Rating: 
Summary: Everyhting you wanted to know...
Review: Hello,Well, to cut short some of the remarks in those reviews, a few points: - The USB is not slow. Transferring a full 16Mo card to my computers (Windows XP/2000 or Mac OSX) takes less than 10 seconds. The slow USB problem is mostly due to computers running W98OSR2 (I don't have the exact reason, but the slow USB is not due to the camera). - Batteries: Olympus has the great idea to accept AA cells, adapted to rechargeable batteries (1.2V). You can buy two sets of nickel-metal batteries in any store for 20 bucks, with the charger. And even if you're in the middle of Continental India, you will find AA cells without problems, compared to lithium batteries. NiMh cells last longer than alkaline batteries, but make sure you always have a set of 4 batteries charged, especially if you use the LCD screen at all times. Now the good points of the camera:
- a good optical system, with little deformation at wide angle, and a decent aperture. It can be used indoor without flash if the subject is static.
- good flash exposure, and many capabilities (slow mode to keep the ambiance, red eyes reduction, flash off...).
- Overall good light exposure. It is not op-perfect but the multi-zone measurement makes a good job in classic composition. For highly contrasted scenes, you can use the 'spot' measurement, which is maybe too wide to be really 'spot', but precise enough to expose one part of the picture perfectly. - Fast processing, probably due to a lot of RAM in the system. A full-size picture is processed in about a second. Bad points: - Noise of the zoom: it sounds awefull, but like most other digital cameras... The system that prevents the optical system to come out when the lens cap is on is a little weird, but proven efficient (I have that camera for more than 3 monts... Tested and approved) - Batteries run out quickly... BUY SOME RECHARGEABLE NI-MH. Those cameras are power hungry. The other solution is to wait 5 years, technology will be better and more power efficient! - Size? it's not a compact camera, and it won't fit in your shirt pocket. Price to pay for a decent lens, and a large LCD screen. In the other hand, it handles very well, and proves to be a very nice fit in your hand. - No sound in video mode: at that price point, I'm not really surprised. And to answer the question:"How much would it cost to olympus to add a microphone", I can answer: about 3 dollars (microphone+analog front end+D/A converter+processing power to encode sound!), and something more to add inside this already squeezed camera. If you want sound with the video, go to a better model - more expensive. The main purpose of a camera is... TO TAKE PICTURES! Overall rating: I like this camera, that provides good colors and very good exposure without hassle. A lot of manual features are available, very good for someone who knows how to use a regular film camera. At that price point...you will not get any better. The resolution is very good (3.3MPS) and detailled, indor photography is possible. If you need an even faster lens, check the C3030 (F1.8 constant), but you will pay a nice premium for the upgrade. The cameras are similar otherwise.
Rating:
Summary: Very Nice Camera for the price
Review: My first digital camera (2/5/02). I wanted the 3 megapixels to print up to 8x10 if I choose to. Fairly easy to use out of the box and takes great pictures with little effort. I am sure I will be able to customize for some great pics. Here are the highlights/lowlights of the camera. - The lens cap situation is horrible. If you leave the cap on and turn the camera on, the motor churns to expand the lens tube. I think the motor times out before any damage happens, but bad nonetheless. The camera should have an automatic lens cover, like some of olympus clamshell cameras. I've decided I can live with the lens cap issue.
- You can preview the picture after you take it without changing modes. VERY NICE feature.
- Olympus has a very effective red-eye reduction flicker flash.
- The optical 3xzoom is adequate for most shots. The digital zoom appears bogus. Haven't used it yet, manual says it could be grainy.
- Try on-line printing of your digital pics... Otofo is much higher priced. I tried it and the pics came out GREAT.
- The camera has different pre-set shooting modes for portraits, action, night scenes, and landscapes.
- The...price seems very fair for the optical zoom @3.2 megapixel. You will have to buy a ac adapted to use the camera at your computer, also purchased the olympus rechargable batteries and the 128 meg smartmedia cart...
Rating:
Summary: Great Basic Digital Camera
Review: I have owned this camera for approx. 18 month and I still love it. It is one of the easiest digital cameras to get to know and use. From the first day I got it I had it out of the box and shooting right away. It's that simple. The only negative factor of the camera is the lack of a Hot Shoe Flash option. The C3020Z has several flash options for various lighting conditions; however, I have grown in my photography and require more advanced lighting options. As a starter camera this is a perfect introduction to digital photography. It has certainly helped me to expand in my Digital skills and knowledge, but as I move towards being a Professional Amateur I have out grown this model. That's my $0.02.
Rating:
Summary: Love, love, love it!
Review: I have owned my camera now for several years and still love it.
