Olympus IS-50 as "second" travel camera

I recently sold my beloved Contax G1, which I had been using as a

backup to my Nikon and its array of lenses while travelling. The

Nikon handles slide film on my travels, while the second camera

handles print. I finally decided the G1 was lacking in the

versatility needed as a second travel camera (no zoom, no program

exposure, a bit slow handling, etc.). I am now trying to decide on

its replacement. I have it down to either the Olympus IS-50 or a

Leica C1 (I used to own a C1 but sold it some time ago due to a good

offer). Has anyone out there used the IS-50, or does anyone at least

possess reliable hearsay re its performance, reliability, and

longevity? Thanks in advance for any info/advice.

The IS-50 is a very capable performer - it's a half-breed between a p and s camera and an SLR, what they call a ZLR I believe.

It has a good and fast autofocus, pretty decent meter (though no spot metering), and a very nice sharp lens over it's entire range (28mm-120mm). It's also easy to use and pretty lightweight. It's a plasticy body feel to it, but I don't see that it's any more or less durable than most consumer SLR's. I could wish for a better viewfinder (not hard to see through but a little small and about 85% coverage) but depending on what you're doing, this isn't necessarely a problem. I'd also like to see the ability to override the DX film speed setting (I don't think that's there, though there is some exposure compensation), but again, depending on what you're looking for, this may not be an issue. I can't say much about how long it'll last on its batteries though...

I should tell you though that I've only worked with a borrowed IS-50 (my uncle's) from time to time, I don't actually own the camera so my experience is limited - but this is what I've seen from using it a few times in the field.

In short, it's a VERY nice point-n-shoot with some of the niceties of an SLR and I wouldn't hesitate on it unless you need longer or wider glass. There are filter attachments you can use in a pinch, but I don't think they have quite the quality of actually swapping the lens out. If you're happy with the range though, no reason not to give the IS-50 a spin.