Rating: 
Summary: This is the only show in town !
Review: I just bought one of these. Finding one was a challenge in itself. When I told Amazon to email when the item was in stock, I received an email from Amazon that I never received before. I was told it would be a long time before they would be available. Why, because nobody beats this camera.
This camera sports the Super Bright 1.8 lense. This Olympus and the top of the line Olympus are the only two in the industry that have it. What it means is a larger opening, which lets in more light. Consequently, the auto shutter speed is faster, less chance to get a blurry shot. Also the background of the shot is brighter and more defined. I was in a camera store, the manager's personal camera was the C-2020, the predecessor to this one. He had shot a picture of a metal guitar, one with the 2040, and the other with the Nikon 950 (which is twice the money) He printed out a large 8"x11" glossy. Seeing them side by side, the definition in the shot was the same, I couldn't tell the difference, but the ivy leaves in the background surrounding the shot, were a lot brighter, instead of being dark and ill defined in the Nikon shot.
Consumer Reports rated the predecessor C-2020 Olympus as being the number one camera in printed picture results, knocking out even the 3 and 4 megapixel cameras quality. Imagine that, 2 megapixels, half the money, yet the best results. Sounds like an avalanche trying to get in the door on that one. Well CR just came out with the November 2001 issue, and guess what, the C-2040 did it again. Making the number one spot, and this time they gave it special mention, because the quality rivaled that of the 3's and 4's. Usually a print out at 5x7" size is what the 2 megapixel cameras are good for. Not this one, the crystal clear shot I saw was an 8 1/2 by 11.
Ok, on to the camera. Some reviews, including CR, state that the menu was a little confusing. I did not find that to be the case. Shooting, zooming, previewing, deleting, downloading, etc is a breeze. When I tackle some of the more challenging tasks of manual settings, instead of the complete autofocus etc., maybe then I will learn what they are talking about.
The picture clarity is unbelievable. I took a few shots of some metal objects, and thought something was strange, their was little dots on the metal. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was the little flecks of dust. They were so clear blown up on a 19" screen, something you would not see, little individual flecks of dust, bright and clear. The detail was phenomenal. The zoomed in upclose shot, looked like it was taken one inch away, and was larger than life. Like a real life microscope.
The panorama feature, which was previously a Canon exclusive is nice. You can take up to 10 pictures, across a landscape, or a room for example, and then the Camedia software which is included pastes them together, which creates a single panorama. If you sent this shot to a friend, they would receive one pic, that they could navigate around, to see the entire room.
One thing that really matters to me, is that this is also the best looking camera. It looks smart. Chrome body, with the larger black hub at one end was the style I was looking for before I learned of the C-2040. Many digital cameras have this metal early 50s look that I do not like. This camera is beautiful in its design.
When I first picked it up with its .6 of a pound weight, and relatively small size, I thought it was a toy camera. Then when I took the lense cap off, and turned the camera on, the zoom lense gently whirred when it came out, and it was an immediate feeling of, this is high tech. Oh by the way, having had a Nikon FE with 80-120 zoom, (I still do) I wanted a zoom that was more than 2x optical. That feature was available once again, on more expensive cameras. The C-2040 has a 3X optical. Zooming in, and filling the frame with your subject, makes for a interesting shot, and the 3x is very nice for that. The Olympus model that is directly above this one, has a 10x zoom, but it doesn't have the 1.8 lense. For those of us who were into the 35MM SLRs, know all to well that the cameras with the 1.5s were more expensive lenses, and the 1.2s made the lense look like it was all glass.
Also the 1.8" LCD on the back is large, and crystal clear. Easy to read menu functions, and nice picture views.
A few final notes, be careful buying one of these for a cheaper price, make sure the camera you buy has the US guarantee. Gray market cameras come without the guarantee. Digital camera repairs are running a couple of hundred dollars these days, so the warranty is nice.
This camera also takes short movies, but they never replace a digital camcorder in that regard.
The optional remote control is way better than a timer, which this also has, if you want to get into the shot. That way, your not stumbing over things to get into the shot, and you can wait until the ideal moment to take it. Also, you can fire away multiple shots once you are there.
You definitely will want to get a larger smart memory card than the 8 meg they supply with the camera. A 64 meg is nice, and the 128 gives you over 300 shots in standard resolution. The panorama feature only works with Olympus cards, so be sure an pick up at least a 32 meg in Olympus and preferably a 64. Then go out and pick up an aftermarket 128 at a bargain, for relatively unlimited regular shooting. More than one card is advisable. Although the smart cards are pretty robust, going on vacation and discovering a defective card would be disasterous. So multiple cards, covers that base.
