This Camera Was Ahead Of Time!

Olympus C-8080 may be an old dinosaur, but this camera shows that Olympus knew what they were doing and they were ahead of time! It has tilt screen, EVF with live exposure simulation, high quality optics with excellent flaw controls and the camera was better constructed and felt more rugged than most modern cameras!
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0:00 Intro
0:23 About C-8080
0:53 Earlier Cameras
1:32 Images Reel 1
1:57 EVF
2:38 Tilt LCD Screen
3:08 Built & Handling
3:44 Images Reel 2
4:08 Buttons & Shortcuts
4:56 Fast Power On
5:20 Superb Optics
7:04 Images Reel 3
7:29 Limitations
9:23 Conclusion/END
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Music in video:
Music by Hotham
Stream: linktr.ee/hothammusic
• Hotham - Letting Go [F...

[@hughcullen8653]

The C8080 was my first digital camera, which I bought new, and I am still impressed with the quality of the photos it took back then. I used the TIFF format as the RAW files was way too slow to record to the xD cards and I did not have a RAW editor at the time. I took the camera to Bhutan and got some wonderful photos, though I did miss a couple of Tiger's nest monastery taken through the trees - the camera focused on the tight frame of the trees rather than the monastery in the distance. Exact point of focus in such situations was a bit tricky as the viewfinder is small, and manual focus was by a sliding scale in the viewfinder, rather than by manual adjustment of the lens. I also took the C8080 to northern Norway where I photographed the Aurora, and got some surprisingly good photos - still some of my favourites! The camera functioned flawlessly throughout, even in the biting cold weather experienced in Tromso. I still have the camera, though it was set aside when I purchased the original EM5 on its release. I now feel inspired to use the C8080 once again, just for the fun of it!

[@robinwong]

Thanks Hugh for sharing your experience with the C-8080, and wow, it has been everywhere capturing so so many wonderful shots!

[@LowDoughTech]

Very cool. I love your retro camera deep dives!

[@j16m02]

That was fun! My first digital camera was the C-3030. Loved that camera!

[@robinwong]

Wow, that was a fun camera too!

[@jacobdurham4845]

I’ve been shooting with one of these for about two weeks now. I love my modern mirrorless cameras, but there’s just something so calm and wonderful about slowing down with the C8080!

[@thissidetowardscreen4553]

Thanks Robin! another camera on my bucket list! ;) Thanks for the review always nice to see cameras of the past being used in the now and how wonderful they can be!

[@robinwong]

Thanks, if the camera was a good camera 20 years ago, it is still a good camera today!

[@DannyB-cs9vx]

The Olympus Stylus 1 was also ahead of its time. Pocket size 12MP Tilt Screen, EVF, 1/1.7" BSI-CMOS sensor with an F2.8, 28-300mm zoom lens, 2.8 over that range is impressive.402 g (0.89 lb / 14.18 oz). I recently bought one and I plan to use it for travel and night time street photography.

[@robinwong]

I think Stylus 1 is still quite a modern camera as it was released during the mirrorless revolution era.

[@xmeda]

I prefer Oly XZ-2 for night handheld cityscape thanks to F1.8 lens. Try to get one while they are still available on 2nd hand market with cca $150 price tag. But yes, Stylus1 is fine tool. And you can upload "Stylus1s" firmware to "Stylus1" and enjoy few additional functions that they added later :) I love that camera for bike trips and when Im just taking pics of birds on garden as it is small and does not frighten them like DSLR with some 100-300/4 lens :)

[@DannyB-cs9vx]

@@xmeda Thanks. will look for one.

[@DannyB-cs9vx]

The camera has a one stop advantage, but lacks the EVF and has a shorter lens. The 1.8 is only at its widest angle. At the narrow end it is 2.5, so not much difference.

[@sean.grogan]

I'm digging these camera retrospectives. Keep them coming!

[@robinwong]

Thanks Sean, more to come for sure!

