Rating: Summary: Great camera with a few minor problems.... Review: This is my first digital camera and I am extremely happy with the quality of the images it produces. If all digital cameras produce images of this quality, I don't see why everyone is waiting to get their first digital camera.The problems that I have with this camera include: The size of the camera is much larger than many other digital cameras on the market. It is also larger than most current consumer-targeted 35mm and APS cameras. It is not as large as a 35mm SLR camera however. The lense cap on this camera does not have a strap. This is a problem that is compounded by the fact that the lense cap falls off relatively easily when pressure is applied to it. A replacement cap with a strap can be purchased from Olympus. My only other comment is that the camera delays a split-second or so after pressing the shutter button before the image is taken. This makes the camera very impractical for shooting anything in which a lot of action is involved. You will likely miss the shot you intended to take. I do not regularly take these types of pictures, however, so it isn't much of an issue. Overall, I really like the camera. My replacement cap fixes the strap issue, and I regularly travel with a backpack when I take my camera, so the size isn't a problem. (A carrying case with a belt loop is also available.)
Rating: Summary: Some things to know (practial?) Review: 3 things I must say about the C3030: 1. the lens cap isn't strapped, wich sometimes can be anoying when you want to keep your lens clean. Especially when you are walking or have to handle quickly, bad weather ... 2. The screen of the LCD is "outside the frame" of the cam, wich can cause scratches. (I've already have some). 3. Use rechargeables !!!!!!!! Functionality is good (not perfect). Still working with it for more than 1y. now!
Rating: Summary: I love this camera Review: The initial reviews for this camera said it was tooo complicated for the average user. Horsehockey. I love this camera, my 9 year old can use it. The pictures are incredible.. I'd certainly NOT get anything cheaper if I was starting out, the price has come down so much. There are now clearly better cameras but for the novice this is excellent. Great flash. Buy more memory, it's cheap.
Rating: Summary: still working fairly well after a year Review: I've had this camera now for almost a full year. It was my replacement for the D600L from Olympus. Negatives: not many. My biggest pet peeve is the battery low indicator is not as accurate as I'd like. The camera actually begins to lose functionality long before low battery is displayed. And the camera goes downhill very quickly. But the symptoms are more like the camera has lost some functionality and not others (inability to zoom but still able to focus). I've just become used to replacing the battteries as soon as I start having any strange issues. Its not as small as I'd like. The D200L was a great size for a camera. This one is still too big for my liking. I'd like to have something that really does fit in my pocket (like the size of my cellular phone would be good. Positives: Get the 32Mb memory card and you can take photos for what seems like forever! Superb low-light capability, good focus, excellent color, fantastic resolution.
Rating: Summary: Spectacular camera ! Review: First, let me say - I am a rank amateur when it comes to the vagaries of photography. That being said, I can't say enough about this camera. It is easy to use and extremely versatile. I could not have been more pleased with the results from this camera while travelling in Alaska. The pictures I came back with are wonderful. This was after about a week of practice, taking pictures of my grandchildren. The menu system this camera uses is certainly not intuitive, but can be learned easily enough with a minimum of practice. The guidebook that is supplied with the camera is well organized and useful. I suggest that the new user take some time and read through it. I admit that the guidebook is pretty dry reading, but there are nuggets of valuable information scattered throughout. It will be worth the effort. As to battery consumption, it will eat batteries for lunch. Multiple sets of NiMH batteries with a charger are the only way to go. All in all, I am extremely happy with the results from this camera. I thonk you will be, too.
Rating: Summary: Great camera, great price Review: I've been using this camera since April 2000 and really enjoy it. I am not a skilled photographer and still don't know how to work half of the features of this camera but am able to get great shots. The resolution is great and I love the Camedia software that comes with it. If you buy this, make sure to buy rechargable NMH batteries and a charger - it uses a lot of batteries. Also, upgrade the card to get a lot more pictures. Since you're not wasting film, you'll find yourself taking way more pictures and deleting the ones you don't want later. Although there are cameras with more mega-pixels out now, make sure you consider the quality of the lense when purchasing a digital camera. You won't go wrong with Olympus or Nikon, but some of the other brands really don't have the same optical quality and that effects pictures as much or more than just the pixel count.
Rating: Summary: Flash is a bit anemic Review: I love everything about this camera except for the flash. It isn't strong enough or disfused enough to light the entire frame. You'll get shadows in the lower corners.
Rating: Summary: pretty good Review: I have had an olympus 3030 for about two months now, I use it mainly for personal pictures and work (marine field biology). The pictures are sometimes great and sometimes not so great, and photoshop is fairly limiting. Resolution is of course very good, I use it on lower resolution for personal pictures and high resolution for digital analysis of marine pictures (with optimas software). Any possible marine housing would be extremely expensive, and I am sometimes worried about the camera dying from wave spray or rain. If I had it to do over again I think I would spend the extra $... and get a 3040 with the new "brighter" lens, or a sony camera with bright pictures and cheap housing. My major complaint is that if conditions are not perfect the pictures look washed out and can not be "fixed" adequately with photoshop.
Rating: Summary: Really Great Camera Review: I bought this camera after looking for a long time. It has many features. I also bought a 64 mb smartmedia and I can take up to 81 pics in HQ mode, and about 200 seconds of movie mode. The pictures are nice and crisp. Very Great camera for the price.
Rating: Summary: Fantastic Camera...Great Price Review: After using an older "first generation" digital camera for quite a while, a upcoming overseas trip prompted me to look for a newer one. After looking at all the reviews I bought the Olympus 3030 Zoom. Since the new 3040 had just come out (F 1.8 lens compared to the F 2.8 lens on the 3030) the price had dropped dramatically. I'm amazed by the quality of the pictures that this camera takes. Even in extremely low light circumstances, I can turn of the flash and get beautiful natural light pictures. I can only imagine what the F 1.8 lens on the new 3040 model would do! The menu is easy to use and the camera is delighlfully small. Manual settings are easy to adjust, but the auto setting mode is dead-on except for difficult shots like those with backlighting. The video mode also works great and captures both video and sound for short periods (200 seconds on a 64 mb card at HQ resolution). This is a great camera and the price is also great. The only downside is a lens cap that is not engineered to stay on the lens....buy a tether unless you want to keep replacing it!
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