Rating: Summary: Great Camera--Learn to use it. Review: 1. Use the magnesium batteries. 2. Use the USB attachment. 3. Learn to use the shutter button instead of the power switch. 4. Learn to adjust the aim for close work. 5. Get a lenscap keeper. 6. Realize the limitations of the "manual" mode--a misnomer.. 7. Use Photoshop, sharpen, adjust contrast. 8. Enjoy, enjoy.
Rating: Summary: Eats Batteries, Floppy Disk Adapter is Impossible Review: Boy, was I disappointed in this one. Relatively easy to set up, but then found that the click action of the picture set up had me fooled, I thought I was taking pictures and I wasn't. When I did, I found out that 15 were all I could get on the card before I had to upload. Figuring out how to upload with the floppy disk adapter proved too much. I am packing it up and sending it back.
Rating: Summary: Good color, high resolution, small, good lens, fast. Review: C-2000 is my second Olympus digital camera, the first one being a D-600L. I was was very happy with it, got many high resolution pictures with an excellent color reproduction. I got my C-2000 because I wanted the next generation features in a smaller package. C-2000 preserves the high quality of the optical 3X zoom subsystem, while making it smaller. I like the new 1600 by 1200 pixel resolution, since I print a lot of 5x7 and 8x10 pictures. The color reproduction is excellent, as good as a 35mm film. The new electronics in the camera is impressive: much more memory, faster processor, more sensitive CCD. Now, I am able to take multiple pictures in a burst mode, a useful feature when there is a lot of action. I delete the frames I don't need at the later time. Also, the time between taking single pictures is much shorter, especially if flash is not used. The new CCD makes it much easier to take pictures in the low light conditions. A lot of digital cameras have difficulties auto-focussing in these situations. I also like the new feature of being able to play the slide show directly to the TV through a video output on the camera. It is great for parties, especially with kids. They like to see themselves on the TV, only minutes after the picture is taken. I got the 32MB SmartMedia memory card. The included 8MB card is OK, but the capacity is insufficient for high-res pictures. (Make sure you get SmartMedia, not the incompatible Compact Flash. Some Web sites don't know the difference!). This memory stores 64 pictures in the 1600x1200 high quality mode, or 32 pictures in the 1600x1200 super high quality mode (JPEG compression of higher quality, but requires more storage). I find both to be excellent, but prefer SHQ mode for 8x10 printing. I got the USB Smart Media reader. It transfers the content from the memory card to the PC much faster than the serial port or a floppy adapter. You notice the difference when you transfer 32MB worth of pictures! An improvement needed: the C-2000 needs separate buttons for some commonly used controls, such as flash, focussing style, macro mode etc. It is much harder to go through a menu to get to change some of these settings. D-600L used to have this feature. Overall, I am very pleased with the C-2000. I recommend it highly.
Rating: Summary: Excellent closeup quality and easy to use. Review: Comes with an easy to understand written manual. Camera is light and small, could actually be a little larger to make it easier to handle. One should invest in a couple of 32mb Smart Media Cards - I highly recommend Alix Memory Cards (800 580-6940) - they are competitively priced and offer top notch service. Also I recommend their Universal Photo Reader, it's alot faster than using the cable that comes with the camera. Your computer treats it as another hard drive and transferring photos could not be easier. I didn't really like the photoediting software that came with the camera, I went right back to using Ulead PhotoImpact. You'll need to get a good battery charger and a couple sets of recharable batteries - this is a must. Photo quality is outstanding for shorter range shots. I found that when shooting landscapes, the images were not as sharp as I would have liked. An advantage of the camera is that you have the option to manually set alot of the settings, just like a regular 35mm camera, all the other digital cameras in this price range that I researched did not as many manual setting options. Cons: When one is using the viewfinder to take a photo it is easy to press the power button instead of the shutter button. You'll need a strap to secure the lens cover to the camera strap, otherwise it'll be lost in no time. The camera comes with only an 8mb Smart Media Card, I think the standard should have been 16mb.
Rating: Summary: Use the remote Review: For quality pictures photographers prefer to use a tripod and cable release. The C2000 does not include a socket for the cable release; the answer is to use the remote to avoid camera shake when activating the shutter. It seems strange to put a ten-ounce camera on a ten-pound tripod, but it works great. (Incidentally, only use the LCD for composing in close-up mode, the batteries last forever.)