[@clintjohnson5914]

I was just thinking as you were explaining about the camera about what a beautiful lens that was. You can definitely see the emphasis on quality that evolved into the early 4/3 lenses.. some of which I still have and use. Even though these ergonomics seem to be a little clunky.. they were much better than the Minolta that I started using in about 2005-06.. which was essentially just a box with a lens stuck on the front. Even at almost 20 years old it's still is capable of making classic Robin style street images.. thanks for sharing this.

[@robinwong]

Thanks Clint, and yes, it was also interesting to see how Olympus has already paid so much attention to ergonomics and handling even in their earlier digital camera making days.

[@christinecoughlan4699]

Thank you Robin .

[@robinwong]

Cheers Christine!

[@gregbrummett7762]

Wow! The C-8080 was my very first digital camera and I loved it! I still have many printed pictures from those days and honestly...they're pretty good.

[@robinwong]

Thanks Greg, glad to know they can print well too!

[@seabiped3451]

I still have mine. It was the first digital camera I bought, the reviews back then were very supportive of the camera. The optics are superb, I got some very good images with this camera. Nice review.

[@ggwildlife]

excellent Robin what a great camera that was and you are right it was way ahead of its time for sure, keep'em coming!

[@robinwong]

Thanks, it was indeed a great camera, so fun to use!

[@bkaustav]

I do have my first Olympus digital camera. SP570UZ. After watching this video, I pulled that out planning to try it after 8 years... Thanks Robin...

[@robinwong]

The SP570 is relatively modern I think, is much faster and has higher resolution! It has a massive zoom range I remember

[@bkaustav]

@@robinwong yes. It's 10 mp and has 26-600 mm equivalent zoom. I am surprised with the daylight photo quality of this CCD sensor.... I guess it was released in 2008

[@kaminobatto]

Wow! I'm really impressed by the specs on such an old body! You can definitely see the innovation of its time!

[@robinwong]

Yeah, such a dinosaur camera, yet having incredible specs!

[@robstammers7149]

Hi Robin, I have a C8080 in my collection of vintage digital cameras, and I absolutely love it, I've not yet ventured out with it, just a few indoor test shots. It's great that you've made this video, I know you love Olympus. The C8080 is a classic with a great lens too. Thanks Robin. Regards Rob (UK).

[@SantiagoJerez_nyc]

Great review👍

[@lincrane6219]

I really like detailing such an old camera like this

[@robinwong]

Yeah the design is so cool!

[@RedmiNotepro-sm9si]

Your photos are amazing

[@s1dew1nd3r4]

This is absolutely incredible, Robin - i need to get one! The images look fantastic for what they are too that old CCD style sensor too!!!

[@waynebeaumont3274]

My first digital cameras were Olympus. I stayed with them pretty much thru their 'Camedia' era. Starting with the D450 clamshell, then a C2100UZ, followed by a C4000. The C2100UZ was really a fun camera - one of the first super-zooms. I left Olympus for a while (never could stand smartmedia cards) going to a Canon G9, which I still have. That was followed up by a Nikon D40, then a Canon G1X (a nice camera but pitifully slow). My current gear includes both the E-M1.3 and E-M5.3, with no intentions of changing. It's fun going back to the early days and seeing how far we have come.

[@robinwong]

Thanks Wayne. indeed, it is fun to relook into the nostalgic days! And these cameras can still deliver some great results!

[@cityproofdad]

great video as usualy

[@robinwong]

Thanks!

[@kennethmoyuenchui1535]

Many memories with this camera

[@stablewaydevon9913]

Great video Robin. I still use my C-8080 Wide Zoom. I also have the supplementary wide and tele lenses and other accessories launched at the time. A super camera.

[@DrHasenpepper]

I had this C-8080 and at the same time the Minolta A1. Very cool bridge cameras at their time. As the A1 had a serial sensor issue, I used the C-8080 until I sold it 2008 or so.

[@robinwong]

Minolta used to make some really cool cameras too!

[@keislayzell9255]

Managed to find one in a Charity Shop for £10, looking forward to learning how to use it.

[@trevorbrooks813]

I still enjoy giving my 5060 an outing and love the results, although the 8080 is certainly a big step up with a larger sensor and that incredible lens. My 5060 has two advantages (maybe), it can 'macro' focus much closer than the 8080 and costs less than half the price. However, I must say you do get what you pay for here and the 8080 is clearly the superior camera. Top video, thanks Robin.

