Premium/ Olympus Throwback: C-5050 The Compact Premium from a Past Era (+ video)
In the early 2000s, digital photography was on the cusp of transformation. DSLRs were beginning to capture the hearts of enthusiasts, yet compact cameras still ruled the shelves of photo stores. In 2003, Olympus released a camera that perfectly embodied that moment of change – the Olympus C-5050 Zoom. It was aimed squarely at serious photographers who wanted the image quality and control of a DSLR but preferred a body that would fit neatly into a small bag.
At the time, this magnesium-alloy marvel cost around €800 – roughly £700 in those days, or about €1,600 in today’s money. That price tag alone tells you Olympus wasn’t chasing the casual user. This was a premium compact for advanced photographers, a bridge between eras, and a showcase of what the company could do when design, optics and ambition converged.
A Camera Built to Impress
To anyone picking up the C-5050 Zoom today, it’s immediately clear that this was no ordinary compact. The body feels dense and reassuringly solid in the hand, its textured grip perfectly sculpted for a confident hold. It has the sort of build quality that makes you wonder why so many modern cameras creak and flex. Olympus didn’t cut corners: everything from the tactile buttons to the lens barrel feels crafted rather than manufactured.
The camera’s top LCD panel – a feature borrowed directly from professional DSLRs – provides quick access to settings, while the articulated rear screen feels positively futuristic for a model released over twenty years ago. Its 1.8-inch size may seem minuscule by modern standards, but back then it was a small revelation.
Then there’s the lens – a beautifully bright f/1.8–2.6 35–105mm equivalent zoom that remains one of the fastest optics ever fitted to a compact. At a time when most digital cameras offered modest f/2.8 apertures, the C-5050’s lens stood out as a genuine differentiator. Even today, that bright aperture gives it a charm that few modern smartphones can imitate.
Under the hood sat a 1/1.8-inch 5-megapixel CCD sensor capable of capturing in RAW, TIFF or JPEG. Combined with dual card slots – CompactFlash and xD-Picture Card – this was, in many ways, a DSLR in compact form. Its direct rival, the Canon PowerShot G5, offered similar specifications, but many photographers considered the Olympus lens and colour rendition to be superior.
A Touch of Nostalgia
For those who remember the early 2000s, digital cameras were objects of wonder. My own brother, a dedicated Nikon FM2n user, bought the C-5050 Zoom when it first came out. I was still discovering photography myself, and I remember marvelling at the sharpness and vivid tones his Olympus produced.
Two decades later, while idly scrolling through a second-hand marketplace, I stumbled across a listing for a C-5050 Zoom in near-mint condition, boxed with all its original accessories, just a few kilometres from home. The price? 40 Euros! Nostalgia can be an expensive indulgence, but at that price, reason gave way to sentiment. I had to have it.
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