Olympus FE-5020
Olympus FE-5020
Olympus FE-5020
Editor's Review
The Olympus FE-5020 is a simple, point-and-shoot camera with a slim body and a large 12.1-megapixel sensor. Intended for casual or novice users, the user-friendly FE-5020 features an above-average 5x optical zoom lens.
Specifications
- 12.1 megapixels
- 5x optical zoom
- 2.7-inch LCD display
- xD-Picture Card or microSD memory storage
- Part Number: FE5020DARKGREY
- UPC: 4545350024222
- Release Date: Jul 22, 2009
Shop for FE-5020 Accessories
Olympus FE-5020 Comments & Questions (write your own!)
romain (11/01/2011)
my fe5020 attempts to extend the lense when I power on, but only makes a "winding" noise and turns off; even with a new battery.
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Jordyn Kleensang (09/20/2010)
how do i take a burst shot on my digital camera? (olympus FE-5020
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by James DeRuvo (09/21/2010)
As the burst mode on entry-level cameras can often be slow, it seems Olympus has got round the problem by simply not including one.
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Olympus digital camera has gone to write protect mode (Dilip Singh — 08/01/2010)
My olympus digital camera fe 5020 has gone to WRITE PROTECT MODE and not allowing to do any operation. Write protect is also not going. i am not able to take any picture and also not able to download also.
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by James DeRuvo (08/03/2010)
It's in your menu settings. But reset is way easier.
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Red rectangular outline in display window (Alex — 07/17/2010)
Writing over pictures ??
I saw a red rectangle in the display window while taking pictures in bright sunshine. It was hard to make out the display so I thought I may be running out of space on my memory chip but it allowed me to take about a dozen pictures more before I realized I lost every pictures I had taken before this rectangular display. Any idea ??
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I saw a red rectangle in the display window while taking pictures in bright sunshine. It was hard to make out the display so I thought I may be running out of space on my memory chip but it allowed me to take about a dozen pictures more before I realized I lost every pictures I had taken before this rectangular display. Any idea ??
JEANIE (02/10/2010)
HOW DOES THE FE 5020 DO AT TAKING SPORT SHOTS LIKE BASKETBALL OR WRESTLING.
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by James DeRuvo (02/13/2010)
When it comes to shooting sports, especially indoor sports, you really need a DSLR which can zoom in from the sidelines and have no shutter delay. Unfortunately, you're dealing with a lot of limitations with a compact DSLR. Shutter lag, limited zoom, noisy images due to low light and high ISOs, limited flash range. I'd say that not only is this camera poorly suited for shooting sports, but most point and shoots are as well.
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Linda (02/02/2010)
how many pictures can the xD card hold?
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by James DeRuvo (02/09/2010)
Depends on how large the card is, how much resolution the images. What size are you talking about?
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is the olympus fe 5020 better than or worse than the canon sd1200is (kkniegge24 — 01/02/2010)
is the pictue quality in the olympus fe 5020 better than or worse than the canon sd1200is? im really stuck between these two cameras and dont know which is best. i like the fe 5020's wide angle and 5x zoom but ive heard a lot that the canon sd1200is is rally good.
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kkniegge24 (01/02/2010)
my email is kitward24@gmail.com
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Liam McCabe (01/12/2010)
They're just different. The SD1200 is a really good camera--straightforward, but easy to use, reliable, and takes great pictures. The Olympus has a bigger zoom and is a little bit cheaper in some places. It just depends on what you're looking for in a camera. Canon has a great reputation for point-and-shoots; Olympus is hit or miss. Hope this helps.
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I received the camera for christmas and it works perfectly; however I now have a dotted line across the screen of the camera all the time. (SueAC — 01/02/2010)
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Larry (01/13/2010)
I will suggest a camera reset. This procedure differs for each camera so you may have to look it up in your manual. Most cameras will reset if you remove the battery(ies), leave them out for several minutes, and then replace them. When you next turn your camera back on it will reboot as though you just took it out of the box. Hopefully, that will get rid of the line. If not the next step is a warranty repair so be sure to get it fixed before the warranty expires.
