I loved the quality and the price of this camera so I bought it.
The Olympus C-3000 ZOOM retails for $699 and can be bought at most stores for under $500. This is a great deal for a 3.34-megapixel digital camera that takes photos as well as movies at 15 frames per second.
The Features That Sold Me!
The main feature that sold me was not having to wait several seconds to take another photo. This camera has can snap off 1.2 frames per second so you don’t have to wait around to take the next shot.
The built-in zoom lens is equivalent to a 32-96mm lens on 35mm camera, this give you a nice range from wide-angle to telephoto.
The high resolution quality of the photos.
Small and easy to use.
And the price of $469 for a 3.34-megapixel digital camera.
The Photos!
The photos can be taken in five different resolutions of 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768 and 640 x 480.
The photos can be recorded in TIFF or JPEG. TIFF takes up way to much memory and I find using the JPEG mode in HQ (High Quality) at 2048 x 1536 makes for a professional looking photo. You can take photos in a SHQ (Super High Quality) mode but I cannot see any difference in the quality of the photos, SHQ just uses up more memory.
I use a 128MB SmartMedia card and in the TIFF mode of 2048 x 1536 gives you only 13 photos, a memory eater.
In the JPEG mode of 2048 x 1536 SHQ gives 70 photos.
In the JPEG mode of 2048 x 1536 HQ gives 169 photos. (My Choice!)
In the JPEG mode of 1600 x 1200 Normal gives 257 photos.
In the JPEG mode of 640 x 480 Normal gives 999 photos.
There are many more modes and options to use, I just gave you a few for some reference.
The Movies!
You can turn the dial on top of the camera to movies to start shooting your own movies.
The movies are taken in QuickTime Movie capture in your choice of two modes, 320x240 pixels or 160x120 pixels.
Both modes take at 15 frames per second and the 320x240 will take about 15 seconds and then stop, the 160x120 will take about 60 seconds and stop. You can stop them before the time is up by pressing the shutter release button.
Bottom line is 160x120 is too small so I shoot only in 320x240 and the quality of the movies are excellent.
The Lens!
The lens has a 3x optical zoom with a 2.5 digital zoom giving you a total of 7.5x zoom. The focal length is equivalent to 32mm to 96mm in the 35mm format.
It is an 8-element, all-glass aspherical lens that can be used manually or in auto focus.
The aperture settings are from F2.8 to F11.
The lens works smoothly and quietly.
The View!
You can take your photos using the viewfinder, I like using this but it only shows you about 80% of what will be on the photo. One thing I find helpful with the viewfinder is the diopter control adjustment knob on the side of the viewfinder, I don’t have to wear my glasses to get a clear shot.
By the viewfinder is a green LED to let you know that what you are focusing on is locked it and an amber LED letting you know that your flash is ready to be used.
You can also use the a 1.8-inch active-matrix color LCD to take you photos and it show you 100% of what will be on the photo. The LCD can be turned off to save battery usage.
The LCD is also a way to view what you have taken, it can be set up to view a single photo at a time or you can thumbnail it in 4, 9 or 16 photos. When viewing a photo you can zoom up to a 3x on any part of the photo you wish.
The LCD is also your menu system for setting your camera to your specific needs.
Other Specifications!
Manual or Auto Focusing
Manual settings, Aperture Priority AE or Shutter Priority AE
Built-in flash with 6 different modes (There is a 5-pin sync port for an optional Olympus FL-40 Flash.)
USB connection for your computer
Wireless Remote, small simple and nice!
Shutter Speeds of 1 second to 1/800th of a second
Set the ISO at auto, 100, 200 or 400
Self-Timer of 12 seconds, it can be started with the remote.
What you get!
The C-3000 ZOOM camera
8MB Olympus brand panorama SmartMedia card
Lithium batteries
Wireless Remote
Lens cap and strap
Cables to connect to your TV and Computer
Software on a CD and manual
The Camera!
The camera has a good sold feel to it; it comes in a silver gray color and black trim.
On top of the camera is a black & white LCD that tells you what your camera settings are. Next to the LCD is a Knob that turns on and off the camera as well as playback features and shooting features. The camera button for taking the photos are also on top with a switch made for your zooming.
In the back you have the color LCD and buttons to maneuver around the menu system.
The layout of the camera makes it easy to use once you learn it.
Check it out!
I thought I would try something different, here is a link to check out the quality of a photo from the C-3000.
This is a photo of our cat Bootsie in his own chair taken at 2048 x 1536 HQ mode.
https://server3001.freeyellow.com/surferdude7/Digital%20Photos/PA140127.JPG
If this is helpful, Please leave me a note!
My Last Words!
The camera is easy to use, though you will have to learn to use all the options that are available on the C-3000 ZOOM camera.
Photo quality is excellent, as good as many photos taken by a professional camera.
I recommend buying a larger SmartMedia card and two sets of NiMH or NiCD rechargeable AA batteries and a charger. The 8MB card is not large enough and in less that one week I have run the Lithium batteries down. With two sets of batteries you will always have a set charged and ready to use.
This camera is made for the amateur at automatic point and shoot to the semi-professional, the only thing missing is interchangeable lenses.
Overall it is an excellent digital camera!