[@robinwong]

Thanks Trevor, and there was no where I can afford any of these cameras back then during the new launch. I could only buy them now at heavily reduced price in used market

[@seekerandroses]

I have one of theses I have a few questions@@robinwong

[@bublt4me]

I've recently acquired the 5050 and 8080. I really like the quirky design and they're fun to use. I think it's definitely a vacation camera though instead of a street camera. Although they're light, they're quite large.

[@robinwong]

Thanks Martin, agreed, the size can be a letdown, but the camera still takes great images.

[@NPJensen]

I have owned and used an Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom for a couple of months now. Two things, I notice about the camera. It remembers the focal length, I was at the last time I had it turned on, and it actually has dual card slots - 1 for CF and 1 for xD, and a dedicated button to switch between the two cards. In many ways, it's a dinosaur with slow AF and the processing time after each shot as well as when reviewing shots is no laughing matter, but I do enjoy using it a lot.

[@robinwong]

Yeah the slow AF and writing time can be dealbreakers, especially if you do street photography, or you need the camera to be responsive. Nonetheless, the C-8080 is still such a fun camera to use.

[@NPJensen]

@@robinwong For street photography, I would go for zone focusing with manual focus, set it to around 3-5meters and use f8 to get usable results. You can even set it to continuous Hi and shoot and pray if it's a matter of capturing a moment. But, then of course the writing time is even longer - and you don't know, what you got until later. I have found that technique useful for capturing a skateboarder in "mid air" - unfortunately his trick failed, so the final result is nothing special, but I'll try again until I get it. Btw, did you read the review on dpreview, where they write, that while the lens isn't marked as a Zuiko lens it was made at the same factory as the Zuiko lenses for the E system and it is supposed to be of the same quality?

[@VanLigutom]

Wow. My first time seeing this camera. ❤. Indeed ahead if its time.

[@robinwong]

Lemme know if you wanna borrow!

[@VanLigutom]

@@robinwong it’s okay. No worries. It looks different.

[@DavidKabra]

Now that I have my core camera setup, I've been collecting funky cameras here and there. 😮‍💨 Think I got a new hobby love these older cameras.

[@robinwong]

Thanks David, and yes, these cameras are so so so fun!

[@AnthonyJGianotti]

I have a C-7070 which is fantastic as well, its slow as you pointed out when shooting raw but I view it as a sort of digital film experience. I also shoot a bunch of other old digicams including a Panasonic LX3 & FZ35, and a Nikon E3100. Next on my list to buy is a Fuji F31fd or one of its sister models.

[@prizepictures1]

Way to keep things interesting

[@robinwong]

Thanks, C-8080 was interesting indeed!

[@TreDeuce-qw3kv]

About that time I acquired a Canon G5 which I still shoot with occasionally. It has a tilt and swivel screen, 6-megapixle CCD and still works without issues. I still have 'The new' digital cameras I bought back in the day and amazingly they all still work and look as new and even more amazing is that most of the batteries still take a charge. I didn't acquire any Olympus cameras back then as I leaned to Nikon and Panasonic's, but in my film days Oly's, Minolta, and Pentax SLR's were my first choices and before that Yashica's and a few other rangefinders found a permanent home, the most unusual is the Graphic-35 which gets a fair amount of attention when I take it to the street. Interesting retro review of a interesting early digital camera. Appreciated.

[@kenwiberg6517]

C2040z from the turn of the century - I got it after having the D490z, but saw they had a camera with an f/1.8 lens - I had to try it,.... I still have it, but reading the files has become a chore, not insurmountable, but never-the-less, something I don't choose to do - that said however, I do still use my E-500 without a thought and my E-620 with the 18-180 is a great walk-about pkg for when I want a break from my OM-1 and 150-400 ,,,.......thanks for what you do Robin ..... :-)

[@anatoliy9804]

The Olympus S8080 was the first Olympus camera for me and became the gateway to the world of the digital Olympus. I worked there in 2004 and in 2005 I won a photography competition in the region. I still have it to this day. Yes, it is very slow and the process of writing and reading from a flash drive is very slow. It also has a very small screen and EVL, low frame resolution. For her time she was wonderful and the best, but now she is only a memory.

