Customer Reviews:
  Great digital camera to transition to! October 9, 2005
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
The old point-and-shoot camera I'd had for years finally stopped working (got some sand in it at the beach), and I took the plunge into digital with this Olympus camera. I bought it specifically to take on a cycling trip through Tuscany, and I was not disappointed. The camera is small enough to tuck in the back of a biking jersey, takes GREAT pictures, is very easy to use, and is durable as anything. I took it cycling, to the beach, used it in the mountains, and it has given me nothing but terrific photos, and no user problems whatsoever.
The one suggestion I would make if you buy this camera, to forego the suggested leather case accessory. I bought a padded nylon camera case at my local Ritz camera (about $12) which worked much better, as it had pockets for extra memory and a spare battery as well as a sturdy shoulder strap. (I agree with the previous reviewer that, even though the battery life is exceptional, an extra battery is a good idea to have if you don't want any "down time" with your camera at all.)
 too fragile September 29, 2005
14 out of 21 found this review helpful
I would NOT recommend buying this camera. It's nice enough, but it's WAY too fragile. I dropped mine the first day I had it (not hard, and not so that it left a mark), and the lens cover no longer opened. This because te lens cover slides into the body of the camera, and the tolerance is so small that any little ding can prevent the cover from sliding cleanly. I was able to "fix" it by gently squeezing the body of the camera (again, with no detectable bending of anything, emphasizing the very small tolerance of the fittings), but that didn't last. I'm going to look for something sturdier.
 Not too impressed September 28, 2005
I got this camera mainly because of the megapixels, screen size, the fact that you can see the screen from many angles other than just looking at it straight on, and the post-editing features on the camera itself. At first I was "iffy" because I had the Stylus Verve for a short time when it first came out and the pictures came out terrible. I was told by an Olympus customer service rep that the Stylus line is mainly for use outdoors, hence the weather-proof design. But I believed that this one would be better given that it was newer so I decided to give it a shot. I was pretty happy with the results at first but the more I used it the more I realized the things I didn't like about it, but let me say that most of my use with the camera has been indoors. The way the lighting appears on the screen isn't always the way the picture will turn out. Like many other digital cameras like this one, it doesn't do well in low-light settings. Many times it looks like there's enough light on the screen to take a good picture but then it comes out really dark. There are times it will come out okay. Large group pictures do not come out clear at all. Even though the camera is able to focus when taking the picture, faces will turn out quite blurry. Other than that, however, pictures in a good range & lighting come out fine. Another thing, I owned a Minolta Dimage G400 (4mp) before I got my Olympus. It was very fast in all aspects and it took great pictures, even when it wasn't able to focus in low-light. The Olympus has a pretty good start-up time but doesn't compare to my previous camera. The recharging of the flash takes too long in my opinion. I went to a graduation and took one picture of my fiance at one end of the stage and the flash wasn't ready until he had already crossed to the other end, so I missed so many important and great pictures! I always have issues with the time it takes for the flash to recharge when I'm trying to take multiple in-the-moment pictures. I'd have to say that's my biggest complaint about this camera. It really does make me mad at times. The Olympus isn't a bad camera but maybe it just doesn't suit what I've been using it for. The outdoor pictures I have taken with it have turned out fine. I just think that for what I paid for it ($350), it should still be a good camera indoors as well as outdoors. I wish I never got rid of my Minolta. By far it was a better camera. I really had no complaints about it as far as performance and picture quality.
 Pleasure to use and view the results September 19, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This camera was purchased for my wife as a simple point'n'shoot. That's what she did. 300 pictures in two days. It took a little experimenting to figure out what the "scenes" do, but any "mistakes" are quickly erased. Quick and easy review are two of the highlights...the screen is huge and very bright (comparing to my G6), so one can really review the results and make decisions.
There are only a few manual settings, e.g. white balance, and those are all that's needed for a camera like this. Auto settings and "scenes" work fine for almost everything. The "weather resistant" aspect is also a big plus. No fear of getting caught in the rain and more importantly, missing those great reflection shots when it's still drizzling.
I've given it a 4/5 only because the quality of the pictures could be just a little sharper. I'm used to the results of higher end Canon cameras, so I might be biased. By the same token, I'm using this more than my Canon simply because I can slip it into a pocket no matter where we go. Great little camera!
A great, small camera with forgivable minor drawbacks September 7, 2005
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
I've used this camera for over a month now. In general, I like it and recommend it. It's all-weather, so you don't have to worry about taking shots in the rain. It has a handy, built-in lens cover that pops open lightning fast when you turn the camera on; start-up time is very short compared to every other camera I've used, so you miss fewer shots when you suddenly need to take a picture. The camera is also smaller than it looks in the online photos I saw of it (I bought it sight-unseen from Amazon), yet comfortable to hold. The large LCD is also nice, though I would prefer a viewfinder alternative. It doesn't have full manual settings, but I am fine with that. I've never used the full manual settings on any camera.
My complaints are few: it doesn't to well in low-light-level situations, such as museums, or in the evening. People look very yellow and orangish compared to a larger-aperture digital camera such as the Olympus C740 (which I also own and love). It also has the drawback that you need to remove the battery and put it in the charger instead of using the camera as a charger. The battery does last a long time, however, and the charger accepts worldwide power 100-240V, 50-60 cycles (though you need a small adaptor plug wherever you go, just not a voltage converter).
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Here I edit my original review to remove my complaint that the camera never remembers any settings. That issue can be overcome by changing the "All Reset" setting to Off in the camera's mode settings menu. Thanks to the Amazon customer who sent me that message!
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My wife and I have taken some great photos with it, and I recommend the camera, but be aware of the above flaws before you decide.
It comes with a 32MB xD card, but you will need a larger one. Expect close to 1MB per photo. Therefore, a 512MB xD card will hold about 500 photos.
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