Olympus 3.0-Megapixel 8x Optical/2.7x Digital Zoom Digital Camera (225490)

Rating:
Summary: 8x optical zoom for $180?
Review: Here is my comparison shopping for a digital camera for my parents at Amazon.com with some criteria for selection:

MP: 3MP are sufficient, as they presently develop 3.5" x 5" prints from a pathetic film camera
optical zoom: important for Civil War re-enactments
LCD screen size: easy on the poor old eyes?
memory: I'm buying a spare memory card for them, after all
batteries: cost consideration
video: yes? limited duration or only memory-limited? audio?
price: preferably an entry-level camera
dimensions: portable, not too small for clumsy hands

Camera/MP/optical zoom/LCD screen/Memory/Batteries/Video?/Price (Nov 2004)/Dimensions

Canon A75 3.2MP/3x/1.8"/Flash/4 x AA/3 min/$200.00/4" x 2.6" x 1.3"

Canon S1 IS 3.2MP/10x/1.5"/Flash/4 x AA/yes/$400.00/4.4" x 2.6" x 3.2"

Fuji FinePix A330 3.2MP/3x/1.5"/xD card/2 x AA/no audio/$200.00/4.1" x 2.4" x 1.2"

Fuji FinePix S3000 3.1MP/6x/1.8"/xD card/4 x AA/no audio/$???/3.9" x 3.0" x 2.7"

Fuji FinePix S3100 4MP/6x/1.5"/xD card/4 x AA/no audio/$300.00/3.9" x 3.0" x 2.7"

Fuji FinePix S5000 3.1MP/10x/1.5"/xD card/4 x AA/yes/4.4" x 3.2" x 3.1"

Fuji FinePix S5100 4MP/10x/1.5"/xD card/4 x AA/yes/$400.00/4.5" x 3.25" x 3.1"

HP M407 4.1MP/3x/1.8"/16MB + SD card/lithium/yes/$200.00/4.3" x 1.4" x 2.1"

HP 945 5.3MP/8x/2"/SD card/4 x AA/1 min/$400.00/4.8" x 3.3" x 3.3"

Kodak DX6490 4MP/10x/2.2"/16MB + SD card/lithium/yes/$400.00/ 3.9" x 3.1" x 3.2"

Minolta Dimage S414 4MP/4x/1.8"/Flash/4 x AA/1 min/$200.00/4.5" x 2.5" x 2.3"

Minolta Dimage Z3 4MP/12x/1.5"/SD card/4 x AA/yes/$500.00/4.3" x 3.1" x 3.3"

Minolta Dimage Z10 3MP/8x/1.5"/SD card/4 x AA/yes/4.3" x 3.2" x 3.7"

Nikon CoolPix 3200 3.2MP/3x/1.6"/14.5MB + SD card/2 x AA/yes/$200.00/3.5" x 2.6" x 1.5"

Nikon CoolPix 4800 4MP/8.3x/1.8"/13.5MB + SD card/lithium/yes/$400.00/4.2" x 2.2" x 2.6"

Nikon CoolPix 5400 5.1MP/4x/1.5"/Flash//70 sec//

Nikon CoolPix 5700 5MP/8x/1.5"/Flash/lithium/60 sec/$???/4.3" x 3.0" x 4.0"

Olympus C725 3MP/8x/1.5"/xD card/lithium/30 sec/$180.00/4.2" x 3" x 3"

Olympus C765 4MP/10x/1.8"/xD card/lithium/yes/$400.00/4.1" x 2.3" x 2.7"

Olympus D540 3.2MP/3x/1.8"/xD card/2 x AA/no audio/$180.00/4" x 2.2" x 1.5"

Sony DSC-V1 5MP/4x/1.5"/Mem Stick/lithium/yes/$330.00/4" x 2.5" x 2.2"


I got a little lazy in tracking down all the details of the various Nikon's, but looking at my list, I think I would personally like to get a Dimage Z3. If I wanted to spend $400 on a camera for my parents, I think the Kodak DX6490 would win (big LCD, some internal memory for when they forget to bring a card, etc.). But, I'm being cheap (it's their first digital camera, after all), so I narrowed the choices to the HP M407 and the Olympus C-725. Playing with the cameras at a store revealed: 1) The HP M407 is really easy to use. I believe the C-725 menus are more complicated. Fortunately, since I'll be present when my parents open the gift, I can program the settings for them. 2) You quickly realize how 3x zoom stinks compared to 8x zoom. And a very cost-conscious 8x zoom at that.

