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Replacing My Trusty E20
My 5 megapixel Olympus E20 has served me well for a number of years and has been a real workhorse and solid performer. Finding its replacement with something having a little more megapixel oomph wasn't going to be easy. My only complaint about the E20 has been its size and weight, especially with the optional battery pack, which is almost a necessity if you're a serious photographer.
I prefer all-in-one digital cameras over SLR's primarily because of their smaller size and weight. Of course, the E20 was neither smaller nor lighter, which is another reason why I wanted to replace it.
Most of the all-in-ones cover the popular 28-140mm zoom range (35mm equivalent), which is where I do most of my work. Plus, with the superior lens materials used in the higher end, "prosumer" digital cameras, image quality is just as good as the equivalent SLR's with zoom lenses. Personally, I'd rather save my money on the camera so I can buy airline tickets to places where I can use my new all-in-one camera. ;-)
Another Olympus?
While researching 8 megapixel cameras, the Olympus C-8080 continually popped up in the reviews for its features, performance and overall value for the money. What it appeared to lack in a few minor areas it more than made up for when it came to the important stuff. Having had rewarding experiences with all five of my previous Olympus digital cameras, finding another Olympus was icing on the cake.
So, with my mind made up, I turned over my credit card information and bought my Olympus C-8080.
First Impressions of the Olympus C-8080
 After unpacking my new camera, the first thing that impressed me was its size and weight, or lack thereof. It's at least half that of my E20. Plus, everything's easily accessible through multi-purpose buttons and menus. The C-8080's easy to handle and very comfortable to hold and use. Olympus had done their homework with the C-8080, for sure.
First Outing With My C-8080
My first outing with the Olympus C-8080 came only days after unpacking it. Many would argue Torrey, Utah is the gateway to Capital Reef National Park and some of the most beautiful and spectacular scenery in Utah, if not in the United States. Call me biased living only hours away, but I'd have to agree. If you’ve never been to Torrey or Capital Reef National Park, you'll want to read my October 2004 newsletter spotlighting both locations.
This trip would be a good test for the C-8080 because of the challenging terrain and extreme light conditions typically found in Capital Reef and its canyons.
Exposure Accuracy
Not being familiar with the cameras metering system, I used the auto-bracketing feature to take series of shots ranging from slightly underexposed to slightly overexposed so I could judge for myself how good the cameras metering system was. Auto-bracketing can be set in 0.3, 0.5 or 1 stop increments and 3 or 5 bracketed images.
After taking around 240 pictures--80 unique images because of auto-bracketing--the cameras metering system did an outstanding job. Only in the most extreme lighting conditions was the exposure off and even then by only a half a stop, or so. In all cases where the camera's metering system was slightly off, one of the bracketed exposures captured exactly what I wanted. This just reinforces what I always preach about it being good practice to bracket shots in tough lighting conditions... regardless of the camera.
Color Accuracy
The C-8080 did an excellent job of capturing the colors of the original scene. For the majority of shots I took the camera off its auto white balance mode and instead used the cameras manual color temperature control to ensure more consistent results. As is the case with all digital cameras, in auto white balance mode the C-8080's colors shifted slightly in nearly identical shots as the camera tried to compensate for the subtle changes in lighting conditions. That being said, in all cases when evaluating the images on their own merits, the slight color shift was certainly acceptable.
Shutter Lag Not A Problem
 For those of you who own or have owned digital cameras, you know that some have long startup times when first turning them on and also when releasing the shutter to take a picture. This certainly isn't an issue with the C-8080. Thanks to its TruePic TURBO (tm) technology it's one of the quickest cameras in both regards and may well be the benchmark by which other cameras are judged. I'd dare say the camera will likely be ready to take shots way before you are. That's a huge plus for those of you who like taking action shots or are just trying to capture your baby's first steps.
Long Battery Life
The Olympus C-8080 is very frugal on battery consumption. I managed to take over 275 shots on a single battery charge and that included using the flash and LCD screen a few times.
Like most of today's digital cameras, the C-8080 uses proprietary batteries so there's no slapping in a set of Duracell AA's as a backup if your lithium-ion battery dies. My recommendation is to purchase a spare battery. Nothing's worse than being out in the middle of nowhere and have your battery die on you without a backup. Odds are that's when Bigfoot's going to make his appearance. ;-)
Image Quality Over Entire Zoom Range
While most all-in-one cameras sport an 8 or 10x optical zoom, Olympus opted to stay with a 5x optical zoom lens. Why? They wanted to incorporate superior optics without sacrificing image quality. After having used the camera in some extreme lighting conditions, I'd have to say Olympus made the right decision. You'd be hard-pressed to find a lens providing better results than that of the C-8080. Giving up a little zoom length is a small price to pay, in my mind.
My only complaint about the camera's zoom is the electronic control offering only 5 steps of optical zoom from wide angle to telephoto. Also, having become accustomed to the manual zoom of my E20, I would have been happier if Olympus had incorporated a manual zoom override to allow for finer zoom adjustments.
Electronic Viewfinder
I must admit, I had reservations about the C-8080's electronic viewfinder. Having had experience with them on older model digital cameras, I wasn't sure if Olympus would be able to improve on the design. I was wrong.
Technology has come a long way over the years. The C-8080's electronic viewfinder has now become an invaluable tool for me to monitor my shots and make exposure adjustments based on what I see in the viewfinder. In the past I would've had to have used the power guzzling LCD screen to help me evaluate a shot.
Conclusion
I'm the first one to admit I'm not gentle with my cameras. I expect them to hold up to the types of photography I like to do. The C-8080 has so far proven to be a rugged companion having braved the elements of the desert conditions of Central and Southern Utah to the glacier fields of Alaska. The C-8080 is a tough companion. The more I use and like it the more the dust collects on my E20.
The Olympus C-8080 is the best all-in-one digital camera I've owned to date. It's a serious camera for serious amateurs and professionals alike delivering on features, construction, image quality, easy of use and performance. You won't go far wrong if you move up to the C-8080. I give it two thumbs up.
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A Salute To Our Troops and Families