Rating: Summary: Good Camera.. for $800 bucks you should get more extras... Review: Got my camera and it worked well, with impressive results. I was amazed at the detail in the 1600x1200 medimum compression mode. Pictures can be enlarged about 400% without noticing grain. However; then I had to purchase a camera case to keep it in. (This was very hard to find because of the odd shape of the camera. None of the "off the shelf" ones fit well. I had to settle for one much larger than the camera because of the odd shape.) Then after the first 20 pictures I had to replace the disposable batteries that came with the camera with rechargable batteries and a battery charger. (It eats batteries - BIG TIME.) Then I had to get a lens cap keeper. (The camera "spits" the lens cap on the floor if it is left on the camera, when the camera is turned on.) Then I had to get an additional 32 meg smart media card. (Since I wanted to take more than 8 quality pictures without downloading.) Then I had to get a USB smart card reader to download the pictures in an acceptable amount of time without running down the rechargable camera batteries. Now, all I need to get is a photo quality printer to print some of the pictures that I've taken...... Bottom line, it took me $1,300+ to get the camera set up the way I wanted. I feel the camera case, rechargable batteries, bettery recharger, lens cap keeper, 32meg smartcard and USB reader should have been included with the camera... (I would have gladly given up the stink'n "remote" for any two or three of these things I had to purchase afterward.)
Rating: Summary: Tried the camera but still looking Review: I am a more experienced photographer and needed to find a good a megapixel camera for Internet work. This model Olympus gave sharp pictures with good print (8x10) quality on my Epsom 740 printer. Alkaline batteries do not last every long especially if you use the LCD often. The software worked well to transfer the images into my PC. The only reason I am still looking is that I needed a camera that had manual settings like the Nikon Cool Pix, so I could set the focus rather than being restricted to auto focus. Olympus is known for their better quality lenses, a good reason to consider this camera.
Rating: Summary: Battery Life Review: I am somewhat perplexed by the comments about battery life on the C-2000/C-2020 series. I am using the recommended NiMH batteries in my C-2020. Just today I shot 79 1600 x 1200 images including about 20 using flash. I used the color LCD display for all composition. No only did I never get a low battery indication but this shooting session used so little power that the batteries recharged in only 20 minutes. I have a friend with a C-2000Z and he can EASILY fill his 32MB and his 8MB SmartCards with images without getting a low battery indication. I think the secret has to be the NiMH batteries. My friend with the C-2000 has tried both rechargables (NiCAD) and conventional alkalines and confirms that his camera does indeed "eat" these battery types.
Rating: Summary: what an amazing camera Review: I am still getting used to it, but every feature of the camera is exellent (including computer down-load, doing a "slide show" on the TV, and even its little REMOTE). When my wife and I were researching this buy we decided against disk storage camera's (our friends have them) because the disk drive is just something else to eat the batteries. Also the C-2000 can take a 32MB smart media card which greatly increases picture capacity at higher resolutions - about 489 standard, 64 high, and 32 TIFF...it will take about 120 standard with its included 8MB card. I already upgraded the card and bought an AC adaptor (not included)...and the charger for the batteries is on the way. I will not use alkaline batteries again. Right now I am using lithiums and I am seeing about a 4-5X greater life over alkaline. My friends who had digital said that it is better to not take pictures using the LCD screen...I agree, we use the view-finder, then check the pictures with the LCD (eats the batteries). I am sure I will be happy with this camera for years. Good advice is to read the whole instruction book right away, the camera does a lot more than I thought it would. By the way, we bought the camera in a retail store (going on vacation, wanted it NOW) and even with comparision shopping we now wish we got it on-line. My wife told me to add that it is really easy to use once you know which buttons to push...the instruction book is thorough.
Rating: Summary: Excellent photos; some design oddness Review: I bought the C2000 over the summer, and Olympus enclosed a mail-in certificate for free NiMH batteries and charger. The NiMH batteries largely fixed the battery problem (before, I had to carry a pile of spare alkakines). I'm not sure how Olympus's folks signed off on some strangeness in the mechanical design (wayward lens cap, oddly-placed strap attachment things, power switch / shutter button placement). Also, the Flashpath (floppy) adapter is a major pain to use. The PCMCIA adapter is simpler and works better. A PCMCIA reader for a desktop PC/MAC is cheap. An included case would have been nice. Olympus sells one for this camera, but no one ever has it in stock. I don't even know what it looks like. Having said that, I'm very pleased with picture quality and ease of use. Resolution and color are excellent. The automatic mode tends to overexpose flash pictures taken in some situations (like across a dark room), but the overrides for shutter and aperature priority work well. You can also fine-tune the exposure, among other things, and still use the fully-auto mode. Bottom line: an amazing piece of technology; takes excellent photos (for a digital camera); very good value for its capabilities.
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