Digital Camera Fiend - A Camera Review

Set for a release in late April, the Olympus Stylus 780 is a rugged weatherproof compact digital camera with 7.1 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom.

Beginners will find the Stylus 780 easy to use. Choose from 20 scene modes including Candle, Available Light, and several underwater modes, for settings best suited to the conditions you’re in. Shadow Adjustment Technology optimizes the exposure of scenes with dark areas.

Like many new compact digital cameras, the Stylus 780 has a large 2.5-inch LCD screen which leaves no room for the traditional viewfinder. Those who prefer to shoot through a viewfinder may dislike this feature.

One thing everyone will like is the sturdy, stylish build of the camera. Its metal body comes in either silver (pictured) or black. The weatherproof build will protect the camera from unexpected raindrops and other light moisture.

The all-weather aspect and 5x zoom sets this camera apart from others in its class, but if these are secondary concerns for you, you may want to take a look at other compact digital cameras, like the new Nikon Coolpix S200 which is thinner and about $100 less expensive.
The Stylus 780 is priced at $350.

Its stubby (read: ugly) design isn’t the only reason I dislike the Olympus E-300 EVOLT.

This camera, 8-megapixels, was released in 2004 and is a decent piece of equipment for the price, with a few significant drawbacks.
You can check prices and review an Olympus E-300 here.

Reviewers generally praise its resolution (comparing it to the Canon EOS 20D), good automatic white balance and lightning fast image write time. It also priced itself very competitively against other cameras.

But the E-300 has shortcomings that cannot be overlooked, most importantly with its ISO (light sensitivity). You won’t be able to go into a dark church in Rome and confidently shoot–the E-300 begins to falter at ISO 1600.

Stick to ISO 100-400. You’ll start noticing significant “image noise” when you push it to higher sensitivities because its Kodak sensor simply can’t handle it.

Others don’t care for the camera’s design. It was made with a horizontal viewfinder, causing the camera to be shorter and appear wide. The viewfinder is also unusual in that it uses four mirrors instead of a prism, but you won’t know the difference.

For its price, the Olympus E-300 is definitely a good buy, but it might be wiser to spend a little more and get a superior DSLR camera.

Here’s an oldie but goodie. Released in 2000, the 2.1-megapixel Olympus C2100UZ originally retailed at $999. It was remarkable in that it gave users a 10x zoom lens when most other digital cameras of that day were struck at 3x. In order to prevent blurs and shakes, Olympus devised a built-in opticial image stabilization system.

The camera is quite bulky by today’s standards, weighing just over a pound. It just goes to show how far the technology (and affordability) of digital cameras has come in seven years.

Originally uploaded by PhotobyMark at flickr.com

Quite often the best photographs are those of chance, like this shot of a Dogface Puffer fish. Taken with an Olympus C2100UZ digital camera, the photographer had his camera gear within arm’s reach when he saw the rare occurance of the fish puffing.

By the time he snapped the photo the fish was already starting to deflate, but he was able to capture this beautiful frontal shot. Obviously this fish lives up to its name.