Additionally the rechargeable batteries are nice. A fast charger with a 2 hour charge time is great. The lesser expensive chargers are overnight chargers. You will want to pick up an extra set of 4 batteries, in addition to the 4 that come with the charger. It is a good idea to keep the lithium batteries that come with the camera in your camera bag, because they will last a couple of years in storage, and always be there in case you get stuck without charged ones.
I bought two bags. One which is smaller, but large enough to hold the camera, batteries, and your smart cards, but not large enough to hold the charger, and your lunch. :-) I like that for local shoots and being small, it doesn't look like you were the hired photographer. The other one which is larger, for getaway weekends, is designed to hold your digital camera, with enough room for all of your gear, and even an SLR. Quantaray makes a nice black leather one for that. You may want to visit your local camera store, to actually see the style that most appeals to you, then come back to Amazon to take advantage of the prices.
Their is an available AC adapter, but I chose to buy a stand alone Smart Card reader, that reads and writes. You park it on your desk, leave it plugged into the computer. Saves you from wearing out the electronics on the camera, and batteries don't become an issue. The one I bought is 10 dollars more but it reads and writes, that way I can download pictures from the computer also into the card, and then show them at my destination using the combined slide show feature, and the included cord to hook it up to any TV. Great for presentations.
I guess I am getting kind of windy. I am just in love with this camera. Having had a 1 megapixel Sound Vision 209 Mini Cam with a fixed telephoto range, and limited capabilities for indoor shots, this camera is a quantum leap. The super bright lense, gives you great low light picture taking ability. Coupling that with an adjustable "ISA" setting of 100, 200, or 400, makes it all the more effective for different conditions. I had heard a professional photographer complaining of having only an equivalent of ASA 100 fixed setting on his Canon Digital elph, he obviously wasn't introduce to the C-2040.
Using the camera with your PC is a breeze. You plug in the USB cable, or use the smart card reader I just mentioned, then just go into my computer, and you will see a new drive called removable drive. You click on it, and instantly see the file names of all of your pics. You can copy and paste the whole bunch into a new folder, they copy real quick, then just edit-select all, hit delete, and they are wiped from the cameras memory. A true Windows intuitive interface.
Store managers personal use camera, Consumer Reports number one pick in the 2 megapixel category, and they are just plain back ordered at most places, shows you that this camera is the one to get.
These features and quality at this price is a winner, considering that you will be picking up 150 to 250 dollars of extras no matter what model you buy. So it makes this one a nice comfortable price point. I know with the money I saved over buying a 4, is enough that I can probably pick one of those up in a year or two for the difference. Although I don't know why I would want one, considering the amazing quality of the C-2040.
I'm in love with the camera, did I already say that? Find one and check it out. You will see what I mean.
Rating:
Summary: Great Little Camera
Review: I just bought the Olympus C-2040 camera and I think it is a great camera at a reasonable price. The software that came with it is very confusing and I use another brand instead. The lens cap must be taken off before you turn it on or you will be chasing it on the floor.As far as the menu goes its pretty much explains itself.Also buy another card for it, the 8 MB card will not hold much in the fine mode.
Rating:
Summary: Finally Found My Dream Camera
Review: I just found and bought my Olympus c-2040 zoom after much research and deliberation. I needed a digital camera first for my business and secondly for pleasure. I will probably never print any pictures over 8 X 10 and need concise, clear pictures for my website so this is I feel the perfect choice. I had a lot of trouble locating this camera - finally bought it ...from a reputable camera shop. I paid [money] after s/h, insurance, and was very happy. I researched Consumer's Report and every review in Amazon, etc. that I could find for 3 weeks before trying to find this camera. It was difficult, but successful... I'm told it has been discontinued - probably because of it's success. Olympus can put this f1.8-2.6 lens in more expensive cameras, charge more, and GET IT! The lens was what I was after. I could have bought the c-3040 (same lens) for [money] more but it is actually more power than what I need. The pictures taken from my 2040 are so crisp and clear. The manual is actually more confusing than just picking up the camera and figuring it out. I have Windows Me and all it took was a simple plug into the computer and it was there! So simple! I was actually fearful after reading the nightmarish reviews about uploading the pics to the computer and let me tell you, I'm NO computer wizard! It's easy, takes great pics in all light, feels good in my hands, and has most of the bells and whistles if you want them. My previous hp-215 digital camera was a nightmare. The batteries were dead after 12 shots. This camera is still on the original set of batteries and I've used it constantly since I got it! This c2040 puts the hp215 to shame. Do buy a smartmedia card though with more memory. The one it comes with is just a freebie to practice with.