[@azjoe_6310]

I had the Canon Powershot Pro 1. It was great and had a 28-200mm equivalent lens that was also an L lens! It was a pretty rugged camera and still works perfectly!

[@robinwong]

Wow, that is some massive zoom range!

[@thomasli2561]

Excellent photographs. Recently,there is a trend that young people now want to buy old cameras for photo shooting. OM should consider revive the production line of this camera.

[@robinwong]

I think the old production has been discontinued and remaking them will cost more, and there is no way for them to recover the heavy manufacturing costs. They can make newer cameras, more fun and targeted toward these similar crowd that checks all the right items.

[@rwilifeandtravel1854]

You've taken me back in time. I never owned that camera but I remember it. I bought my Minolta Dimage A1 in 2004 and still have it today. It was a massive improvement over the first generation Minolta Dimage 7 which could take up to 30 seconds to save a single raw file. The 28-200mm equivalent lens on the Dimage series cameras were great. Olympus, Minolta, Canon, Nikon were all very much still finding there feet with digital cameras back in the early 2000s. The rate of chanve was pretty fast.

[@edfrancis66]

I loved my A1! After a year mine developed a fault and the workshop didn't have any parts, so they gave me a new A200. I liked the A1 so much I asked if they had one, even an old one, instead. They didn't :( I also realised the workshop was closing as Minolta was leaving the business. I remember the service centre staff were looking kinda glum

[@realkk]

I got Dimage S304 instead

[@rwilifeandtravel1854]

@@edfrancis66 The sensor on the A1 models got replaced due to a fault. I sent mine in for the replacement. I still occasionally shoot with my A1. I love that Minolta had a vertical grip for it which came in handy during my travels. I think the modern day equivalent camera is probably the Sony RX10 series although the lens does not have as good a macro mode and there is no vertical grip.

[@robinwong]

Wow, 28-200mm lens, that is a massive range!

[@rwilifeandtravel1854]

@@robinwong Minolta used that same lens design from the initial Dimage 7 to the Dimage A200 (I believe). I found it a very versatile lens especially as it had a decent macro mode.

[@david_allen1]

Great walk down memory lane, Robin! After the C-4040Z, this was my second digital camera, which at 8MP was double the megapixel count! I loved the camera when I bought it for many of the reasons you mention -- in particular the startup time, resolution and image quality, but also very important was very small shutter lag. Shutter lag is a thing of the past now, but in that time, manufacturers use to quote the shutter lag improvement in their literature. I still have the camera now, and I just took it out a few days ago and had fun recalling how to use it -- it was quick because of all the shortcut buttons. I wanted to take monochrome shots as winter in the NE US lends itself to monochrome, but unfortunately the C-8080WZ doesn't have a monochrome mode. I was thinking I'd use it for shutter therapy! What do you think? I might have to shoot in JPG mode to avoid the slow write time.😉

[@robinwong]

Thanks David! For my own shooting I have no issues using JPEG, as they are already so good. But I also must mention how slow the RAW writing was, it can be a problem for some people. At the same time, I was also curious about how good the RAW images were, and they did not disappoint. Other than that, please use JPEG, no reason to go RAW unless you want to do some professional work, which I won't suggest using the dinosaur C-8080 for!

[@edfrancis66]

Man, the noughties was exciting period in digital cameras. I was just making the (reluctant) shift from film, but DSLRs were still too expensive. I used a couple of 1/1.8" sensor cameras for some light commercial work, mostly location shots for printed brochures (a 4MP Canon G2 and a 5MP Olympus C-5050). Was looking at the new 8MP+ cameras when I finally got a DSLR in 2006. Now, I'm playing around with compacts again 😄

[@robinwong]

Thanks Edwin, and yes, these older compacts were really good, and worth getting just to have some fun with these days!

[@nomansarker5556]

It sort of looks like the medium format film cameras. Definitely very advanced for the time.

