Review of the Olympus C7000 Digital Camera
Posted on 04. Sep, 2008 by dan feildman in Photography
At first glance you might not even notice this little camera among the others, but don't let its looks fool youthe Olympus Camedia C7000 is a powerful digital camera in a small package. Boasting a 7.1 megapixel range, very user-friendly controls, and excellent quality output, this camera is hard to beat.
Add some very innovative and useful new features and you have a contender for one of the best digital cameras currently available. Enough said - it's time to inspect the Olympus Camedia C7000 more closely and see what it's worth ...
The Olympus C7000 is the smallest camera in its division weighing in at only 7.7 ounces. You will find yourself trying to figure out how they packed as many features as they did into such an impressive little camera.
The Olympus C7000 is showcased in a lustrous titanium color with a stylish metal body. On the back of the camera you will find well laid out controls and a 2 inch LCD screen that is easily viewed even in bright sunlight through semi-tramsmissive TFT technology.
The CCD sensor buried deep inside the C7000 is capable of capturing 7.1 megapixels of photographic data, which coupled with a 5X optical zoom lens capable of 35-mm focal lengths ranging from 38mm to 190mm, mean that this camera should be capable of taking some very high quality photographs - and fortunately, it succeeds!
Having a TruePic TURBO image processor enables users to take clean and sharp photos with fantastic color representation and little distortion or noise. As well as a real-time histogram, users can be alerted to over and underexposed areas in photos while in any shooting mode through color-coded highlighting. With the ability to record VGA video at 30 frames per second, the C7000 has both a microphone and speaker built in for recording and playback.
Prepare to be pleased when you press the power button on top of the C7000 - this digital camera starts up in under a single second. The quality doesn't stop at speed either - the controls on this camera are positioned exactly where you want them to be, and you will never be left trying to remember how to perform a specific camera function using the external controls.
Making your way through the menu controls using the LCD is also kept uncomplicated, and advanced users will be happy to have many interesting features such as Autofocus Target Selection and Red-Eye Fix so readily obtainable.
Photos are stored using xD-Picture Cards, and Olympus have included a 32MB card in the box so you can get started taking photos right away. A USB 2.0 connection is used to transfer photos to your computer, and the cable for this is also included.
Also included in the box is a lithium ion rechargeable battery that powers the Olympus C7000 along with a compatible charger. You should be able to take approximately 200 with this camera between battery charges depending on the camera settings.
For a digital camera with so much to offer it is hard to find the shortcomings amongst all the excellent features. The only issue that stands out as a problem with the Olympus C7000 is the Autofocus - this sometimes has problems when used in low-lit conditions, although it works well in bright light, even if not as fast as similar cameras available for the same price.
One feature not yet cited in this review is the time-lapse setting that can set the camera to take photos automatically at 1 to 60-minute intervals. It is features like this along with the many others that make the Olympus C7000 a highly recommended option.
In review, the Olympus C7000 is an excellent camera to consider for an asking price of just under $600. While it may not be the least expensive of this kind, the stylish and sleek design, superior image quality, and many useful options make this camera well worth the investment.