Rating:
Summary: Finally Found My Dream Camera
Review: I just found and bought my Olympus c-2040 zoom after much research and deliberation. I needed a digital camera first for my business and secondly for pleasure. I will probably never print any pictures over 8 X 10 and need concise, clear pictures for my website so this is I feel the perfect choice. I had a lot of trouble locating this camera - finally bought it ...from a reputable camera shop. I paid [money] after s/h, insurance, and was very happy. I researched Consumer's Report and every review in Amazon, etc. that I could find for 3 weeks before trying to find this camera. It was difficult, but successful... I'm told it has been discontinued - probably because of it's success. Olympus can put this f1.8-2.6 lens in more expensive cameras, charge more, and GET IT! The lens was what I was after. I could have bought the c-3040 (same lens) for [money] more but it is actually more power than what I need. The pictures taken from my 2040 are so crisp and clear. The manual is actually more confusing than just picking up the camera and figuring it out. I have Windows Me and all it took was a simple plug into the computer and it was there! So simple! I was actually fearful after reading the nightmarish reviews about uploading the pics to the computer and let me tell you, I'm NO computer wizard! It's easy, takes great pics in all light, feels good in my hands, and has most of the bells and whistles if you want them. My previous hp-215 digital camera was a nightmare. The batteries were dead after 12 shots. This camera is still on the original set of batteries and I've used it constantly since I got it! This c2040 puts the hp215 to shame. Do buy a smartmedia card though with more memory. The one it comes with is just a freebie to practice with.
Rating:
Summary: More control for your dough
Review: I learned photography on an SLR, so in looking for my first digital camera, I was frustrated to find that most digital cameras in the price range I was looking for were point-and-shoot. In addition to an idiot-proof mode that is good for when you're not looking for a great deal of photographic control, this camera has Aperture priority, Shutter priority, and a manual mode that allows you to control both. I was thrilled to find a camera with these features for under $500!The optics on this camera aren't the greatest. An aperture of 1.8 @ 40mm is OK, and enables one to shoot in some pretty low-lighting situations as well as take some cool low depth-of-field pictures, but with a maximum f-stop of 10, high depth-of-field shots are compromised, and sunny conditions yield little control. The shutter speeds leave a little to be desired as well, ranging from 4 seconds (useless without a place to put a cable release!) to 1/800 of a second. I don't know how they compute a focal range of 40mm-105mm to be "3x," but it is pretty adequate. I don't understand the benefit of some of these super duper zoom cameras: unless you're using a tripod and cable release, or you're shooting at a very high shutter speed, there's no way you can hold the camera steady enough to take a crisp photo. There is also a digital zoom, but that is nearly useless on any camera: all it does is "enlarge" the pixels. If you can get your paws on a copy of Photoshop, it is MUCH better for zooming and cropping photos. Being able to select the ISO speed myself makes it easier to make the transition to digital photography, but I don't understand why there would only be 100, 200, and 400 ISO equivalencies available on this camera. If you can afford a more expensive camera, you may be able to get more control, but if this is your price range, then this is THE digital camera to get. You won't find more for your money in any other camera.
Rating:
Summary: Great pictures, terrific value!
Review: I love my Olympus 2040. It takes awesome pictures at a great price. The colors are true and the detail is phenomenal. I bought it over the C-3030 or any other 3.3 megapixel camera because unless you're going to print pictures LARGER than 8 x 10, those extra 1.2 megapixels are a waste. 2.1 megapixels fits more pictures on a memory card, too. On my 128 mb card you can take 257 pictures at the default 1600 x 1200. A 3.3 megapixel camera could only fit 164 or so at its default resolution. 2.1 is actually the smarter buy! (3.3 megapixels can only print sharper pictures than 2.1 when PRINT size EXCEEDS 8 x 10. Below 8 x 10, it's virtually impossible to tell the difference between a print from a 2.1 megapixel camera and a 3.3 megapixel camera.) If you're considering the 2040, though, you might want to check out the C-700. you get sound with the movies (no sound on the 2040) and best of all a 10x optical zoom. The 2040 only has a 3x optical zoom (3x is equivalent to about 85mm, 10x is equivalent to 185mm traditional 35mm zoom lens. 3x zoom is merely "fine", nothing to jump up and down over.) Plus the C-700 has a new menu structure, although the 2040's really isn't that difficult if you spend some time with it. Be sure to add in the cost of a 64 mb SmartMedia card, though. The 8 mb card is just a waste of time unless you bump down the resolution to, say, 1024 x 768, which you can do in the menus. I recommend you buy at least one Olympus brand 64mb card since only Olympus brand cards can make use of the fun "stitch" panorama feature in the Camedia's software. You'll probably only use this feature once in a while, but when you do want to do a panorama (like I did atop the Eiffel Tower) it would be nice not to have to fuddle with changing to the tiny 8mb Olympus card. Other niceties: The 2040 while it doesn't come with a remote, is remote capable. Remote operates zoom and shutter. The lens cap now comes with a cord unlike its predecessors. The flash can be turned off, forced to flash all the time, or be set to auto. Also has red eye reduction. Dislikes: Power saver mode cannot not be turned off. Even with the LCD screen off, after a while the camera goes into snooze mode and takes a second or two to be available. If you hand your 2040 to someone to take your picture, be sure to wake it up for him, or like me, he'll end up confused as to why your camera isn't working. This is easily gotten around by anticipating a shot. ONE YEAR UPDATE: I've had the 2040 for a year now and I still love this camera. I've taken over 1,000 pictures and haven't had a single problem with it. I did find out that the Camedia software (ver. 2.5) must have memory limitations, though. I had about 550 pics in one folder (I'm building a house and collecting photo evidence in case the builder tries to gyp me) and it just couldn't handle that many without crashing when I tried to run the slide show. Simple solution was just to divide my collection into folders. Buy this camera. It's great!
