Rating: 
Summary: Great product.
Review: This is a really nice camera, as you've seen from the other reviews. Get a USB port, the serial port is a pain. You need steady hands or a tripod. THe most important thing is to be careful with power off. In another review somoene mentioned that it willwear out the gears in the game, when brining the lens in. The trick is to hit the lens with cover, then bring it back out just so it's not touching it anymore. Gotta be quick. You'll get used to it, and the camera will last much longer.
Rating:
Summary: First Time Digital Camera User--Great!
Review: I was looking for a digital camera to take pictures of my baby to send through e-mail. I was looking for something easy, and this is it! I've taken 40+ pictures and the original batteries are still in there (I've got the rechargeable ones ready to go!). I bought this when Olympus was offering the free USB reader, but what comes with the camera is adequate. The only drawback that I have is that the flash is not automatic, I have to keep remembering to flip the flash up. The software is easy to use to file all of the pictures. The menu is easy to delete/zoom pictures on the spot. Worth the money, easy to use!
Rating: 
Summary: Very Happy with the D490-Zoom
Review: I am truly enjoying my first digital camera, the Olympus D490-Zoom. What a great little camera! I was able to take photos right out of the box without spending a lot of time reading the manual. The pictures are fantastic! I haven't experienced the massive battery drain reported in other reviews but maybe I haven't used it long enough. I use the HQ setting the most and they turn out fabulous, even printing in 8x10. The downside(s): It takes FOREVER to download the photos to the computer using the serial interface. I am anxiously waiting for my USB reader. Also, the sliding lens cover is a little tricky-if you close it too far it can hang up the lens when it's trying to retract, which can't be good for the motor. Also, the lens cover is a little "sticky" to slide, not as smooth as you'd want. The lift-up flash (not automatic) is a little inconvenient, but I'm used to it now and it's not a real problem. I mostly take pictures of my pets, so red-eye (actually, green-eye) is always present with the flash and has to be edited out. There is a red-eye reduction feature, but the dogs won't cooperate! It works well with people, however. On my printer, DeskJet 720C, I have to use the highest quality print feature so the photos don't come out fuzzy. But at the right setting they are perfect. Just be sure to get the USB reader. I was 35 years old when I bought this camera just before Christmas 2000 and have since turned 50 waiting for the pictures to download. All the downsides aside, I definitely recommend this camera.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing and incredible camera above its own league.
Review: The D-490Z takes very good pictures. I couldn't believe that this small camera can take excellent pictures. The resolution is unbelievable. You can even take panoramic pictures using Olympus Smartmedia. Just for the heck of it, I took 180-degree pictures and they came out perfectly. Now, I can take a shot of St. Patrick's Cathedral from the base up with no problem. I invested to a 64MB Olympus Smartmedia after I've seen what this camera can do. Plus a PCMCIA Smartmedia reader so I don't have to fumble with wires. I also got an external rechargeable battery for long time shooting. I feel like a pro with this camera. Love it!
Rating:
Summary: Great camera but maybe there are cheaper options
Review: This is my first digital camera and I am very very happy with it. Having the 3X optical zoom was a major factor in buying it, as most of the 2 MP competitors have lower optical zoom and rely more on the digital zoom. (The digital zoom works well too but my understanding is that you don't gain any resolution on your subject, only size.) Comparing to the other similar cameras, in retrospect it looks like Fuji and HP offer cameras with similar features at lower cost; but I cannot tell you whether they provide worse pictures or not. This one (490Z) has many good flash, exposure and focus modes as well as an easy point and shoot default. The QuickTime movie capability attracted me but in reality I have no use for it. I suppose it would be good if you have a web site and want to put 10-second QuickTime movies of your cat up on it or something. The camera is also a little bigger than I would prefer- it doesn't fit into my shirt pocket for example- I believe Fuji's comparable is smaller. Again, I cannot vouch for Fuji's or HP's quality- Olympus might be worth the extra cost, I don't know. Also, be aware that this camera does not include an AC adapter or a recharger or a USB reader....though they have a free USB reader offer by mail at the moment (January 2001).
