Amazon.co.uk Review
Olympus has squeezed a lot of good features into this 7.5x zoom digital camera, but still manages to keep the price attractive. Olympus has used the same design for its digital cameras for the last couple of years, so the Camedia C-220 Zoom doesn't appear that different from earlier models. It still looks like a compact 35mm camera, with a lens guard which also acts as a power switch.
Slide it open, though, and an Olympus auto-focus zoom lens telescopes out of the front. A miniature flash head also pops out of the top of the camera body. On the back of the camera is a 39mm LCD display, a diamond of control buttons to navigate on-screen menus and an optical viewfinder. The Camedia C-220 Zoom actually has two zooms; an optical magnification of 3x from the lens, augmented by a 2.5x digital zoom, resulting in 7.5x zoom overall. The zoom control comes from a little jog-switch next to the shutter release on the top of the camera.
The camera has a two-megapixel CCD array and can take pictures up to a resolution of 1,600 x 1,200, though you need to choose a lower resolution to store more than five of them on the 8-MB SmartMedia memory card supplied. It runs on two AA cells--alkaline are provided, but you could also use rechargeables. To get the images out of the camera, Olympus provides a USB lead and a copy of its Camedia Master 4 software. With Windows XP on your PC, the Camedia C-220 Zoom is recognised as a standard camera type and you can then also use the Camera and Scanner Wizard to import, view and print your pictures.
Picture quality is good, with natural, well-balanced colours and a high level of detail. Overall, this is a very good camera for its asking price, neat and with the image quality we've come to expect from Olympus. --Simon Williams
Manufacturer's description
With a 3x optical lens, 2 megapixel resolution and a stylish design, the beautifully shaped
Camedia C-220 ZOOM makes discovering digital photography a real joy. The extremely compact and easy-to-use camera is available at a highly attractive price and will appeal to beginners as well as ambitious photographers. Olympus is renowned for its high level of opto-digital competence and its expertise is confirmed once again by the impressively realistic pictures this new model produces. Olympus Camedia was one of the first brands in the digital camera consumer market and it still holds a leading position today.
Offering 1.95 megapixels (effective resolution), a high-performance 3x optical zoom lens as well as incredible value for money, the C-220ZOOM is sure to impress. This new model follows its predecessor--the award-winning Camedia Camedia C-220 ZOOM--as the ideal solution for price-conscious newcomers to the world of digital photography. Of course, it is also of interest to hobby photographers who value cameras that are very user-friendly and ergonomically-designed. The results obtained with the new compact zoom are not only convincing on a monitor or LCD screen but also look great on paper. Printed shots can easily be compared with those from analogue compact models in terms of their sharpness and brilliance.
With the camera's combination of precise automatic shooting, high-quality zoom and versatile range of flash options, taking great pictures is almost child's play. Directly after installing the batteries and the SmartMedia card in the camera, the user can simply point and shoot. The procedure is virtually the same as with conventional 35 mm cameras but with one significant difference. Instead of having to wait for the film to be developed to see whether the results are okay, there is an integrated LCD monitor that enables checking of shots immediately.
In addition, the 3.8 cm LCD display can be used as a viewfinder which also allows the photographer to check camera settings, memory capacity and battery levels as well as the date and time. There is a multitude of functions built into this compact Olympus camera. For example, to suit the ambient conditions, it is possible to adjust the white balance, make exposure corrections or utilise one of the diverse flash modes. Furthermore, two light metering systems are available: digital ESP and spot metering. The camera's arrow-keys enable users to scroll through easy-to-follow menus displayed on the LCD monitor, allowing effortless adjustment of various settings.
Besides colour shots, the Camedia C-220 ZOOM can also capture images in black and white or sepia and record short video sequences. Especially interesting is the panorama function which enables the photographer to capture scenes such as an endless desert landscape with breathtaking effect.
For quick downloading of image data, the Camedia C-220 ZOOM has a USB interface with AutoConnect compatability (The computer must support USB AutoConnect.) so that the camera is automatically recognised as an external drive when connected to the computer.
The new software Camedia Master 4.0, also supplied with the camera, allows the user to easily archive, manage, edit and process image data (stills and movies). There is also a choice of different templates for individual photo albums, calendars and postcards.
With an ergonomic design, compact measurements (62 [h] x 112 [w] x 35 [d] mm) and weighing only 174 g, the Camedia C-220 ZOOM is perfect for almost every occasion--whether at parties, on holiday or at work.
