Olympus C-5500

The C-5500 is expected to attract consumers who want a fast burst mode and a long zoom perspective. The camera will retail for $349.99 (USD) and should be available for purchase in February 2005. The C-5500 has 5.1 effective megapixels and a 5x optical zoom lens, which when coupled with the 2.7-frame-per-second burst mode, makes an ideal combination for creating sharp, shallow focused prints of sports or action. For movie clips of action or movement, there is also an included image stabilization system. In this price range, image stabilization is a rare find, but welcomed, of course. The additional inclusion of fifteen scene modes, along with automatic, semi-automatic, and manual modes make the Olympus C-5500 a versatile camera that will suit beginner to intermediate level users. It is important to note that the model handled for this review was a pre-production model, therefore, the numbers and specs related to the camera are subject to change prior to actual release.