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Summary: Olympus C-740 Ultra Zoom @ Bytesector.com
Review: Aesthetically beautiful, internally powerful, and user enjoyable; A few traits that are at the heart of Olympus's C-740. It is a 3.2 MP professional use camera for those who want to test the limits of digital photography. With magnificent 10X optical zoom lens and powerful user controls this camera is relatively low in price and high in features. Today we will explore what really makes this camera click! (View the full review @ Bytesector.com)
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Summary: Great camera for an digital camera amateur
Review: After researching several digital cameras, I settled for this one and I have not been disappointed. Taking pictures are a breeze and I love the quick view feature. I began using the camera this summer and I have not yet changed batteries. The print quality is wonderful and navigating the software is quite simple. I wanted a moderately priced camera and I have so far gotten value for my $$$.
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Summary: ok 4.75*
Review: After wanting and researching digital cameras for some time I finally decided to buy this one. if you haven't owned a digital before this will do you right. the pictures are nicer than i expected. it has a 10X optical(!!) and Macro-photo(3 inches), both far and close picture with this camera.i am having some minor problems learning how to get consistent in-focus pictures, but the ones i get are great. it's a bit slow(aren't most digitals?)...and digital cameras are not video cameras. so, you don't need sound... the 16MB Xd card will hold 20 high resolution pictures. enough for one day i think... * the camera will not take panorama pictures with other brands' XD cards. I got a deal for a fuji 128mb xd card and it's a no go for the panorama mode , but it will hold 160 pictures. my four year old daughter uses this camera...
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Summary: Great 10X camera
Review: Camera works great! Had mine 6 months & highly recommend it. You need to be very still when using the 10X to it's limit, but that is expected.
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Summary: Great Camera - Awful documentation
Review: Easy to use camera right out of the box. Lots of great features but if you plan on using them plan on a steep learning curve. The printed manual that comes with the camera plus a quick start guide do a good job of getting you up and running quickly. The advance features are only covered on a 226 page Adobe Acrobat document on the CD that comes with the camera. Why 226 pages, because each page is approximately 4X5 inches in size. So stock up on paper if you plan on printing it out. So in conclusion - Great camera for the price but be prepared for shoddy documentation.
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Summary: No better than the 730.
Review: However, it does address some of the 730's sluggish autofocus mechanism issues for fewer blurred images.
That notwithstanding, the 700 was my favorite digital camera for a long time, that is, until the 720 came along. Then along came the 730, which maintained the 3+ megapixel resolution of the 720, while reinserting the 10X (true optical) zoom (the 720 has an 8X). Think of the 740 as a refreshing of the line while Olympus was waiting for the truly improved 750 to hit the streets.
In point of fact, zooming on any of the 700 series at 8X or at 10X without a tripod or image stabilization (not present on either the 700 thru the 740) is extremely challenging. Anyway, this camera is beautifully made and ergonomically engineered. The aspherical all glass lens system is excellent and the resulting 3 megapixel images are crystal clear at 8" x 10" and quite acceptable at 11" x 14". The zoom of course remains the trump card on the 740, and the smoothness (just the right damping) with which it reaches its 10x limit is awesome. Another nice feature is its ability to take QuickTime movies, which really adds to its versatility. However, these have no sound, a drawback the 750 will address.
The 740 (a feature that began with the 730) is the second Olympus to utilize the new xD memory card format, the "xD-Picture Card". This is a new type of ultra-compact memory media developed jointly by Fuji and Olympus. The main features of the xD-Picture Card are its ultra-compact size (20.0 x 25.0 x 1.7mm), its lower power consumption (the xD Picture-Card users will benefit from the convenience and savings of longer battery life on a single charge) and its faster read/write speeds. Of course, a new card means a new card-reader will be needed, but these are inexpensive and aren't immediately needed, as the camera can be linked by the included USB cable to your PC without too much fuss. Overall, I think the 740 is a camera I'd take a pass on. If money is an issue, go with the 730 or even an earlier model (I still love my 700); if features are what you long for, pop for the 750.
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Summary: Great Camera, lousy software
Review: I bought a C-740 3 weeks ago. Very nice camera, got the controls figured out, took about 100 photos. Really like the long optical zoom. At some magnification, the 740 has the impaoct of a >6Mpixel CCD because of the excellent lens. One HUGE problem just discovered though. The Camedia Master (and Pro option) software stinks! It looks like poorly done software from an asian source. Worst of all, the Olypus softrware cannot print to any networked printer. Every one of my other Windows applciations work just fine over the net. Olympus says, "Gee, were sorry" and that they have no plans to fix this major error. If you need to use this camera at the office or home with a printer that is not directly connected to your PC, pass on Olympus and look for another manufacturer! The problem is endemic to all Olympus cameras!
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Summary: Way Too Sensitive
Review: I bought this camera for the incredible zoom function. But, after using it for a couple of months, I dropped it a distance of about 3 feet. After that the zoom no longer worked. So, I sent it to Olympus to be repaired and it was not covered under warranty. I am not careless with my camera, but I dropped it once like everybody probably has. The camera shouldn't break that easily. This camera is way too sensitive!
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Summary: Excellent performer.
Review: I bought this camera some time ago and paid considerably more than for what it is now offered, yet I have absolutely no regrets. Within minutes, I was taking quality shots of landscapes, close-ups of flowers, pets, etc. and reviewing/deleting with ease. The 30x zoom is a bargain in this price range, the lens is glass, and the operation (particularly the built-in flash and its monitor) is child's play. The accompanying software is O.K., although not necessary for my purposes (moving picture files is a bit of a chore).
If 'point and shoot' is your goal, the 740 certainly suffices but the added functionality (such as movie mode) may be more complicated than necessary. However, this would make an excellent first camera for those yet to graduate to digital from standard 35mm SLRs.
Highly recommended.
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Summary: Excellent zoom for excellent pictures!
Review: I have had my camera for almost two years and I absolutly love it. The zoom feature is absolutly amazing. I have used it for photographing animals, scenery and even Seattle Mariners games and the shots are very impressive. Especially when they are loaded into my computer and I can bring them up full screen. I have only ordered 4x6 prints, but I'm sure larger prints would be beautiful as well. This camera has a lot of features including a timer, which is nice. The only real drawback is how digital cameras eat batteries. I would highly recommend buying rechargable batteries for your camera as it gets expensive buying 4 AA batteries all the time. It does take a steady hand to take pictures on some of the settings, but you can preview your pictures to make sure your good!
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