[@robinwong]

the camera design is so cool!

[@LaurenceRoach]

Brilliant camera my friend in China had one and achieved amazing results ❤

[@robinwong]

I really enjoyed shooting with the C-8080!

[@dl11950]

I have, and still occasionally use, Panasonic’s contemporary bridge camera the FZ50. It is also built around the small sensor huge lens philosophy. The raw file write speed is not quite as slow. The lens is quite nice, with non extending internal zoom and focus. The zoom is mechanically coupled to the zoom ring, much preferable over a power zoom. It also has effective stabilization. I would like to have a true successor to the camera, with modern electronics and the same lens - but the FZ series diverged into smaller and larger successors.

[@robinwong]

Thanks Dave for sharing your experience with the Panasonic FZ. I remember Panasonic really knows how to make really good compact cameras. Their Lumix line was respectable, and I should find some older Panasonics just to make content, and see how well they perform.

[@robertgrodzki5510]

8080 was also for me the first digital camera. Having switched to DSLR I abandoned it completely. Your video made me charge the battery and the camera started flawlessly after 15 years of staying idle. Robin, one thing had always been annoying: wobbly lens. Is it also in your case?

[@sveinwilhelm5491]

My very first digital camera was the Olympus C 2100 UZ, which I bought for a fortune: 1200 USD back in 1998. Only 2,1 mp. I did lots and lots of pictures with the camera, and even some very decent prints in 21x30 (cm) format wich still are on walls. Think it was one of the first super zooms, and it also had a viewfinder. Still have it on my “heavy” collection of old cameras.

[@oldtechie6834]

C2100 was a great camera. I visited the Canadian Rocky Mountains and took many pictures with it. I brought along many SmartMedia storage cards (maximum 128MB each), a hard drive gadget that would automatically offload pictures from SmartMedia and sets of rechargeable batteries. I gave the camera away because of the limited picture resolution and the limited capacity of the storage media.

[@jonlow]

Still making stunning photos today ;).

[@robinwong]

Thanks Jon! Waiting for your next content.

[@johnsmith-gs4qf]

Great point & shoot camera. Reminds me a little of my Canon PowerShot Pro Series S5 IS from about 2007. The Olympus is a more interesting camera imho because it had all those features in 2004!

[@robinwong]

I think the Canon S5 has a lot more modern features, but the Olympus sure had some good optics!

[@oldtechie6834]

It is a prosumer camera. It is a great camera which I still own. I bought this after owning an Olympus C2100. C8080 works very well outdoor. Unlike the C2100, the autofocus on the C8080 is unusable at night.

[@Omer.Mansur]

I recently bought a C-8080 with three original batteries, charger, remote and all cables and manuals for $50 USD. Honestly really happy with the purchase

[@dunnymonster]

Highly enjoyable video Robin 👍 Perhaps Olympus should have changed the wording on the fast review button to slow review lol 😋☺️

[@robinwong]

So so so so true!

[@Imagewalk]

Olympus C-2100UZ my first digital camera. I still have it and it works like new, but it has had very intensive use.

[@robinwong]

Awesome camera!

[@Imagewalk]

@@robinwong Indeed, and it is excellent even in appearance. Very interesting to do IR with a R72 filter.

[@Wobbegong_th]

My first digital camera that I bought was Olympus C-7070. Still keep it although the battery doesn't work anymore.

[@bambangfsuryadi]

Hi Robin. I still have Oly Camedia C740 2.3 megapxl. Ultrazoom 10x, f/2.8-3.5. With 3 iso setting 100, 200 and 400. Only iso 100 can be used. The jpeg colour was the best compared to other brand. This was the first digital camera I had.

[@robinwong]

Wow, 2.3MP and ISO100, tell that to the people who shoots with 100MP and ISO1million today

[@bambangfsuryadi]

@@robinwong I only shot at daylight and at night I used tripod or always with flash. I love the jpeg quality from this camera. Very clear. Never edit the image, maybe only croping. With 3 fps burst I shot sport outdoor. Never wished high iso. I just hated the memory card (xD card), that I could not use other type. I bought this camera at 2003 and at 2010 moved to fujifilm.