Rating:
Summary: Amazing camera
Review: I've had this camera for almost three weeks, and I love it. The pictures it takes are fantastic. At high-res my 8x10s come out beautiful. Even at low-res ( with low compression ) the photos are great. The best shots are outdoors. Landscapes come out great. It needs decent light indoors, but it has a strong flash. There are a lot of settings to help you get a good shot, and you can review your picture before you move on, so you can take another one if you need to. The macro lense is great. Although you can't set the apature or shutter priority, you can trick the camera into giving you "advanced" photos. Understand that if you buy this camera, you're going to spend another $100 on accessories. A battery charger ( NiMH ) and a few sets is a must. And so is more memory, unless you won't ever use the camera away from a computer.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable Clarity and ease of use!
Review: I received the Olympus D-490 Zoom camera three days ago. Out of the box I was taking still and movie pictures within about ten minutes. Not only is the camera extremely easy to use, but the manual does a great job of explaining the features and functions with minimal confusion. The only exception here is that I didn't find information in the manual on how to switch to the SQ-HIGH and SHQ-TIFF modes. I later found out that to switch to the latter, the user must hold the "up" arrow for two seconds. I still haven't figured out how to access the SQ-HIGH. Quality wise, the D-490 Zoom takes crystal clear and colorful images, capturing details that my Olympus film camera couldn't possibly match. The zoom features allow the user to take close-up shots of subjects quite a distance away, while the macro feature allows true close-ups from as little as four or five inches away. My comments about specific features are: 1. The built-in multi-mode flash does an excellent job of balancing degrees of light on and around the photo subject. 2. The red-eye and slow-synch features, combined with the 12-second timer resulted in a warm close-up self-portrait that makes it hard to believe no one was holding the camera! 3. The LCD screen is clear and true to actual color, giving the viewer a good idea of what the actual image will look like. 4. The clarity of the images that I downloaded were extremely clean, even at the mid-setting (HQ and SHQ). The only real downside I found to the Olympus D-490 Zoom is that downloading images to the computer using the serial cable is VERY slow. I had read and heard this, but until I downloaded the images myself, I hadn't realized just how slow. Still, once the download was complete, the resulting images made up for the wait. The Olympus D-490 Zoom is overall a wonderful camera, far exceeding my expectations, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quality digital camera. I would suggest, however, purchasing at least a 32MB memory card, as well as the USB card reader. With the 32MB card, you shouldn't have to worry about running out of image space, and the USB card reader will allow you transfer/download images at about 1MB per second.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera
Review: We bought this camera just before Christmas, and it has been GREAT! It is easy to use and takes wonderful pictures. The indoors pictures are as good as the outdoors. If anything, I am over-flashing some of the indoor shots because my previous digital camera had such a poor flash. It is really cool to be able to review the photos as soon as you take them. We are very pleased with this product. The quality is excellent and the price is reasonable.
Rating:
Summary: Olympus D-490 ~~ Easy to use!
Review: After much research & returning a Canon model (too confusing to use) I decided on this one based on a review in PC magazine! This is a great camera, easy to use & download pictures. Flipping thru modes is a breeze, not complicated at all. I enjoy action photography and this freezes people in motion. This camera literally froze snow flakes in the air! I have a Canon 35MM that takes 5 frames per second and it has never caught snow flakes in mid air! The D-490 is great on batteries, even tho I use the display all the time. Very efficient. I've used this camera quite a bit in the past month and have yet to replace the two batteries (Olympus Camedia CR-V3). Even tho is is not USB, I had no trouble downloading the pictures to my computer with the D-SUB 9 pin connector. I'd read that it can take forever if you don't have the USB interface, but with a pentium II, 500mhz, 32ram... I had no problem getting my pictures loaded in about a minute or two. I'm still getting the USB card reader, since is supposed to load faster! The print quality with the software that came with the camera is incredible. This camera will never compete with $1,000. 35MM setup for resolution, but for what I use it for, it is a five star value at Amazon's price! This camera will pay for itself in about 6 months with the savings on film and developing! My next purchase is the printer that Olympus makes for digital cameras. I had fun with the quicktime movie mode, even without sound, it's a fun extra. The LCD display is easy to read, altho on a sharp angle, is harder to see. Great for taking those candid shots... no one realizes you are using the camera! The only negative thing I can say about it is the way it turns on & off. You have to be careful how you close the cover, because if it hits the extended lens, it won't close altho you can hear the motor trying to. Cannot be too good for the motor.
Rating:
Summary: Love this camera
Review: I actually bought and returned 3 other cameras before deciding on this one. It is an excellent camera. The only negative thing is that you have to remember to put the flash up before taking pictures. I highly recommend this camera.
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