Rating:
Summary: Olympus once again meets my needs with C-725
Review: I bought the C-700 4 years ago @ $499. Just bought the C-725 on sale at Office Max for $199. I traded up from 2 to 3 mp and am feel like I got a steal.

Originally was looking for a good price on the C-740. Stumbled on this deal and with the combination of 8x optical and 3x digital. Even the C-720 at $149 on sale would have met my needs. Both are identical in terms of features with one exception. C-725 uses the xD while C-720 uses SmartMedia (same as my old C-700). Would rather have stayed with the same media format but the C-720 was out of stock.

Here's why any of these are great. Better optics, manually controlled pop-up flash (avoids embarrasing situations when you might forget to turn off flash in a flash-free environment), 3 mp provides just the right level of detail that still allows me to manage my computer memory (most C-725 photos take up less than 600 kb while C-700 average about 450 kb), and the extra plus is the My Mode setting. Finally, I can turn off the camera and turn it back on and have it remember how I like my settings.

A word about pixels. The higher the megapixels the bigger the memory required. Not all 2 and 3 megapixel cameras are equal. Don't buy 4+ mp just because you think they're better. A high quality 3 mp like Olympus 700 series makes for more manageable file sizes. I have an inventory of over 4,000 photos that I can fill on a couple of DVDs. Don't know how many I would need if all of them were in memory-hogging 4+ mp size.

All of the Olympus products take great photos. I don't mind the small LCD. I do most of my editing on the computer anyway. Don't even bother using the USB cable. This causes you to use up battery life. Just invest in a modest card reader, swap and go.

Here's the secret to really good photos using Olympus. In P mode, Select Spot metering, reduce exposure to -0.7, set Contrast to high, turn on digital zoom, and always take an extra shot or two (they're digital - just delete the bad ones). Then keep this in My Mode.

I travel all over the country. I love taking photos from the plane, on the side of the road, while at a stop light, anywhere. I usually fill a card then delete about a third to half when I get home.

Using spot metering, I can almost always get the right compensation for whatever light is available. Take advantage of digital's ability to lock a setting by focusing on an object, pressing halfway down on the shutter, then reframing. That's it. Spot metering takes care of the rest.

By using high contrast, my photos are much more vivid. And despite what you hear about digital zoom being a glorified cropping tool, with optics as good as Olympus, you'll be able to freeze a fastball from the upper sections with clarity that will blow you away. Spot metering also allows you to capture more natural colors when photographing you child on stage at the school play without the need for the flash.

If this is all too difficult to remember, you can always just set the camera on Auto mode and still take fabulous photos.

Although not as compact as the cutesy cameras coming out now, it's small enough not to take too much space in my briefcase. And I can always buy an extra 4 pack of AA batteries to make sure I am ready for more photos.

Here's a tip: Don't throw out the batteries when you get a low power warning. Keep them in your junk drawer at home. They're still plenty of power left for Gameboys, kitchen clocks, toys, etc. Digital products just require max available power so buy good batteries. The store branded 10 / $1 alkalines just won't do.

Rating:
Summary: great price, lousy pictures
Review: I gave this camera as a gift to my brother, and have regretted it ever since. We can't take a decent portrait shot of anyone with the flash on-the facial features are faded and whited out, even with the exposure control and flash toned down. Shots outdoors in broad daylight are similarly washed out in auto mode. As a matter of fact, everything is washed out in auto mode unless you're outdoors on a cloudy day. We now find that on some camera review websites, there are lots of people having the same problems with the c725 or its earlier version, the c720.

We've sent the camera back to Olympus twice under warranty with samples of the pictures, only to get it back saying that everything is working fine. NOT. I have several digital cameras from a tiny 2-megapixel Olympus (which works great) to a Canon SLR Digital, so we're not rank neophytes. We take great pictures with all our other digital cameras without this much aggravation. With the Olympus c725, if you tweak everything with every shot you take, and take many shots of the same subject, adjusting the settings up and down each time, you may get a few great pix. But we don't all have that kind of time for each picture; We want the auto mode to just plain work, a lot of the time, and flash pictures to be viewable, not overexposed. This camera is dropping in price for a reason. I would bet that many customers are returning it, just like we did. What a disappointment. And a lot of missed scenery, vacation, and family shots that no one will ever see because this camera just wasn't up to the simplest point-and-shoot tasks.

Skip this camera, ignore the review hype from the shills who probably work for Olympus, and listen to the reviewers who've had problems. We're telling the truth.