[@dogblessamerica]

I had the c5060, was very jealous of the 8080 but subsequently went with Pentax DSLR

[@hisham56hamilton50]

Salam Robin and Happy Ramadan Eid to you . We missed you man ..

[@robinwong]

Selamat Hari Raya Hisham. I never went away, I have been here all this time.

[@genkishan]

Thnx Good review, nice cam! Are the samples edited?

[@ClearComplexity]

I have a Lumix LC1 from that era of high-end compact. It's only 5mp compared to this Olympus' 8mp, but the images are pretty solid with the lens and the overall build and design can only really be rivaled by the Leica Q series today IMO (to me personally the LC1 is better designed than the Digilux 2, the Leica branded Panasonic, as they like to do). I also have a Lumix L1, a Four Thirds camera from the same era, that I still love.

[@vic_the_roman]

I have the Olympus C-5050. Dual card slots 😎

[@kenblair2538]

And I still have my C-5060.

[@caw25sha]

CF presumably?

[@vic_the_roman]

@@caw25sha 1 CF and 1 XD.

[@robinwong]

Yeah the C-8080 also has 2 card slots.

[@xmeda]

Sister has/had a hair older Olympus C-5060WZ that was also quite advanced in 2004-2005 era when they bought it. 5Mpix, 27 -110mm, f2.8-4.8 lens, quite good build quality and lot of functions. C-8080 was a beast in 2004 when it was introduced.... those were times when regular people mostly had 2-4 Mpix full auto compact cameras with some 38-115/3.1-5.6 lens and even those were quite expensive. I saved a long doing my part time jobs during studies to be able to get my first small Casio QV-R40 in 2004.. While that Oly C-5060WZ was about 2.5x more expensive at that time. C8080 probably more than 4x. But concerning prices it seems that the golden era is gone. During about 2008-2014 there was significant competition and camera market was huge ranging from cheap compacts to hi-end DSLRs. But now with shrinking camera markert cameras are again getting more and more expensive. I bought my first DSLR Pentax K20D for about $1200 totally new freshly introduced in 2008, then later K5 for about $1300 in 2011, but now current K3III cost over $2100 here in central EU almost three years after it was introduced (!). And even some 2nd hand camera prices are rising. :(

[@leric4205]

A l'époque, j'avais l'Olympus c-5050 ;)

[@1RoadGarage]

Do you happen to know the maximum size Compact Flash card this C8080 will accept? Also, which size are you using? Thanks!

[@ehwestonful]

I had the Olympus E-10 Zoom years ago but never never the C-8080. If the optics on the 8080 were as good as the E-10's, they were excellent.

[@dzemski]

I have Nikon Coolpix 4500 with analogue film scanning adapter :) And I'm using it to fast scan of analogue film. 4 mpix and TIF is ok for internet, and up to 13x18 cm prints.

[@robinwong]

That's so cool!

[@grassIand]

I do believe the sharpness that's on those Olympus compact cameras from that era is produced by in body processing, and I know a lot of people dial the sharpening down so it doesn't look too sharp or too digital, they are very sharp indeed, but probably not all done by the lens

[@robinwong]

The lens is very sharp. As you can see from the video, I did not shoot in JPEG, all images were taken in RAW, and from the post-processing software, I did not even have to do anything to the default sharpnening. There is a reason why the lens is so massive.

[@Apollolabsphoto]

I had a 2001 olympus e-10, produced lovely shots and colours. Sometimes chose to use it over my olympus e410 partially because it had really snappy focus, and if you werent pixel peeping the images just sometimes felt nicer, and was proof 4 megapixels and a good lens was much better than 10 megapixels and a bad lens. Unfortunately went missing in a house move, i was gutted.

[@jjmarz1001]

I have the C-7070. Even though I have superior M4/3 and FF cameras there's just something about holding this camera and embracing it's quirks that is very pleasing to use. It's kind of like embracing a fully manual film SLR but different. Slowing down and stepping back in time can be very enjoyable.

[@robinwong]

Yes these older cameras are so so so fun to shoot with!

