Color

Color (9.20)
Most people are critical of digital cameras’ ability to reproduce colors accurately. It is always unfortunate when someone uses a cheap digital camera for a cousin’s wedding and gets nothing but horribly discolored photographs as a result. Discoloration can be attributed to improper white balance or an imperfect imaging processor. Of course, the same problem arises with different brands of film, but the problem seems more pronounced in digital cameras.

To test how accurately the Olympus C-5500 reproduces colors, we recorded several exposures of the GretagMacbeth industry standard color chart, with careful consideration for proper color calibration. We uploaded the images into Imatest Imaging Software and analyzed the camera’s results against the original chart. The chart below is modified to show the contrast between the two; the camera’s reproduced colors are on the outer square, compared with the ideal color, represented in the inner vertical rectangle. The middle square is the color corrected version, replicating alterations from an external computer application.

The graph below shows the same information in a more concrete manner. The circles represent the camera’s produced color; the squares represent the ideal colors. The shapes that are right on top of each other are best; the farther apart the shapes are, the less accurate the reproduction of that particular color.

The Olympus C-5500 received an overall color score of 9.2, which is quite good. Most colors were slightly off of the ideal, but did not stray very far. The only tones that are considerably off are the warm, reddish hues (#15, #9, #17). So perhaps this might not be the ideal camera to capture gorgeous sunset landscapes in the Grand Canyon, but it does quite well otherwise. The over-saturation of warm tones will translate favorably when shooting portraits, embellishing skin tones and minimizing minor blemishes and imperfections. The mean saturation score for the C-5500 is about 105 percent, which is average for digital cameras.

Still Life Scene
Below is an image of our overly stimulating still life scene recorded with the Olympus Camedia C-5500.

Click on the above image to view a full resolution version (CAUTION: The linked image is very large!)

Resolution / Sharpness (3.16)
The Olympus C-5500 advertises 5.3 total and 5.1 effective megapixels on its 1/1.8-inch CCD, coupled with a TruePic Turbo Image Processor. To test a camera’s resolution, we take several images of an industry standard resolution chart and analyze them in Imatest Imaging Software. Most digital cameras don’t reach their advertised megapixel counts. In fact, when a camera comes within 70 percent, it is considered “good.” When it comes within 80 percent, it is designated as “very good.” Above 90 percent is “excellent.” Unfortunately, the Olympus C-5500 recorded only 3.16 of the advertised 5.1 effective megapixels, giving it a below-average percentage of 63 percent. While this will not have a dramatic effect on small 4 x 6 prints, even casual consumers will notice the difference when images are cropped and enlarged.

Click on chart to view full res image

Noise Auto ISO (3.83)
The Olympus Camedia C-5500 performed respectably in our noise testing. When the camera was set to the automatic ISO option, the C-5500 received a noise score of 3.83. This is decent for the automatic function, as most point-and-shoot cameras function within a restricted ISO range when using the automatic setting, which produces substantial noise in most settings other then direct sunlight.

Noise Manual ISO (5.65)
We test noise levels at each ISO rating, and then insert the results into a regression analysis to determine an overall score to compare with other digital cameras. The graph below shows the amount of noise apparent at each ISO setting. The C-5500’s manual ISO ratings of 80, 100, 200, and 400 are places on the horizontal axis, while the resulting noise on the vertical axis.

The Olympus C-5500 received an overall manual noise score of 5.65, which is actually strong for a sub-$400 compact digital camera.

Low Light (8.0)
We test each imager at decreasing light values to determine how the camera will perform in minimal illumination without the assistance of a flash or additional accessory light source. We record four exposures of our GretagMacbeth color chart at 60, 30, 15, and 5 lux. These levels attempt to replicate typical low light situations; 60 Lux appears as a soft bedroom would with two bedside lamps; 30 Lux is about a single 40 watt bulb; 15 and 5 Lux test the imager’s sensitivity to light as the scene approaches darkness.

Low Light Tests
60 Lux	30 Lux
15 Lux	5 Lux

The Olympus C-5500 performed effectively in darkness. The camera was capable of recording images in 5 Lux and even more impressively, the camera did not struggle to achieve proper focus in minimal light levels (as many imagers seem to). The camera’s performance at 60 and 30 Lux was nearly parallel. When the available light dropped down to 15 Lux, there was significant discoloration that was not visible before, as well as a steep jump in noise. Decreasing from 15 Lux to 5, there is again a drop in color accuracy and an increase in noise, though the camera still captured recognizable images with accurate, near perfect focusing. Impressive!

Speed / Timing
Startup to First Shot (7.85)
The Olympus C-5500 takes a relatively quick 2.15 seconds to start up and take its first shot. Most compact digital cameras take about 3 seconds, so this model will fare well for unprepared users.

Shot to Shot (9.24)
Olympus advertises a 2.7-frame-per-second burst rate; however, our tests couldn’t replicate this. For our testing, we used the LCD screen to frame the shot and set the camera to the Continuous shooting mode. The C-5500 took a picture every 0.76 seconds at best. The camera took four frames in 3.24 seconds, then rested for about 5 seconds before shooting again.

Shutter to Shot (8.28)
This Camedia takes about 0.36 seconds to take a picture from the time the shutter release button is pressed. Much of this time is attributed to the slow focus which seems to focus in and out before deciding on its target.