Test Drive: Olympus Camedia C-5060 Wide Zoom: Digital Camera

Olympus America, 2 Corporate Center Drive, P.O. Box 9058, Melville, NY 11747. (631) 844-5000 www.olympusamerica.com Windows 98 and up, Mac 8.6 and up. $599.99.

Though I've tried a number of nifty digital cameras lately, I'll be honest with you—none of them has come close to filling the void that was suddenly left in this shutterbug's heart when my trusty, fully manual 35mm Rolleiflex SL35M tumbled down that mountainside in Costa Rica back in '96.

That's why I fell in love with the Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom the moment it came out of the box. Like my old "Rolly," this jet-black camera has the classic profile and satisfying, compact heft that are hallmarks of a serious photographic device. Here are just a couple of things that set this camera apart from the point-and-shoot pack:

The lens. Manufacturers always tout the zoom power of their camera's lenses, but zoom is highly overrated. Far more useful, especially in typical school situations, is a camera's ability to capture wide-angle interior shots. The C-5060 has a very good quality lens that widens out to the equivalent of 27mm, with a maximum aperture of f2.8, which enables natural-looking indoor shots that have professional depth and punch.

Manual control. Sure, you can let the C-5060 operate on automatic with very good results, but that would be wasting its strengths. This camera lets you control the aperture, shutter speed, and flash settings, along with a host of other variables so that, if you have a little photographic savvy, you can get the same high-end results you'd expect from your trusty old SLR—without wasting film on the bad shots.

Obviously, a 5.1 megapixel camera that's packed with features isn't for everyone. This medium to high-end unit currently retails for about $550 and will definitely send you to the manual a couple times as you get familiar with it. But if you're not satisfied with the flat and garish shots you get from your current digital camera and crave the creative freedom once afforded by your favorite manual 35mm, this may be the next camera you fall in love with. If that happens, take my advice: when hiking in the rainforest, always use the carrying strap (included with the C-5060).