Olympus FE-5500 preview

Print | Close this window

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/digitalcameras/0,39030233,39192767,00.htm

Previewed 5 October 2005

Previewed by Will Greenwald

The Olympus FE-5500 is the smallest member of Olympus's FE series of point-and-shoot cameras. It's an ultracompact, 5-megapixel camera with a full metal body, a 51mm (2-inch) LCD and a 3x zoom lens. With some retailers selling it for less than £180, it's a tempting pocket camera.

Upside
The FE-5500's tiny form and small price tag are its greatest advantages among its otherwise mundane features. Its metal body measures only 23mm deep and weighs just 125g, making it easily small enough for a pocket or a handbag. Olympus provides a built-in help feature that gives you onscreen guidance as to which automated mode or feature to select.

Downside
The competition is stiff among ultracompact 5-megapixel models, and Olympus doesn't provide any standout features in the FE-5500, with the arguable exception of the built-in help guide.

Outlook
The Olympus FE-5500's combination of low price and small size, not to mention strong but unexceptional, mainly automatic features, should appeal to anyone looking for a sub-£200 ultracompact camera. It faces competition from many similar pocket cameras, though.

Edited by Aimee Baldridge
Additional editing by Nick Hide