My only wish would be that it would have a better zoom range. My favorite features include: Fill in flash
no flash
sepia tone
black and white tone I use these features on a daily basis. I find it is great that I can immediatly view my photo taken for a few seconds without changing the mode, it really helps. I have used this camera everywhere you can imagine. It is not the smallest of camera's but I can fit it in a fanny pack or belt bag when on a trip. The lens cap snaps on and does fall off with even just a little nudge but it does come with a small thin cord to attach it to your camera strap. The batteries used are 4 AA, they will last longer if you don't constantly do a "slide show" or use the lcd screen as a view finder. Use the actual view finder and limit viewing and you will be surprised by how much you can use them. I do use rechargables as I like to take photos all the time and it saves me lots of money. It does come with a small memory card, but I used a 128mb from the start. I can now take about 169 pictures are high resolution. My photos come out great! Many of my friends and family ask me to take their photos now.....all because of the great shots. There are many, many features with this camera that I haven't even touched upon but check out the Olympus website for more info.
Rating: 
Summary: Worked Great for 16 month Beware of the Lens Motor
Review: LOVED the Camera until I forgot to take off the lens cap. The gear grind was horrible and now my once beloved camera is dead (minimum repair cost 179.00). By an inexpensive 2.0 Mega pix camera. It too will break in 16 months and you can buy another "upgraded" camera ( a 3 Mega Pix camera should be much cheaper by then) with the money it would take to repair it.
Rating:
Summary: Photographer wanna be
Review: I was looking for a camera with the capabilities of taking shots automatically or manually. This camera has so many options it makes photography fun! I recommend purchasing rechargeable batteries and a larger memory card for maximum use of the camera. I find that it doesn't zap battery power like I thought it would. The LCD screen is large enough to see what you are taking a picture of and reviewing pictures taken. I have use this camera to take close ups of small objects and sunsets. Takes excellent pictures in any kind of light.
Rating: 
Summary: camedia is an ... clunker.
Review: After reading glorious reviews, I ran out and paid top dollar for a Camedia. After using the camera for six months, all the pictures produced a red splotch in the upper left corner. Fixed under warranty but repair person said this was a common problem. Could happen again. After repairs pictures now washed out. Lens cap is easy to loose and you must remember to take it off before turning on the camera or lens motor will grind. Camera has many bells and whistles. Unfortunately, they are not intuitive to use so one is constantly reading the manual to operate this camera. I take most of my pictures outdoors and this camera is just not as rugged as some cheaper models. Not recommended for rugged outdoor use. Many features may appeal to expert indoor photographer.
Rating:
Summary: Nice while it lasted
Review: Loved my camera while it lasted...but now, just one month after the warranty expired, the camera is completely dead. I have been unsuccessful thus far in getting Olympus to honor the warranty and fix the product. I'll think twice before buying an Olympus product again.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth it...
Review: A few of the problems we've had with this complicated camera:
1. The instruction booklet on disk is almost useless to use. Who carries a computer around when they're trying to figure out their camera? We finally printed out the tome-->300 pages, but found it marginally useful and poorly organized.
2. The menu buttons on the camera stopped working properly after 5 months (required pushing with a pencil with just the right pressure and angle) --unfortunately we didn't get it sent in for repair within the one year warranty.
3. Now at 16 months into ownership the camera is not useable because the zoom lens stopped working--after one too many times grinding against the lens cap that we forgot to remove before turning on the camera. This is a result of very poor design--inadvertant pressure can turn the camera on at any time and the lens cap prevents the zoom from expanding--instead it 'grinds' against the lens cap.
4. We've researched repair and find that Olympus will charge between $214-$260 to fix this 16 month old camera. When it works, it's a decent camera. Nice pictures. But for the reasons above, I don't recommend this camera to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good value
Review: I've owned this camera for almost a year now, with no problems. Some of the quasi-negative reviews I've seen here have some merit: the zoom control is a little too "coarse" in its responsiveness, and the camera isn't great in extremely-low-light situations. That having been said, how many photos do you try to take in extremely-low-light situations? In normal low-light situations (e.g., a typical restaurant), I think it works just fine. The camera is a little slow to take photos, and the lens cap can be knocked off if you shove the camera into a bag...but again, I wouldn't consider these things to be the "major" flaws that other reviewers seem to feel they are. I've also read some criticism of the camera's physical structure -- but mine feels pretty darn solid! I take mine on hikes with my dogs, and I let the neighborhood kids run around taking photos with it -- it's held up well. When I bought it a year ago, I think it was a good value for the dollar -- newer cameras may be a better deal now, but I'm very surprised by the negative reviews I've read here. My experiences have only been positive.
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