Olympus C-750 4MP Digital Camera w/ 10x Optical Zoom

Rating:
Summary: A Great Value
Review: Tons of features for a great price. Benefits include tons of settings, great zoom capbility, software is easy to use. Drawbacks - lag time before the image is taken. Buy a back up set of rechargeable batteries as they are expended fairly quickly. Also, the 256K xD card is a necessity since once you start using this camera it is very hard to stop!

Rating:
Summary: Best Bang for the Buck
Review: After 11 months of use, I like the camera better today than when I first purchased it. This thing takes great pictures. (especially after you learn how to use all the settings) At first I was disappointed with the low light focusing, but after doing some research it seems that most digital cameras suffer from the same problem. The solution with the C-750's low light focusing problem is LEARNING HOW TO USE THE MANUAL FOCUS feature, which is very easy to use.

PROS:
Great pics
Battery life is ok (always have charged spares)
10X zoom (be sure to use your tripod)
very easy to use
Great macro features

CONS:
I spend to much time taking pictues
Cost of accesories
Lack of image stabilization
1/1000 max shutter speed

This is a great all around camera. I use it daily. I would buy it again or atleast the newer versions.


Rating:
Summary: Dependable camera with one small problem
Review: I bought this camera about 10 months ago and have been using it since then. This is a great camera, especially with the 10X optical zoom. All my friends have been surprised with the brilliant pictures that can be taken with its full optical zoom. It's got a solid feel to it and is very well constructed - quite unlike the many plastic cameras in the market today. I had even dropped the camera once from my pocket onto a concrete floor while sitting on a bench - a 2 feet drop. There was just a scratch on the mode dial but no other issues - I don't think too many electronic devices can live after a fall like that.

The one problem with the camera is low light focus (By low light I mean a standard size room with just one 60W bulb). It often fails to focus in such conditions especially in high zoom. The solution in low light could be:
a) Take photos in full wide angle
b) If that fails try switching to manual focus. Here you could first try keeping the focus fixed at infinity.

But this is a problem with most 10X zoom cameras out there. I guess it's because of the large number of individual elements within the lens that reduce the light reaching the sensors. Due to this you may want to rethink buying this camera if you have to do a lot of photography in low light or you want a simple and uncomplicated point and shoot camera.

I have read some people complaining about the shutter delay and how it's impossible to take pictures of moving subjects. The solution is quite simple - just hold the shutter button half pressed and then and shoot exactly when you want to. The only problem could be if the subject's distance from you is rapidly changing. Personally, I have never found problems taking action shots though.

Pros:
- Excellent array of features. More than most amateurs would want or even experiment with.
- Excellent 10X optical zoom.
- Outstanding image quality.
- Good battery life - about 150 photos with LCD on.
- Comes with a set of 4 good rechargeable batteries with charger.
- No software needed to connect the camera to a computer.

Cons:
- Low light focusing.
- Will loose all settings every time you remove the batteries for more that 2 mins.
- Kind of large - I could have done with a smaller camera that I can pocket.


Rating:
Summary: Another great Ultra Zoom from Olympus
Review: I own the 750 and I own a 730 and a 700. All of them are excellent cameras and offer great optics. The 700 is still one of the only digital cameras out there allowing an ISO of 800 with an optical 10x zoom. The 730 accepts both the XD and the Smartmedia cards and the 750 offers a 4 MP capacity. I print 8x10 enlargements from all three cameras and they look great. With regard to some issues raised by other reviewers: the complete manual is included on the Camedia software disk in PDF format--it is worth the effort to print it out and read it. I have shut off all beeps and other noises on all of these cameras since I cannot stand any noise--instructions on how to do this are in the manual. With regard to shutter lag, I shoot a lot of hockey games and I almost always pre-focus by holding the shutter halfway down (using flash you see a green dot in the viewfinder) and then finish depressing the shutter when the picture is composed. If you are taking indoor sporting events, I heartily recommend external flash (get permission first). I use Olympus FL-40s but with the correct cable you can use cheaper flashes such as the Vivitar 283. Note: not all UZ models allow external flash--I do not recommend buying a digital camera without the ability to use external flash. Olympus pioneered the 10x optical zoom on a consumer digital camera and they are great lenses.