Rating: 
Summary: Excellent unit--especially if you need to use a lot of zoom.
Review: I'm the unofficial photographer for my kid's high school tennis team. I go to all the matches I can and take a zillion photos that I then upload to the net for use by the school and the kids on the team and their parents. I need a versatile unit that works well in all lighting conditions, which is good for action photography and has very good dtorage capacity.This camera more than fits the bill. Picture resolution is exceptional even on zoom action shots on the court. It works well with a variety of lighting conditions, a feature I especially like as a lot of my work is in the very late afternoon/early evening time when the court lights come on but some sunlight is still available but changing minute by minute. Changing settings is quick and easy. The only major flaw I can detect for the whole unit is the fluorescent lighting setting is lousy-stay with the standard incandescent setting for better results. The camera has good storage capacity. It quickly shifts between photos in "view" mode, a feature I like as it allows me to ditch less desirable shots on the fly so as to maximize card storage capacity. The unit also does excellent close up work. On a recent vacation to Nova Scotia I took a lot of wildflower pictures and they turned out fantastic. The USB connection is easy to set up and use. There is a Camedia CD for working with your pictures on a pc but it is very basic and offers somewhat limited utility-I use a different photo-shop type program. A lot of people gripe about the lens cap on the Olympus products. While it's true they were a disaster in previous times, it has improved greatly. Just weave the strap onto one of the side strap bars and all will be well. I personally find the viewfinder a bit awkward to use and usually just use the LCD on the back to view and set up the pics. On the other hand, my wife loves the viewfinder and that's all she ever uses. I think this is a matter of taste rather than any particular engineering issue. On the whole, an excellent value for the price on a slew of fronts. I don't see how you could be disappointed with this camera.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Indoors and in Low Light!
Review: The Olympus C-700 is an absolutely amazing camera. First off, it has a 10x zoom lens that's equal to 38-380 mm (in 35mm) -- or an even more phenomenal 38-1,026 mm(!) if one counts the 2.7x digital zoom. So if you're looking for "telephoto," this camera has it in spades! The camera is even fantastic indoors and in low light (inside or at night). The camera adjusts the exposure to the equivalent of 800-speed film, but I'd swear the sensitivity is even higher. I've gone to indoor theatrical events and shot - with no flash, hand-held and with telephoto -- and the photos have come out great! Nighttime images are also a piece-of-cake. Long exposures are rendered perfectly (and not washed out)! And even when the scene is too dark to see on the display before the shot is taken, the actual photo is viewable immediately afterwards in all of its splendor. The camera's "exposure lock" is also handy for locking-in the proper exposure indoors (which is useful when the lighting changes dramatically during a stage show, or when the performers are only in the spotlights). Simply press the exposure lock, verify the exposure in the viewfinder's LCD display -- and repeat the procedure until you achieve the level of brightness desired. (Using the exposure lock -- and adjusting the brightness using the digital viewfinder -- takes the guesswork out of overcoming previously difficult indoor lighting situations). My favorite use for the C-700, though, is taking photos of my kids playing basketball indoors. The camera's dimunitive size (being much smaller than a normal SLR) makes the unit easy to hand-hold and maneuver under all photographic situations. And although the camera's normal focus is slow (like most digital cameras), the shutter will fire almost instantaneously -- if you pre-focus ahead of time (so catching the action is not a problem). (The C-700 will also take a few seconds, in addition, to recover for the next shot; so its important to plan accordingly.) Digital photos of my kids playing basketball are now scattered liberally throughout their rooms. My kids love 'em! The camera has two LCD displays; one on the camera's back -- and one in the viewfinder; the latter providing an SLR-like view of the actual photo -- both before and after its taken. The LCD viewfinder is ideal for accurate composition, especially when the zoom range is so broad. But both displays will tend to wash-out when shooting in bright sun; so I'll normally end up cupping my hand over the eyepiece when I shoot outdoors. (If most of your photography will be outside -- and if you don't need the ultra long zoom lens offered by the C-700 -- then I would urge you to consider purchasing, as an alternative, a digital camera with a traditional glass viewfinder. Viewing the image in the see-through viewfinder will be much easier -- and much more satisfying.) Even though printing photos from my PC isn't a problem, my favorite way of outputting shots from my Olympus C-700 is actually -- to bypass the computer entirely -- and use HP's new PhotoSmart PS 100 printer, which reads from the camera's Smart Media card directly. Since both the Olympus and HP save and read, respectively, in what's called DPOF (digital print order format) -- I can crop (and select) the photos I want to print on the camera's rear LCD screen -- pop the Smart Media card into the printer -- and then print borderless 4" x 6" photos by hitting just the "Print" button (since the PS 100 will always call-up the DPOF pictures first). What could be easier? With its 2.1 megapixel capability, the camera also makes great 8 x 10's, which I output in the more traditional manner from my computer to my HP Photosmart 1315 or HP 990 Cse printers. All in all, the Olympus C-700 is a great digital camera -- which I use to supplment (but not replace) my 35 mm Nikon SLR, Canon underwater, and Olympus point-and-shoot cameras. If you're looking for a telephoto digital camera, you won't find a longer, more usable range -- in such a small size -- anywhere else! And if you want to shoot indoors or in low light -- you'll be truly amazed by the (previously unobtainable) shots you'll now be able to take. This digital camera has easily expanded my photographic horizons -- in ways I never anticipated. For the above situations (and a whole bunch more) -- the Olympus C-700 is now my camera of choice!
Rating:
Summary: Still enjoy it!
Review: I've owned this camera for several years now and although the resolution is starting to get low by todays standards, I still greatly enjoy this camera. I absolutely love the 10x zoom, and the pictures taken are much better than if you would have a cheapy low-end 3-4 megapixel camera. For anyone on a budget, this camera now offers alot of quality for an affordable price.