Rating: 
Summary: Reviews are great, cost is lower
Review: I love the reviews by people that have purchased this camera. I just ordered it along with a bundled kit that contains a 32Mb card, charger, case and batteries. The only unfortunate part is that I found mine through ZDnet for $100 LESS.
Rating:
Summary: I love this camera!
Review: I own this camera and have used it for almost 3 years now. It has been through Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, Anniversaries, trips to Yellowstone and Disney World. I always get the best pictures. The pictures my husband and I took at Yellowstone were phenomenal. They rivaled many of the post cards we saw for sale, especially of the Lower falls. This is a very easy point and shoot type camera. I only wish the optical zoom was greater than 3X.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Camera that is Bare on the ESSENTIAL accessories
Review: I purchased the 2040 a few weeks ago and looked forward to taking it on vacation. Truthfully, the software [stinks]. Windows 98 didn't recognize the driver even though I followed every step to the letter. I still haven't figured out why the default file type is effjpg or something instead of a true jpg file. Then there is the 8 mg smart media card. Totally worthless unless you plan on carrying about 8 of them. I can't believe they waste money making those cards. I bought a 64 mg card which was very sufficient if used wisely. I knew I was going to take some web pictures so I took them on low quality. The pictures that I thought had potential, I took on high quality. And the lithium batteries!! Cool!!! I haven't worn them out yet but I did have to go purchase rechargeables and a charger for when they do. But, you aren't supposed to download pictures on the batteries so you have to go buy an AC adapter too. No they don't tell you what the voltage is but you can buy off brand adapters that are specifically made for Olympus cameras. I guess that's it unless you want a camera case. I am proud to say that of all the accessories that I purchased NONE were OEM Olympus. Now if you can get through all that [crud], the camera takes wonderful pictures. The menus can be a pain but after a week of use I can breeze right through them to change any settting. The main reason that I purchased the 2040 was because of the f1.8 lens and the 3.0 optical zoom. This camera takes great pictures in really low light. Sometimes it can be a problem though because a fringe evening shot can look a bit brighter than it really is. I would have given this camera five stars if the software worked right and rechargeable batteries/charger were included. I am very happy with the quality of the pictures.
Rating:
Summary: Good Compromise in a Sea of Digital Cameras
Review: I really like this camera, which has very good optical elements (an F1.8 equivalent lens) which is not seen in many lower-end digital camera. The light-gathering power is very good... and I even snapped shots off of a screen showing slides (with flash turned off), and only held by hand; it worked! The 2.1 megapixel image is plenty for the average user. This results in a shots that are about 405kb set on default settings (though you can change this), and images that are about 12" by 20" (can't remember exactly)... such that when they are printed the resolution is excellent (even to 8x10)! I saw 5 x 7 printed enlargements that I defy anyone to tell that they came from a digital camera. The menu system on the back screen is a bit confusing, but one gets used to it fairly quickly. A remote control might have been nice, but the timer-delay feature sort of obviates the need. My only real trouble was setting up the software/cable for downloading images (and ended up calling Olympus); the "Camedia" software is nearly worthless and I prefer to use PaintShopPro7 to edit shots (and any good graphic-editing program would work fine). Basically, you install a CD-ROM in your computer and it walks you through a procedure whereby you end up with a "removeable disk" entry in Windows Explorer (only when the camera is plugged in). The manual didn't clearly explain that. You simple open flap hatch on the side of the camera and plug in the cable (which you can leave attached to the USB port on your computer). As an aside, be advised that most digital cameras have a optical view-finder that does not fully "agree" with digital one. Only looking at the digital image preview will truly tell you what you are about to shoot. Of course, one can edit their shots later on a computer (croping, etc.) One MUST buy two additional things: 1) at least a 32mb SmartCard (the 8mb is good for about 16 shots) 2) a metal-halide battery pack and re-charger (and I'd only use the Olympus battery pack that came with it as a back-up set) 3) some sort of case (which the camera does NOT come with)... get one to also carry spare batteries and memory cards. All and all, in a sea of competing digital cameras, I really like this one. A good compromise.
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