[@photo1416]

Which present! I'm just waiting for this camera in the mail, I bought it a long time ago. She surprised me with her abilities. Only the recording time of raw frames is scary. And these wonderful photos in your examples are jpeg or raw?

[@robinwong]

Very fun camera to use indeed. I shot all these in RAW.

[@miafamily8696]

Still have mine and pull it out from time to time for macro and still shots

[@joelee24]

Thanks for the great review, and my first DSLR was the E-300 and I loved it. I have a question, what is the max capacity of memory card it can take, can I used a CF to SD adapter with it, thanks !

[@bilalcelik054]

Hello from Germany

[@robinwong]

hi

[@haji727]

I’ve never seen this camera until today.

[@robinwong]

Always something new!

[@pratipkarmakar01]

Amazing design and features...modern cameras just lost the uniqueness like old ones

[@robinwong]

Agreed, we need cameras to be more unique and diverse!

[@giuliomarino4103]

i want his enthusiasm

[@dayeah765caoni3]

MUST GET THIS!

[@robinwong]

Buy buy buy!

[@kenm4678]

Oldie but goodie, just put away my C-3040 after some use for old time sake! My first digital camera.

[@robinwong]

Yes, these old cameras are magnificent!

[@leckywoznicki5393]

Thank you. I love the first shot of the towers & I don't speak cat so what was the setting :)

[@omng3435]

Robin thanks for video n your affords. In KL where to find used camera shops ?

[@aroundomaha]

I was torn between this an the Sony V1. I got a good deal on the Sony, and loved it, but still had a soft spot for the C8080.

[@robinwong]

Yeah, the C-8080 price during launch was quite steep

[@jonbarnard7186]

I have a C8080 and a C5050, although I don't use them. The C5050 uses AA batteries, something you never see any more. They are both too slow now to bother with I'm afraid.

[@metalgear1288]

Yes, I agree that the RAW + Jpeg takes forever. Average about 14 sec. That was the major flaw for this camera.

[@andrewgifford7740]

Any idea if using faster data transfer rate memory cards helps reduce this time?

[@arifluqman9773]

HI there, I have Olympus PEN-ELP 6 with 14-42mm lens. Can you recommend a better lense of choice for potrait/landscape and videography ?

[@chakradharmaddineni9103]

Please consider doing a review of stylus 1s which was probably the succussor of this model with a 28 to 300 f2.8 lens

[@robinwong]

I don't think that camera can be found anywhere here.

[@chakradharmaddineni9103]

@@robinwong oh is it? If you ever visit Singapore I will be more than happy to lend you mine.

[@JimiCanRead]

7:25 🐈😹

[@robinwong]

Meow

[@wadelapan5756]

See the DP Review online article "Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 Review" from April 20, 2004. On page 3, "Body and Design," there is a "Side by side" paragraph and a photo of the five cameras that were available in this class: Olympus C-8080, Minolta DiMage A2, Nikon Coolpix 8700, Canon PowerShot Pro1 and Sony DSC-F828. I've had the C-8080 for some years and like it, though I have to be a contrarian and note that the first thing that popped into my head about the camera before I watched the video is, "chromatic aberration." We have plenty of bare branches against the sky in my northerly location, and if anything is going to show chromatic aberration, it's bare branches. But I do like the camera; even its chunkiness.

[@wadelapan5756]

Surprisingly, the Olympus SP-500 UZ (UZ = ultra zoom) actually also has an early EVF. By the time of the later UZs, they had dropped the EVF, so with, for example, the SP-600 UZ and SP-820 UZ, both of which I have, you frame exclusively with the LCD. All three are rather nice cameras, even in 2023. As Robin notes of the C-8080, it's small sensor photography, but still, not at all bad.

[@robinwong]

I did not notice much chromatic aberration, even in extreme condition. I even unchecked the "correction" in the RAW file. Something is amiss here.

[@bagzhansadvakassov1093]

Even with modern cameras you have vignetting and bs. Amazing cam.

[@robinwong]

Very true!