Rating:
Summary: review for Dennis Curtin's book for c700 Olympus camera
Review: This is the book that should have come with the camera. Text is written in plain language. I learned more in one weekend about my camera than I learned in two years. You may miss some of the wonderful features this camera has to offer. A must have how to book for the Olympus c 700 zoom.
FCR
Rating:
Summary: 10x great for viewing or calendar size prints
Review: I have used the C-700 for a wide variety of shots. From taking pictures from high-altitude. It shows the glaciers, dams and bridges on highways, even buildings and individual trees changing color in the Rockies. I took a picture at maximum 10x x 2.7x (27x) zoom from a cruise ship in Alaska of Orcas on the beach rubbing barnacles off. I couldn't see the result in the view finder or see the orcas with binoculars, but got good quality full screen images cropping out half of the picture where the orcas were. I've taken close-ups of orchids in Singapore, Bald Eagles, in Arkansas, Geysers at Yellowstone and am very happy most of the time. I carry 5 sets of spare rechargeable batteries and use a recharger that hooks up to the car. With the recharger, I never really have to use more that 2 sets when I have the car. It recharges at home in less than 1 hour, and I seldom need more than 3 sets in a full day of photo taking. I keep about 1100MB of memory cards for a full two-week vacation and read them in with a USB reader. I organize and edit using PhotoParade and save my best ones into Webshots. These work very well for my purposes (viewing on my computer). Shutterfly prints calendars for me and the pictures are amazing. I haven't had any trouble with the lens cap. Maybe that was an earlier model. The cord attaching it must be facing the side it attaches, but it will open with it on in this position. I have had a problem early on with purple halo's on zoomed pictures around bright portions of the picture. This turned out to be me moving the camera. I found you can brace your hand against a tree, rock, or anything and get sharp pictures. Also, I don't hesitate to take dozens of pictures of something I really want. Animals and birds aren't very cooperative, but by taking many pictures, I've gotten some great shots. With film, I never would have tried. It is also easy to delete unwanted pictures. For landscape, I normally shot in HQ mode which is still better quality than my 1.3 MP camera gave. The main difference there is it still has the 10x zoom which if nothing else can crop a picture like you want. The 2.7x digital is mostly only good for focusing on something tiny like a small bird. The only negative I've had is trying to take pictures with sharp contrast - real bright light and real dark shade. I've had this with my other digital as well, as well as with film.
Rating: 
Summary: Great pictures, terrible lens cap
Review: I've owned this camera for more than a year and have been very impressed with the pictures I've taken. I have some fine close-ups of eagles and whales, taken shortly after I bought it. My biggest disappointment is that the springs in the lens cap break easily--I've broken two and haven't found one in many months to replace it, or I might have broken more. The shutter is also a little slow to respond, so you have to anticipate action shots (a bit hard when you're whale watching). I'm told this is a problems with most/all digital cameras and not unique to this one. I still give 4 stars because of the great pictures, the many options it has for taking photos (more like an SLR than a point-and-shoot) and the 10X optical lens.
Rating:
Summary: This Camera is FUN!
Review: Easy to use, beautiful photos, great macro lens for extreme close-up situations. This is my first digital and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a camera with a lot of virsitality.
Rating:
Summary: Slick little gadget.
Review: Overall, I like this camera lot. Since many others have waxed poetic in this vein, I'll concentrate on what it doesn't do well. My two major complaints:
1. The small black and white viewfinder is useless in sunlight. One can use the bigger LCD screen as a viewfinder, but it really eats batteries.
2. There is a several second delay between the time you press the shutter button and the time the image is actually captured. The camera is busily focusing and adjusting itself during this time. This makes it difficult to catch fleeting expressions in people's faces, and if you're working with a toddler, they can be long gone by the time the camera takes the picture!
Rating:
Summary: Zoom Zoom Zoom
Review: This is a great camera - the zoom being the reason I purchased it. If you can, find a copy of "A Short Course in Olympus Camedia C-700 Ultra Zoom Photography" by Dennis P. Curtin to get the most out of this camera!
Rating:
Summary: Does it all well
Review: Had my C-700 for over a year and it absolutely comes through. Even tho it's my first digital, I did my homework before I bought. Knew right away to get a big card (64 is enough!) and ni-mh batteries (the more powerful ones), and a ... card reader. I've done everything from faraway surfing to weddings to nighttime fireworks and campfires to dirt bike excursions and my son's football. I've blown up 8x10's and made T-shirts. This camera has been everywhere and is in constant use. I've burned hundreds of pictures to CD's. And I save power by NEVER using the LCD screen (except to view and delete).
The color, resolution, and sharpness of this camera is amazing. The flash is strong and far-reaching. It does well with portraits, scenery, and everything in between. And it's fairly small and light, even by today's standards. Other positives: Self timer works well. Auto shut-off saves power when you forget to turn it off. On night shots push the shutter halfway and it lights up so you can see the picture before you take it. No software needed to download to some (newer)computers. The one time I called Olympus tech support they were very helpful. The down side: yes, there is one, but it's minor stuff. The manual is hard to read and understand. Some of the menus are hard to get to and figure out. It's not "pocket size". The carry strap looks flimsy. That's it! The only reason I wouldn't recommend this camera is if you wanted something small, and a 3x optical zoom would suffice. In that case I'd get a Minolta Dimage Xi. If size doesn't matter but sturdiness does, get the Cannon A-40. Or if you didn't need a zoom, just a good 2.0 snapshot camera, then I would say get the Casio pocket or Sony U-20 (no viewfinder). Otherwise, you can't go wrong with this camera.
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