Olympus Camedia C-740

Olympus C-740 Ultra Zoom

Camedia C-740 Review, by Tracey Capen June 30, 2003

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• Reviewed by: sueatwood7

  Strengths: 10 Optical Zoom

  Weaknesses: Slow flash

  Overall: The camera takes great, sharp pictures. The 10 optical zoom is fantastic. Flash pictures are not as good as hoped.I probably need to try more settings and experiment more with flash situations. It does not do well in low light situations such as Christmas pictures with Christmas tree lights.

• Reviewed by: nlgerber

  Strengths: the icons on the mode dial are easy to read and understand. I had never used a digital camera before, so I started by reading the manual, again well-written and understandable.

  Weaknesses: It's a bit heavy.

  Overall: This is my first digital camera, and I find it easy to use. The icons on the camera are almost self-explanatory, and the automatic focusing is perfect. The detail in the macro mode is astonishing, even when blown up to 8 X 10. I have not hooked up to my computer yet....I have to get more memory....but took it to school and used it there. Everything is good!

• Reviewed by: radway

  Strengths: 10 Optical zoom, uses AA batteries, decent quality photos, many "preset" options yet also many customizable features, can use either Smart Media or XD cards

  Weaknesses: Bulky, definitely not pocket-sized, difficult to make settings "stick," no image-stabilization thus you can't use the full 10x zoom without a tripod,software has some great features but a few bad ones

  Overall: On the whole, this is a great camera with a few drawbacks. It takes good pictures and does not require a PhD to use the basic features, yet many of them are user customizable. It uses standard AA batteries and if you use rechareable batteries you can get several hundred shots before they run out. The camera can use either Smart Media cards (cheap but not available in sizes over 128 mb), or the faster, smaller and more expensive XD cards (available in sizes up to at least 512 mb). The zoom is by far the best feature of this camera,it allows you to get real close, but unless you have really steady arms, a tripod, or rest it on a steady surface you can't use it above about 6x without getting blurred photos. The zoom is also what makes the camera bulky. It will not fit in your pocket. Newer models of this camera have a 10x zoom that does not stick out as far (and thus might allow it to fit in your pocket although it would still be large). Newer models also offer 4mb or 5mb, but I'm perfectly happy with 3mb which allows excellent quality reprints to at least 8 x 10. The only reason to go for more megapixels is either to print above 11 x 14 or to effectively use some of the digital zoom. The camera boots-up acceptably but won't win any speed prizes. The lag between shots is large unless you select the setting that automatically takes several shots in a row (which won't really work if you need to use the flash). There is also a lag between the time you press the shutter and the time the photo is actually taken, especially if you haven't pre-focused the camera by pressing the shutter down half-way (which I highly recommend doing). Thus while you can take "action" shots (it has the ability) it takes a lot of practice to do so and get the shutter to snap at the precise moment you want it to. For some reason I do not understand, my camera resets itself to take pictures a 2 mp (instead of 3 mp) every time I turn it off, and I can't find a way to change this default. While 2 mp is usually fine, this should be easier to adjust and to make "stick" at 3 mp. The software that comes with the camera is generally great and easy to use. It is very easy, for example, to print out an 8.5 x 11 page with a combination of different photos, and with different sized photos (like one 5 x 7 and several wallet sized pictures). Selecting the pictures is "drag and drop" and the software will also print special projects (greeting cards, postcards etc.) and will run a slide show of your photos. The major drawback of the software is that it doesn't allow you to decide where on your computer the images will reside and the location the software selects is nested very deep in an obscure location. Also, when you rotate the pictures in the Olmpus software, it does not rotate the original image on your hard drive so if you use another viewer (like the file explorer) to look at the photos you will have to rotate them again. You also can't rotate a bunch of photos at once. On the whole, I'm happy with my camera, although I wish I had the newer models where the lens does not stick out as much. If you think of it like a standard camera that hangs around your neck you will enjoy it. If you want a camera that you can take with you everywhere you go and store in your pocket or purse, then you need to look elsewhere.

• Reviewed by: beejayem

  Strengths: Great 10x zoom, good pictures, AA batteries, lots of manual controls, lots of resolution settings.

  Weaknesses: Colors are slightly warm for my taste (but has good WB & saturation adjusting capabilities), trouble focusing in low lighting

  Overall: This is a very good camera that I think most beginners & many amateurs will be pleased with. I noticed some pictures seemed to have a lot of noise when viewed in actual size (at default resolution & ISO!). The colors in the pictures are not as vibrant as with the Canons. It's also too bad that there is no AF illuminator.

• Reviewed by: hudali

  Strengths: Ultra Zoom, Very good picture quality, compact design, rich of usefull mode, good for normal as well as advance user. Good price tag. Using AA battery, and last longer than other digital camera.

  Weaknesses: Lag Time - to long. Improve the lag time can make this camera more fun.

  Overall: This camera is actually the best camera for the price tag. Buy this camera for value of your money, you will never disappointed with the picture quality, functionality and manual setting. I pay RM 1550, = USD 408. thank and happy taking picture...