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Hebe (03/18/2010)
mine has a dotted line on the screen too and the pictures look fine on my computer, I am very confused, I tried all ways that I can think of to make it work, but the line's still there. I almost send the camera back to Olympus Imaging Inc. this morning, but I wasn't sure whether they will fix the LCD problem even though my warranty doesn't expire yet. the LCD. problem is not included in their terms and conditions of warranty.
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Does this have a high resolution? (ldavis — 12/09/2009)
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by James DeRuvo (12/10/2009)
With a 12 MP camera, you can go pretty large with prints. But for your average snapshot, anything above 8MP is overkill.
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Is the FE 4000, FE 5020 quicker in response to shutter activation? (tom-ros-2 — 12/09/2009)
I have now FE-20. My major beef with the camera is slow response to shutter activation. Is the FE 4000, FE 5020 quicker? Also the screen is impossible to see on the FE-20, if sun is shining on it. Otherwise I was quite happy with the resulting pictures from the FE20 and features of the camera, but would like to have more zoom capabilty.
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by James DeRuvo (12/10/2009)
Well you're going to run into similar frustrations with the newer FEs as well. Shutter lag on the FE4000 is nearly a second and a half while the FE5020 hovers around a half second.
As for seeing the screen, any camera that doesn't have a viewfinder will run into that issue.
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As for seeing the screen, any camera that doesn't have a viewfinder will run into that issue.
tom-ros-2 (12/11/2009)
Thanks James. Half a second delay is not that bad. The reason I like to stick with the Olympus is that I have 2 replacement rechargable batteries and I acctually like the Micro SD storage.
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by James DeRuvo (12/12/2009)
Makes sense. But remember that point and shoot cameras seldom use the same battery design. But hey, if you have them and they work it makes sense to keep it in the family, so to speak.
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love (01/08/2010)
I wish I would of came across this REVIEW on the shutter lag for this camera Fe-4000. I wasn't too happy about it but it was the same spec as a kodak ex: m380 for the min shutter. And I bought this as a gift for my sister, when she open it and we try it out... I was very disappointed notices that the shutter really lag.
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by James DeRuvo (01/08/2010)
Well, there are ways around the lag ...
1. Prefocus. Hold down the shutter half way to get a prefocus of the image you're shooting. When it changes, prefocus again. This will speed up your camera's performance during picture taking since it won't have to autofocus before it shoots the shot.
2. Use faster SD cards. Yes, there are faster cards and it does make a difference in writing the image file to the card. This is especially key if you're taking multiple or burst images.
3. Fresher batteries. I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography - these have an "mAh" of at least 2500-3000.. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) and put out alot of energy.
4. Pan with the action. You can create some pretty cool shots by panning with your shot, focusing on your subject. This will create the effect of your subject in sharp contrast to the blurry background.
5. Stick with 100-400 ISO. Going higher will cause more noise/grain in your shots, particularly in darker settings.
Doing these, particularly prefocusing and panning with the action will cut your shutter lag by as much as 80%.
reply to this comment
1. Prefocus. Hold down the shutter half way to get a prefocus of the image you're shooting. When it changes, prefocus again. This will speed up your camera's performance during picture taking since it won't have to autofocus before it shoots the shot.
2. Use faster SD cards. Yes, there are faster cards and it does make a difference in writing the image file to the card. This is especially key if you're taking multiple or burst images.
3. Fresher batteries. I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography - these have an "mAh" of at least 2500-3000.. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) and put out alot of energy.
4. Pan with the action. You can create some pretty cool shots by panning with your shot, focusing on your subject. This will create the effect of your subject in sharp contrast to the blurry background.
5. Stick with 100-400 ISO. Going higher will cause more noise/grain in your shots, particularly in darker settings.
Doing these, particularly prefocusing and panning with the action will cut your shutter lag by as much as 80%.
Why are the images on my display so grainy. Does this mean they will be this way in the photosJ (jssatre54 — 11/07/2009)
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Larry (11/07/2009)
Are you shooting in low light conditions? that can cause grainy photos for sure.
On a nice new camera like your model, a grainy looking LCD view on the camera
will likely mean a grainy looking photo print.
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On a nice new camera like your model, a grainy looking LCD view on the camera
will likely mean a grainy looking photo print.
tom-ros-2 (12/15/2009)
Possibly. Low light, no flash. Is there a setting for ASA Speed? The higher the speed, the grainier the picture. The camera will probably adjust the speed to the light conditions
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