Home > Consumer Reviews > Olympus iS-50 QD Date 35mm Camera

I bought this camera wanting some control and great zoom with, at least moderate picture quality. What turned me on most was the fact that I didnt have to buy and carry around another lens to get "closer" to the object I wanted to capture. I havent owned many SLR cameras but, I have to say this is easily the best camera I have ever owned. I thought for the price, I would just be getting a mediocre camera with marginal picture quality at best, but I was pleasently mistaken. This camera takes great pictures with incredible detail. If you do not know anything about apurature, and how to generally opperate an SLR camera this is the camera you should seriously look into. It is fully automatic. It will sellect the best settings for the light and focus for you with only a push of a button. If your a control freak, dont worry, you have that option as well. You can sellect a manual setting that will give you total control. The zoom is unbelievable, and the camera is well balanced. For the price, you cant beat it! Ive really enjoyed taking pictures with this camera. Enjoy!

That "inner voice" told me that this was the camera I wanted. I checked it out in the stores. I liked the way it looked, I liked the way it felt. The fact that it was a 35mm SLR, and a good zoom was a must.
I checked prices on this camera EVERYWHERE. You will not find a better deal on this camera than here at Amazon.com!
So the incredible price sealed the deal.
It is so easy to use. It has an automatic feature that does it all for you, right down to the focus. Or all the settings for a professional.
BUT! I got my first pictures back today, and WOW!!!! The color is brilliant, the images sharp! We took pictures at the zoo, and they look like they came out of a magazine!
The only drawback is the size. It's a little heavy and bulky, but preserving my precious children's faces in such a quality photo.... I don't mind! I couldn't reccomend a better camera

My quest to find a versatile camera with good quality output resulted in this camera. The pictures are extremely sharp and clear, even at the maximum zoom. The camera offers several automatic modes that come in handy and add to the versatility of composition. I highly recommend this camera to anyone.

I'm impressed with this camera. I've always wanted to have an SLR to take better quality pictures, but didn't want to spend months learning how all the do-dads and whats-its can influence those all important family pictures. Even my fiancee likes using it, and she's terrified of anything overly technical.
I'm a whiz with other technical gear, but I've always been leary of jumping into the world of photography. The camera is not going to make you professional. But it does make it easier to explore those fun and creative impulses. Once I load the camera with film, I want to use up the roll as soon as possible.
I made this decision for a camera to keep for the long haul. I'm not disappointed.

The Olympus IS series cameras have always had an identity crisis. At first they were called "ZLRs" or "Zoom Lens Reflex." They have the internal making of an SLR (a mirror mechanism that shows you exactly what the lens is seeing), but lack the versatility of being able to change the lens.

I've owned or given as gifts a number of Olympus cameras - the OM10, the IS-2, the IS-10 and now the IS-50. To this day the IS-2 remains one of my favorite cameras, especially with its unbelievable macro ability that rivals cameras/lenses costing hundreds more.

The IS-50 is a good camera. It takes great photos, its exposure system is excellent, it's light weight, has a powerful flash, and its automated features will be a boon to novice users. However, there are still better choices available.

I bought the IS-50 for a young nephew who wanted something easy to use and to shoot sports. The IS-50 delivers on the first, fails completely on the second. This camera does not have a continuous advance and focus sports mode. You press the shutter release, take a shot, and then have to repeat.

As a semi-pro user I found the flash warning system on the IS-50 to be especially annoying. The average person can easily take a photo in low light situations with a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second. People with super steady hands can even go as low as 1/15th. Experienced photographers know that you want to use natural light as much as possible because the flash creates shadows and harsh skin tones. The IS-50, however, starts warning users to use a flash at around 1/100th of a second! This makes no sense.

Normally this wouldn't be such a big deal for a point and shoot. However, camera prices, especially on 35mm models, are falling and users are expecting some bang for their buck. For the same price of an IS-50 you can buy a used Nikon N50 or N65 - both of which offer versatility, ease of use and exapandability. Earlier IS models such as the IS-1, 2 and 3 all offered much of these features. Why not the IS-50? At the very least, the price should be lower given the value and low cost of novice SLR models such as the Nikon models or the Canon Rebel.

Even with all these criticisms, the IS-50 is still an OK choice for novice users. If you want simplicity and good 35mm photos this is one camera to look at. Just be aware that for the same price or a little bit more you can get a camera that's a lot better.