Digital Cameras : Olympus C-3040 Zoom

I LIKE this camera. I've had it for 15 months now, having bought one of the first ones available after its announce in 1Q2002. Our first granddaughter was born in May 2002 and I got the camera in anticipation of that event. I'm very satisfied with my decision and now have one of the most photographed babies in the history of the world as a grandchild!

Here are the pros and a couple cons:

Pros:
1. The difference maker that made me buy this camera over its competition is its wide aperature lens. At f1.8, I'm not sure that any other digital matches it. With that wide a lens I could take myriad photos of a newborn indoors without flash! And family photography without flash is so much less intrusive to the goings on, whatever they may be.
2. The 3.34 Megapixel CCD is more than enough resolution for the photos I take... and that includes the ocassional 8x10. The 4040Z adds another megapixel, but I honestly don't know what I'd do with it.
3. The 3X zoom is ok for my work; digital zoom is a waste... better to crop the image file. But within the optical zoom range the quality is very fine.
4. The panarama feature on Olympus memory cards is fantastic!
5. Downloading images is actually drag and drop easy using Windows Explorer! No special software is needed. The USB cable connects the camera as a generic mass storage device which appears in Explorer as a disk drive. You open to the folder and drag the image files from camera to your hard disk. And with both Windows 98 and Windows 2000 you this USB device is truly plug and play... you do NOT have to reboot either to connect or to disconnect the camera. You DO have to "stop" the device before disconnecting in Windows 2000, but this is a couple clicks from the system tray.
5. It's compact and light and easy to travel with. I use a cheap $10 case not designed specifically for it which also hold my other memory card, extra batteries and a mini tripod.
6. It uses 4 AA cell batteries... but don't plan on using anything other than rechargable Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. I bought two sets of four and an external charger. It's better than charging in the camera. The alkaline batteries don't last, but can get you through in a pinch; the NMH batteries can last all day for casual use... or 4 to 5 hours of really hard use. Turn the LCD off to save power.
7. The LCD is bright and clear, though none of them can be seen in direct sunlight.
8. The "Review Check" mode allows you a quick look at what you just took and facilitates quickly disposing of images you won't want, freeing up memory that can be reused and extending the effective number of exposures on any size memory card. But it uses more power because the LCD is on more of the time. The above times are WITH Review Check on.

Cons:
1. 16MB memory is not enough; but 64MB gives me over 80 exposures at 2k x 1.5k resolution in high quality (too high*) jpg format, and over 100 at 1k x 0.75k.
2. I have gone through two remote controls. There's some design defect which causes them to fail completely with only moderately hard use.
3. The menu is not as intuitive as it could be. Poor design of the heirarchy. But it's learnable and soon disappears as a problem.
4. The fixed position LCD requires some awkward camera positioning, but this is minor compared to the camera design awkwardness and fragility of a movable LCD.

Again, the key distinguishing factor is that f1.8 lens. It is fantastic! Hide Full Review

I got my 3040 about 9 months ago and have thoroughly enjoyed it and am very satisfied. However, about 6 weeks ago I noted a problem on the viewing screen, although it still took great pictures. I called Olympus, and explained the problem. They said to return it, which I did under warranty. Two weeks later the camera came back with the invoice (no charge) saying that a part had been replaced and it had been adjusted and calibrated. Things break but the Olympus response was very gratifying and quick under the circumstances. Hide Full Review

When you forget to take the lens cover off, you can destroy the mechanism that moves the lens. Terrible mechanical design, and for this reason I would choose another camera. I should have swapped it at the store when I had the chance. Too much money down the drain because of a simple design flaw! Takes beautiful pictures until you destroy it. Hide Full Review

This is the second in the Camedia C-NNNN line I have owned. I upgraded my C-2020 to the C-3040 this year just as the newer C-4040 was announced. I believe these cameras are best for experienced 35mm photographers who want to make the transition to digital. It is feature rich which can make it confusing to a point and shoot photographer. The features allow creativity and complete control but are wasted if you just want to put it in Program mode and shoot. The colors are balanced and natural. Like all small cameras don't expect the built-in flash to reach much farther than 15ft. Suggest upgrading initally to the 128mb smart media storage card (the 16mb that comes with it is inadequate). Also suggest using 1800mha NiMH rechargeable batteries. I use this camera for a Rotary Club bulletin, snapshots, creative shots. I even have purchased a Light and Motion Tetra underwater housing and have taken this camera below 100ft in California to take underwater photos with stunning results. Hide Full Review

The picture quality is excellent, it is easy to use, and the included camedia software is great. For the money, you can't beat Olympus. My whole family has these (6 total) and we have never had a problem with any of them. They really are a great camera Hide Full Review