|
Editors' Rating:
7.0 of 10
| • Value for money |
7 |
| • Ease of Use |
7 |
| • Performance |
7 |
| • Image Quality |
7 |
|
Average User Rating:
8.7 of 10
(8 votes)
| • Value for money |
9 |
| • Ease of Use |
9 |
| • Performance
|
9 |
| • Image Quality
|
8 |
|
Where to Buy ?
|
PROS
•
10X zoom lens.
• Full manual controls.
•
Customizable buttons and menus.
•
"My Mode" helpful.
•
Improved Camedia Master software.
CONS
•
No manual white balance.
•
Shutter/AF lag.
•
Only 16MB xD-Picture Card.
|
Includes: Olympus Camedia C-730 Ultra Zoom Digital Camera,
16MB xD-Picture Card, Digital camera Win/Mac USB Cable, NTSC Audio/Video Cable,
(2) LB-01 CR-V3 Lithium Battery Packs, Carrying Strap, Lens Cap/Retainer Cord,
Quick Start Guide, CD-ROM: CAMEDIA Master Software, Windows 98 Rev 2 Driver, Camera Reference Manual,
Printed Instruction Manual, Warranty Card.
Recommended
Accessories |
After the popular 2 megapixel 10x zoom-equipped C-2100UZ and C-700UZ models launched a couple of years ago, Olympus has returned to the 10x zoom with a much modified version of the Camedia 700 Ultra Zoom in the form of the 730 model. A 10X zoom is great but you have to have a very steady hand or a fast shutter speed to prevent motion blurring beyond 6X.
Improvements include a 3.2 megapixel sensor, combined xD and SmartMedia memory card slot, enhanced resolution electronic viewfinder, revamped autofocus system and updated control/settings user interface.
The C-730UZ is visibly similar to the C-720UZ and has a similar resolution CCD sensor, but the chips are actually different, the 720 having a 1/2.5 inch CCD and the C-730 sporting a slightly smaller 1/2.7 inch CCD. The 720’s zoom lens range has also been limited to 8x (equivalent to 40-320mm) compared to the 10x (38-380mm) range of the 730. Here is a summary of the main differences between the C-720UZ and the C-730UZ:
| |
Olympus
C-730 |
Olympus
C-720 |
| Optical Zoom |
10x |
8x |
| Electronic
Viewfinder |
190,000
pixels |
110,000
pixels |
| Media |
xD-Picture
Card, SmartMedia |
SmartMedia |
| Noise Reduction |
Yes |
No |
| Histogram |
Yes |
No |
Camedia C-730 Ultra Zoom Major Features:
| • |
10x
Zoom Digital Camera featuring 3.2 effective megapixels. |
| • |
3.2
effective megapixels for 2,048 x
1,360-pixel
images. |
| • |
1.5-inch
colour TFT LCD monitor made of low-temperature poly-silicon.
Brightness adjustment is possible. |
| • |
Olympus
10x multivariator zoom lens, 5.9-59mm
(equivalent
to a 38-380mm lens on a 35mm camera). |
| • |
Digital
zoom up to 3.0x magnification. |
| • |
0.44"
electronic viewfinder. |
| • |
Full
Automatic, Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, and
Manual exposure modes. |
| • |
Auto
bracketing mode (selectable from 1/3 EV, 2/3 EV and 1 EV; 3 or 5 images). |
| • |
Six
Scene modes (Portrait, Self-portrait, Night Scene, Sports, Landscape
and Landscape plus portrait). |
| • |
Digital ESP metering system with imager. Spot metering. Multi-spot metering. AE lock possible. |
| • |
New!
Histogram in Shooting Mode. |
| • |
Aperture
settings from f/2.8 to f/8. |
| • |
Shutter
speed settings from 1/1,000 to 16 seconds for still images. |
| • |
Shutter
speed settings from 1/8,000 to 1/30 seconds for movies. |
| • |
Variable
light sensitivity: Auto, or user-set ISO 100, 200 or 400 equivalent. |
| • |
White
Balance adjustment with eight settings (Auto, daylight,
overcast, tungsten light, fluorescent light 1, 2 & 3, One touch). |
| • |
Built-in
flash with six operating modes: Auto (automatic activation in low and backlight), Red-eye reduction, Off (no flash), Fill-in (forced activation). Slow Synchronisation (first-curtain synchronisation effect, second-curtain synchronisation effect, first-curtain synchronisation with red-eye reduction effect). |
| • |
Noise
reduction used for shooting speeds below 1 sec. |
| • |
Crop and merge (2 in 1) function. Sepia, black & white, blackboard, whiteboard, panorama
shooting modes. |
| • |
New!