[@bagzhansadvakassov1093]

@@robinwong Robin I would lovd to hear your take on a subject that is profoundly more important than camera gear. That is how do you stay so positive?

[@gabecicale1860]

I'm a total ignoramus when it comes to digital cameras. My wife bought this C-8080 at a yard sale about 5 years ago. She paid $20 for it and we haven't used it very much. I suspect mostly because it is intimidating to learn all the ins and outs. I've been looking for a way to become comfortable with it so that I can get good results but due to its age it is hard to find any tutorials. Any suggestions?

[@maratbabayan9332]

Olympus always was ahead of time but sometimes you have to be not ahead but just in time to make profit... I'm sure they won't merely kill this brand with insane reputation and one day Olympus will get back with something new and super cool, maybe FF!

[@robinwong]

I admire the companies who innovate and push the boundaries of imaging, and Olympus has been really bold and daring in their R&D. They know they can't fight with full frame manufacturers, and they made the right call.

[@jd5787]

Hi, you found this one on ebay? How much did you manage to get it for please? Tks

[@jarihuikari8921]

Last year I bought (for 15€) a HP Photosmart 735. It has 3.2 megapixels. It's very slow and glumsy camera. And battery life is poor too. 😅 Camera is in good condition. Perhaps I can sell it to some collector in year 2040... It takes ok images. Image size is good for social media as such (2048 x 1536). If I use tripod and self timer, the images are quite sharp too.

[@dzemski]

it's predecessor 715p was my first digital camera.

[@caw25sha]

There was a big range of HP branded cameras. I think they were just badge engineered products at the lower end of the market. Assuming the battery is the same age as the camera it probably just runs down quickly because of its age. It's probably impossible to buy a new one now.

[@jarihuikari8921]

@@caw25sha The camera uses two disposable 1.5V AA-batteries which can be found from any store. But these don't last long. I have used rechargeable batteries instead.

[@robinwong]

Must have been such a cool and fun camera to shoot with!

[@caw25sha]

I had a Nikon Coolpix 5700 about the time this camera was launched. Frankly it was awful, probably the worst camera I've ever used. Poor build quality, awkward handling, slow and dim EVF. A big disappointment coming straight from the FM2 and F3. With hindsight I should have bought one of these Olympuses. Like you said Robin there were some interesting configurations in the early days of digital cameras, before things settled back down to the layout and handling of film cameras. The biggest turnaround was from Fujifilm. They made some very sci-fi looking cameras but now make the most traditionally styled and handling cameras.

[@robinwong]

Thanks Chris! Wow, now you got me curious about those sci-fi looking Fuji cameras!

[@muzzaro]

Now the prices of these second hand will rise! Each time a photographer does a video saying “camera x is a hidden gem” it becomes un-hidden and suddenly it’s as expensive as a modern camera! :P

[@robinwong]

The thing is these cameras are so hard to find!

[@ChristopherBonis]

Meow. Meow. MEOW. 😆 And yeah, having played around with my grandfather’s old cameras, I must say that one thing that hasn’t improved since the late 20th century is/are the quality of lens optics. If anything, they’re probably slightly worse in contemporary cameras.

[@robinwong]

Agreed. I was quite impressed with the optics in C-8080.

[@raresalex862]

What happened to your instagram? The link in the description is broken

[@robinwong]

The link works fine from my end. My friends checked and they said they are ok too.

[@kevingardner4229]

Another enjoyable video. We have an old C760 Olympus zoom camera which we used for many years until the LCD screen became so dark that we could not see the images or the menus. We would like a "modern" version of this camera, it was so good for travel photography, though the buttons on the back were very small and difficult to press. I took a few test images with it a few months ago, eveything still worked except the LCD.

[@jpegowski7361]

When C5050 Zoom ? :)

[@robinwong]

If someone sells at good price in the used market.

[@m5-networks]

Meow Meow Meow.

[@Olgersdr]

As an ex Olympus user I can say that Olympus is the perfect example of how the wrong marketing strategies can ruin a great camera brand even when being generations ahead of the competitors in many camera models!!!

[@robinwong]

They did invent and innovate a lot in the imaging industry. Well, being the first, does not mean being the best!