toptechreviews's Full Review: Olympus Camedia C-4000 Zoom Digital Camera
For a sub 500 dollar 4 mega pixel camera, you cannot go wrong with the Olympus C-4000. Olympus has outdone their selves on this one. With image and movie capture capabilities you cannot go wrong. Although cheap, they manage to pack this camera with loads of great features that have stood side by side with Canon’s high end G3 which is nearly double the price. Although the 4000 is not the cool, attention-drawing, sleek design you still get plenty of bang for your buck. I mean I would trade looks and style for performance and quality any day. Right?
The View: The C-4000 has the standard 1.8” color LCD viewfinder. The viewfinder also displays details about your shot. Over/under exposed portions of the picture can be seen and adjusted, exposure settings are displayed and you care able to view saved pictures.
Navigation: Due to the fact that there are so many options packed into this camera, there is the possibility that you can get lost in the menus looking for specific features. But fret not; it only took me a couple of days to learn the ropes. Light metering, resolution, white balance, flash mode, and ISO setting are some of the key options. Although this may seem like a mouth-full for the amateur photographer, there are preset picture modes and programs for the “point and shoot” mentality.
Flash: The internal flash has Six flash modes: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Off, On, First and Second curtain slow synchro, first curtain w/red-eye are your options. A 5 pin external flash port for the optional FL-40 flash.
Zoom-a-zoom zoom
The Olympus comes with a 3X digital zoom with a range of 32 to 96mm and a Smooth 1-3.3x zoom value. This is a pretty generous zoom package considering the price and it is 35mm equivalent.
Focus: Three focus control choices are yours to make when shooting. I prefer to stick to the auto focus but here is a brief run down of each.
Auto Focus- It does everything for you. I have found this feature to be faster and more consistent compared to other auto focus cameras. It also has a low light focus that I have not got to use yet.
Manuel Focus- When enabled, you see a scale for the distance and a bar graph for focusing on your LCD. You then use the up/down arrow for control. There is a 1 or 2x magnification on the LCD for precision when zooming, but it jumps back to actual zoom when done shooting.
Macro Focus- Allows for closer focus, 8-80cm.
What about the juice?
The C-4000 is fueled by two CR-V3 lithium battery packs or 4 AA batteries which allow for about 3 hours or 600-700 shots. I have been pretty impressed with the battery life, especially when I do not use the LCD as much and take advantage of the optical viewfinder. No battery charger is included so you might want to include this in your purchase.
Comfort and handling: This camera fits well in your hands and the buttons seem to be placed with quite a bit of consideration. I was very impressed with how long I could take pictures without getting cramps in my fingers.
Picture Quality: The picture quality was very crisp and sharp. You will definitely not be disappointed with the print quality. Resolutions include: 3200x2400, 2288x1712, 2048x1536, 1600x1200, and 1280x960
Video Quality: Although there is no audio support video resolutions are available in QuickTime Motion JPEG format and the resolutions include: 320x240, 160x120.
Included in the package:
The package includes: Two CR-V3 lithium battery packs, a 16 MB smartmedia card, USB cable, NTSC video cable, Camedia Master 4.0 Software (CD-ROM), neck strap, lens cap and instructions for use.
If you are looking for a great 4 mega pixel camera with both amateur and advanced versatility, this is my recommendation for you. You will not regret this buy.
Good Luck
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 350 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
4.0 megapixel sensor captures 2,288 x 1,712 images for prints at 11 x 14 inches and beyond 3x optical plus 3.3x digital zoom lens (for 10x total) wit...More at Amazon Marketplace
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