"My Mode" saves customized user settings. |
| • |
JPEG
and TIFF file formats. |
| • |
Images
saved on xD-Picture or SmartMedia memory card (16MB xD-Picture
card included). |
| • |
Software
CD with Olympus' Camedia Master 4.0 utility software. |
| • |
Power
from two CR-V3 battery packs (included), or four AA batteries
(AC adapter optional). |
| • |
DPOF
(Digital Print Order Format) compatibility. |
|
Customer Reviews
|
Ali
Khan,
from Pearl River, La, US, Oct 12, 2002
|
|
Better than the 720?
In a word, yes. The 700 was my favorite digital camera, that is, until the 720 came along. Now along comes the 730, which maintains the 3+ megapixel resolution of the 720, while reinserting the 10X (true optical) zoom (the 720 has an 8X).
In point of fact, zooming at 8X or at 10X without a tripod or image stabilization (not present on either the 700 or the 720) is extremely challenging. Anyway, this camera is beautifully made and ergonomically engineered. The aspherical all glass lens system is excellent and the resulting 3 megapixel images are crystal clear at 8" x 10" and quite acceptable at 11" x 14". The zoom of course remains the trump card on the 730, and the smoothness (just the right damping) with which it reaches its 10x limit is awesome. Another nice feature is its ability to take QuickTime movies, which really adds to its versatility.
The news with the 730 is that it is the first Olympus to utilize the new xD memory card format, the "xD-Picture Card". This is a new type of ultra-compact memory media developed jointly by Fuji and Olympus. The main features of the xD-Picture Card are its ultra-compact size (20.0 x 25.0 x 1.7mm), its lower power consumption (the xD Picture- Card users will benefit from the convenience and savings of longer battery life on a single charge) and its faster read/write speeds. Of course, a new card means a new card- reader will be needed, but these are inexpensive and aren't immediately needed, as the camera can be linked by the included USB cable to your PC without too much fuss. Overall, I think the 730 is a winner.
|
|
•
Value for money
|
10 |
|
•
Ease of Use |
10 |
|
•
Performance
|
10 |
|
•
Overall Value |
10 |
|
The Lowest Price is not always best !
 When you buy a digital camera, the basic package almost always includes
extras such as a battery charger, lens cap, batteries, flash memory card, and software.
One of the more disreputable practices a dealer can engage in is called unbundling. These
dealers remove items from the package that are normally included in the price and
price them separately.
When purchasing
a camera you have three components of the price to consider - the camera price, postage and
handling, and taxes. Many dealers lower the price to make the camera more attractive, then
increase the postage and handling to boost their profits.
Hesitate before
accepting extended warranties. Every knowledgeable consumer expert says it's better to
gamble. Most of a company's profit is in the sale of these warranties so they press, and
press hard. Your job is to resist, and resist hard. The only thing to keep in mind is that
digital cameras can be horribly expensive to repair. If you want peace of mind, you may
want the warranty, even though it's probably overpriced. The cost of a repair can
approach, or even exceed, the original purchase price.
When you buy a
camera from a reputable dealer, you expect to be able to return it if you aren't
satisfied. Some dealers try to discourage this by requiring a restocking fee for returned
merchandise. This is always explained as a way to recover their costs of checking the
merchandise and restoring the packaging you may have opened.
Many dealers is
truly a false, deceptive and a total crook. Bait and switch tactics used. Does not sell
new merchandise and will ship used or refurbished goods without notifying customer. They then
try to charge a restock fee on top of their exobitant shipping fees to make a profit where
they could not on their goods. A try case of buyer beware.
|
Where To Buy
Olympus Camedia C-730 Ultra Zoom Digital Camera
?:
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