 MB! This is pretty impressive (on the highest-quality setting, for example, this will allow you to take 118 pictures; on the lowest-quality setting, 6390!), although that's a pretty expensive little card. With the C-50, coming out of the box the most it would take was a 256 MB card, unless you bodily sent the camera in to Olympus for a "firmware upgrade," which was free if you provided proof that you had bought a 512 MB card. This is not necessary with the C-60.

Two pieces of advice:

One, despite the vast memory attainable with the 512 MB card, I would suggest merely buying two 256's. This is because, with this camera, the manner in which the card is inserted seems to increase the possibility of fatal scratches. And if you have all your eggs in one basket -- thousands of pictures on a single card -- and you get that "CARD ERROR" message, you'll be up the creek, my friend.

Second: when you're buying it, you'll probably want to stock up on a few extra batteries. The technology with the memory card and the image resolution is nothing short of astonishing, but it's surprising that the technology of these rechargeable batteries is not further along by this point. The batteries only last a couple of hours before they need to be recharged! If you're out shooting pictures all day, it's much more likely you'll need a new battery long before you'll need more memory. Keep this in mind.

Great camera, weak flash
Strengths: Very compact & light, quick startup (slower with bigger XD Media cards), lots of great features (like continuous shooting mode and red-eye reduction), long battery life.
Weaknesses: Weak flash, red-eye reduction not available in continuous shooting mode, slow startup with big XD Media cards.
Summary: This is overall a great camera (see list of main strengths above). My biggest complaint is that the flash is pretty weak, and cannot be brightened in "auto" mode. However, if you switch the camera to one of the manual modes, you have more control over the brightness of the flash -- but I've found that increasing the brightness washes out the subjects too much. So you're stuck between a rock & a hard place. The perfect flash I ever used was on a Nikon Coolpix 995 camera, but that camera is big & bulky & slow compared to this camera. So if you're going to be doing a lot of daylight shooting or outdoor shooting that doesn't require heavy use of a flash, this camera is for you. If you're doing a lot of nighttime or indoor shooting (like me), you'll be hard-pressed to get rid of this spritely little camera that's chock-full of features, and instead you'll find yourself turning on lots of overhead lights to flood more light into the room.