Good quality photos, though not as good as film camera for enlargements. But film camera cannot replace quickness of having photos ready, by-passing photo processor, and fun of taking photos with near immediate results with computer and camera''s review screen(sort of like the fun of Polaroid in old days). Small and light weight; many, many useful to very useful features; packed with features. Easy to use (except menus at first), including getting photos into computer using Zios! attachment (connects to computer, not camera, and bought separately). Takes good photos in low lighting without flash (must disable flash). Highly automated, which is good for most situations.

Too much delay in shutter, but this is common (universal?) problem with digital cameras. Menu has scads of parts and can be confusing, even intimidating; however, this is in large part because of so many features. White balance feature is cumbersome to use when needed in a hurry, if it isn''t forgot to begin with, resulting in poor white color. Cannot replace film camera for quality.

Good camera; glad I bought it. Many, many useful features. Small and light weight. Easy to use (except for menus; see below), including getting photos into computer using Zios! attachment (bought separately).

Customer Service

Haven''t need any.

Full suite of aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation and flash controls that will make any SLR user feel right at home. Can be thoroughly customized, and can be set to remember the last used settings, or your own custom startup settings. Very good to excellent optics. The f/1.8 lens typically allows shooting indoors without flash. Compact and fairly lightweight, fits easily in the hand. Comes with a nifty remote control. The highest quality JPEG mode (2.7:1) is essentially as good as TIFF. The next highest quality mode (6:1) is almost indistinguishable, and could be used for the memory-thrifty user. USB hookup is quite simple, and does not require the installation of the Olympus image management software. Files can simply be copied from the camera to a folder on the computer hard disk.

Doesn''t come with a battery charger or lithium ion battery. Will use rechargeable NIMH batteries which give good life. Like most digicams, comes with a ridiculously small memory card. Purchase a 64 or 128 Mbyte card. The lens cap does not attach to the telescoping lens, but instead to a protective barrel that surrounds it when retracted. This means that the lens cap must be removed prior to powerup (else the lens drive may be damaged) and there is no way to protect the lens when the unit is powered up. Geez, Olympus, why not have the lens cap snap onto the lens instead of the camera body? Like most digicams in this price class, there is about a 1-second lag prior to shutter release to allow time for autofocus. Some functions, like the exposure timer or the remote release activation and the manual or preset white balance controls are buried a little deep in the menu system. At very low light levels, the blue channel noise is pretty severe, but is less noticeable in full color images.

Among the most SLR-like of the compact digicams, with a wealth of controls for precise control of exposure. But you can also put it in "P" mode and use it as a point-and-shoot. The f/1.8-2.6 3X zoom lens produces excellent images with just a little chromatic aberration (or perhaps CCD blooming) and a slightly noticeable barrel distortion at the shortest focal length. Low light performance in excellent, if a little noisy at the lowest detectable light levels. This might be an excellent choice for a digicam user that is frustrated with "automatic" exposure controls, or who wants a digicam that behave much like a traditional SLR. Will easily produce images capable of making excellent enlargements up to 8x10, but not much larger. Too bad it doesn''t come with a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Any user should purchase a NIMH batteries and a charger for about $20. Highly recommended.

Customer Service

Haven''t needed it yet.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DSC-S75, FD90 Mavica, Olympus C-2040Z

Great picture quality. Many featurs. Low light lens is a benefit. Smartmedia is quick, convenient, and has potential to hold hundreds of pictures.

Lens cap design is its greatest drawback. Lens barrel itself seems delicate. No way I see to put protective filter on lens. No rechargable battery pack (go buy NiMH batteries and charger from radio shack.) Limited range of f-stops. Menu a little time consuming. Frequently used functions burried in menu.

Overall good camera. I did quite a bit of research before deciding on the C-3040. After using for over six months, I am satisfied with my decision. I agree with most of what is said in the other reviews. The picture quality is great after getting used to the camera. The new low-light lens definitely improves indoor shots. Often the picutes look better with the flash forced off (as opposed to automatic.) Resolution is everything you will need. I typically used the 1280x960 setting, which produces a large, sharp picture. I would only see use for the maximum resolution (2048x1536)when printing large photographs. The internal ram and smartmedia card make the camera quick compared to other digital cameras I have seen. Using a smartmedia reader (accessory) makes accessing the pictures simple without having to hook the camera up to your computer and drain its batteries. The 129MB card will hold all the pictures you could take on a long vacation (in 1280x960 for example) and most people could get by with less. The camera comes with a 16MB card. I menus are ok, but I agree with others who say that they take some getting used to. Some options such as the self-timer and remote picture are burried in the menu and it can be annoying to hunt them down. But once you get used to the menus, it''s not TOO bad. Frequently used functions should be activated with an external button or at least on the first level of the menu. The lens cap issue is definitely annoying. Once again it''s not annoying enough to pass up the C-3040, but it is nonetheless annoying. The cap must be removed from the lens before turning on the camera or the lens barrel will try to extend and will be prevented by the cap. This makes a bad noise that can''t be good for the camera. Once again, when you have taken a picture but don''t want to turn off the camera you may want to put the cap on the lens. Alas, you cannot because the camera must be turned off. Who thought up that engineering marvel? Anyway, I do believe that this camera is at least equal and probably superior to others in its class.

Customer Service

Not used

Similar Products Used:

C-3030 Zoom. Sony MCV Cannon