Olympus Digital C-211: It Shoots, It Prints

The instant gratification of digital photography has just become significantly more gratifying: No longer must you view shots on a tiny LCD screen. Polaroid and Olympus have joined forces to produce the first digital instant-print camera, the hefty Olympus C-211 Zoom Digital Printing Camera. The unit also records 15-second video clips and offers a full range of manual controls--as well it should for a list price of $799.

Unlike a standard Polaroid camera, which prints all your shots, the C-211 lets you select which images to print--a welcome bit of economy, since the unit uses ten-shot packs of film that cost about $10 a pop.

In quality, the C-211's Polaroid prints resemble their nondigital counterparts: Colors are mostly accurate, with occasional haziness. But if you use an ink jet printer and photo paper, the print quality improves markedly. On-screen photos also look vivid.

Handling a shipping version of the C-211 was relatively easy. For advanced users, the camera does offer such manual functions as over- and underexposing an image, adjusting shutter speed, and changing the flash mode.

On the downside, the camera is incapable of recording audio to accompany its 15-second QuickTime videos, and like other digital cameras that shoot video, the C-211 quickly runs out of storage space if you try to save a video on it.

Since the C-211 lacks an optical viewfinder, you frame shots with the LCD monitor, which increases the drain on the four included AA alkaline batteries. Optional rechargeable batteries might be the way to go: Olympus sells four AA nickel-metal hydride batteries and a charger for $70.

The C-211's biggest drawbacks, aside from its price, are its size and weight. At almost 2 pounds, it's one of the heavier digital cameras I've toted--about twice the weight and size of comparable models that don't print their photos.

Overall, the C-211 is a novel idea, but unless you desperately want instant prints of photographs and stills from your videos, look elsewhere for a more cost-effective digital camera to meet your needs.

SUMMARY

Olympus C-211 Zoom Digital Printing Camera PRO: Polaroid prints; many manual controls; 15-second video clips. CON: Expensive; bulky design; unit is relatively heavy. VALUE: Unique digital camera prints instant pictures but has too high a price. List price: $799 Olympus 800/622-6372 www.olympus.com