What do you reckon of this digi cam?

[Jimmy Little]

OLYMPUS C350 3.2 MP DIGITAL CAMERA

3.2 million pixels

3x optical zoom

Movie mode facility

16Mb XD memory card

3.3x digital zoom

35-105mm equivalent lens

1.8" LCD screen

Multi mode flash

Image modes

Self timer

£152 -

[joshwa]

v good price, good specs too - where from? (edit - ah dixons / pc world according to the web)

[Jimmy Little]

this link has a list of places and prices

http://www.reviewcentre.com/review22878.html

[gamezfreak]

I'm holding the Olympus c-220 at the moment. Olympus camera's are great and I suspect the one you are looking at is similar (but better) to this one

[Jimmy Little]

Originally posted by gamezfreak
I'm holding the Olympus c-220 at the moment. Olympus camera's are great and I suspect the one you are looking at is similar (but better) to this one

what pix is your mate? any good you email a test pic? for me to look at?

[Austin]

For a very long time Olympus and Fuji owned the consumer digital camera scene ... not only in quality and usability but pricing too. Still top buys. Does it use std AA batteries? If so factor in a charger (pref rapid 1 hour) and some Nimh (pref > 1700mah), check out Maplins. AA are much better than proprietry (sub-std) formats. Also factor in £20 for a 64MB (or bigger) xD card as 16MB is limiting for a 2.0MP camera.

[Lord Kordir]

I'd go for it. With the optical zoom it has the edge over other cameras of that price range.

[Jimmy Little]

Originally posted by Austin
For a very long time Olympus and Fuji owned the consumer digital camera scene ... not only in quality and usability but pricing too. Still top buys. Does it use std AA batteries? If so factor in a charger (pref rapid 1 hour) and some Nimh (pref > 1700mah), check out Maplins. AA are much better than proprietry (sub-std) formats. Also factor in £20 for a 64MB (or bigger) xD card as 16MB is limiting for a 2.0MP camera.

yeah i did read a review saying i needed diffrent batt's ... can you explain a bit more to me... hmmm i'm simple!

[Austin]

Well digital cameras tend to either use the std AA (pencil) batteries as found everywhere (great if they run out) or a proprietry battery pack which should last longer but is expensive esp if you buy a backup (or replacement pack). So I rec cameras that take AA batteries. Digital cameras are pretty hungry devices much like walkmans & portable CD players so it is advised to use Alkaline batteries. These have a stronger longer lasting supply. However it's still a little wasteful to use disposable batteries so rechargables are certainly rec'ed.

There are 2 key types of rechargable AA batteries, NiCD & Nimh. NiCD are more like 'run of the mill' AA bateries while Nimh are more like the superior Alkaline AA batteries. The next thing to look for is battery life (before they require recharging) which is expressed in 'mah' (milli amp hours). Now-a-days 1800+ mah is what you should look for. For the charger you should really look to something that can charge Nimh in 1-2 hours instead of the more common 6 hours. You should also find the 'super rapid charge' type ones (1 hour ish) offer other features such as automatic shut off (so it detects when the battery is full and won't overcharge). You often find you get 4 batteries with the charger, better chargers should come with 1800mah or 2000mah batteries.

EDIT: Shop around but I found www.maplin.co.uk and www.yourbatteries.co.uk to be best.

[joshwa]

did you get this camera?

there's good photos here:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~bobpar/photos.htm

looks really good...

[Howard]

Similar design to mine (MJU300) and pictures are of about the same quality...Very nice

[Nemeliza]

It sounds just like my Canon Powershot A40, which has done proud.

[Spritzup]

I work in a photography store, and overall the olympus camera's are fantastic. Olympus is known for having some of the best lenses in the world. The only complaints I've heard with it (and keep in mind these are based on customer complaints and personal use) is that they tend to not have very nice ease of use features, the night shooting mode leaves something to be desired, and Olympus (at least here in canada) has one of the worst repair services (Kodak is the only one with the worst repair service). Having said that the price seems right (well if you convert it to canadian it does. The only other camera's in that range that I would reccomend you look at are the Pentax 33LF, and the Fuji A303(?) Off the top of my head I think that's the model number.

Also factor into the price of the camera a good NiMH charger and batteries as digital camera's are high drain devices and you need something to keep up with them. While Lithium will last longer, you'll spend a fortune on batteries as they are not rechargeable. Also figure in on a bigger card (as 16 megs will only hold roughly 22-26 pics), and possibly a camera bag, as no digital camera comes with one, and you probably want to protect your investment. If you have any other questions I'd be happy to help.

Finally a forum post where I feel at home

[Jimmy Little]

thanks guys! you are the boyz!

i think i shall goe for this one, can anyone recommend me a good charger and bats... i know nout!

[Austin]

Confirm it takes AA batteries then all you need are AA Nimh batteries 1800mah or higher. Cheap chargers that atke 6-12 hours (ish) are £10-15 while rapid ones which take 1 hour (ish) are usually £30ish but also have little extras like built in over-charge protection etc.

www.maplin.co.uk (free P&P > £30 & sign up to email letters for extra vouchers).

L58AG = NiMH AA 1800mAh Batts 12pack £12.99 (promotion)
L84AQ = NiMH 2300mAh Batt AA 4 pack Vanson £12.99

FZ42V = Basic Nimh charger (inc ?xAA) £9.99
WN26D = Basic Nimh charger (inc 4xAAA) £9.99
WN45Y = Better Nimh charger (inc 8xAA) £12.99 (promotion)
UG31J = Better Nimh charger (inc 4xAA) £14.99
L61AK = Smart Nimh charger (inc 8xAA) £19.99
L17AH = Great rapid Nimh charger (inc 4xAA) £24.99
L26AH = Like above but can be used in car as well £34.99

Also check out ...

www.yourbatteries.co.uk (free P&P)

[Spritzup]

It does take AA batteries, 2 if i'm not mistaken