The CAMEDIA C-150 is the perfect model for those who want to explore the world of digital photography at an extremely affordable price. Featuring several automatic and creative... more
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A review by sit2020 on Olympus CAMEDIA C 150 June 22nd, 2004
Author's product rating:
Picture Quality
Excellent
Range & Quality of Features
Excellent
Ease of Use
Very Easy
Durability
Good
Overall Look & Design
Good
Value for Money
Excellent
Advantages:
Compact, versatile and easy to use .
Disadvantages:
Uses batteries very quickly
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I have looked and looked for a digital camera for ages, to be honest as I am no expert I found the whole thing quite daunting. I have always been a 35mm type person and I feel quite confident with most aspects of normal cameras. But the whole digital field is new. I have used a few digital cameras but buying my own and what do I want it to do, that was something else.
Then along came Christmas and the most amazing woman in the whole wide world had been out looking, researching and discreetly asking me about what I would look for. The end result is she gave me a really amazing present. I can honestly say I really had no idea that was what I was getting.
For some months now I have been playing with my new toy, now is the time to let you know how I have found it. I am one of those look at the manual later people, this was not too bad as the camera is simplicity itself.
As you read through this, you will find it crammed full of all those technical words that people hate, I have tried to keep this to an absolute minimum, but it is hard. I personally do not like all the jargon, all I want to know is does it take good pictures, yes. Is it easy to use, yes and is it good value for money again yes. Then is it easy to install the software again yes and does the software work well, yes again.
After unpacking the fairly large blue box that the camera came in, I was presented with a very smart looking silver camera, as well as some leads loads of books and a CD. So putting those all aside I opened the battery compartment and loaded the two supplied AA batteries. That's it I thought, hmmmmm how wrong was I. It did not seem to work, okay time for the manual. Amongst all the other stuff in the box was an “XD” card, this is where your pictures are stored (its the film if you like, only its reusable), now following the instructions its simply a question of opening a little door on the front and inserting the card.
The overall look of the camera is really great in a satin silver. On the front is the shutter, behind this is the lens, the viewfinder and the inbuilt flash. On the top right is the picture button, I know that most people are right handed but I have yet to see any type of camera where this is on the left. On the rear you see a four way directional arrow pad and two further buttons below this one is called the quick view the other “OK”. To the left is the eyepiece with an orange and green LED along with the 1.8inch LCD monitor. The orange LED indicates if you need flash, when blinking that it is charging and a steady indication that the flash is ready. The green when steady indicates that the focus and exposure are properly set. Batteries are inserted underneath the camera, you will also find a screw hole for attaching the camera to a tripod. On one side is a rubber cover, beneath this you will find, a video out socket and a socket for a direct 3.4v input. On the other side is a place to put your wrist strap, another smaller rubber cover which houses the connection socket for the lead that goes directly to your computers USB and a door that opens to allow you to place the XD card.
The other stuff in the box for those who would like to know was..
You get a wrist strap, this just clips onto the camera, I always use one on every camera that I have owned, two very good reasons, first I find it harder to lose a camera when its on my wrist and more importantly if ever I drop the camera it does not go crashing to the floor.
A USB lead for connecting the camera to a computer.
A video cable. Until I started writing this, the cable had remained in the box. For the sake of being as comprehensive as possible I had a look to see what it did. Well one end plugged into the camera and the other into the TV video socket (yellow pin) when I pressed the quick view on my camera instead of it showing a picture on the cameras LCD it came up in full glorious colour on the television set. This will mean I can subject the whole family to pictures. Even better though was when I opened the cover on the camera the television came to life this has endless possibilities one that I think extremely useful is if the camera is set up on top of the television, then self timer mode is selected you can all gather in a family picture and watch what the picture will look like before the camera takes it.
A 140 page basic manual in English, French, German and Spanish. This is at it says quite basic, it does give you all the important information about getting started, what the various parts of your camera does and how to use it.
A 68 page booklet about safety precautions in English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese. This tells you about batteries how to look after them and warnings to help you maintain your camera in good condition.
There is also a pink notice on batteries and this gives you a warning about how long batteries last. Well this is probably where all digital cameras fall down, the battery consumption is very heavy and even long life Alkaline batteries (Duracell) do not last very long. Olympus recommend using either Lithium batteries or NiMH rechargeable batteries, although I have not tried this yet, it is something I am giving very serious consideration to, after all when using video cameras it is usual to use rechargeable battery packs. As most of the work done by the camera uses the battery (the screen, the flash and the zoom etc) it makes sense.
Instructions and specifications on the XD picture card, the one that came with the camera is the smallest they sell its 16MB that is enough to store 45 pictures at a high quality setting and size of 1600 x 1200. Although the amount of pictures does tend to vary, the least I have had though is 41.
They also include a quickstart guide, this is the part that at first I overlooked in my haste to play with the camera, it really is worth a few minutes looking at.
Also is the chance to join the Olympuser magazine for £19.95.
A warranty card.
A strange card called Yellowtag. I have never heard of this, as yet I have not used it. But you log on at www.yellowtag.com and follow the registration details, you then put this tiny little sticky tag on your camera, the tag has a unique email address. If you lose the camera and it is found, then the finder will be paid a reward from yellowtag when they email the address on the camera. As the owner of the camera you will get an SMS text alert to your mobile along with an email all inside 15 minutes. This service comes with the camera and is prepaid for two years, I do not know how much it costs after the two free years are up. Something else I really must look into.
Instructions for installing the software onto your PC. Along with the software on a CD itself. To make the review easier to understand I will write more about the software at the end of the review.
This is where the fun begins, the time to become photographer of the year, well that is how I felt. The first thing is to open the front cover, this is a simple slide door that protects the lens when not in use. Having been a 35mm person I naturally found myself looking through the eyepiece (Viewfinder) to take a picture, this despite the fact that the camera incorporates a 1.8 inch LCD monitor. The viewfinder has a target when you use it, in the same way you get with most film cameras. It did not take me long to start using the monitor to take my pictures, as you can see the picture that you can take and adjust accordingly, it’s even better than that though. For if you close the lens cover then press open view, you can look at all the pictures you have taken. This gives you the chance to delete the ones you do not want. One real advantage of using the monitor is when you zoom in on a subject, you will see exactly what you will be getting in the way of a picture, this you cannot do with the viewfinder. Another thing worth noting is when the camera card is full, you get a blue screen with red writing saying “CARD FULL”.
On the box it said that the camera has a 2.5x zoom, now I found this confusing, as I could not see how the lens moved nor could I see anywhere to add a zoom lens. Silly me its digital, and it does it all by itself, well not quite two of the buttons on the rear (the up and down on the directional arrows) are used for telephoto (zoom in) and wide angle (zoom out), its not called a digital zoom for nothing.
You can also use this for taking moving pictures, I have tried this and found it an ok thing. But it is only short duration, takes up your memory card and is nowhere as good as a VHS movie camera. Call me old fashioned, but products have uses. A phone is for talking and texting, in general they do a poor job of taking pictures, a web cam can also take pictures again with poor quality. A camera takes good pictures provided you have a high enough resolution. But for moving pictures you want a movie camera, one that is made to do the job.
The camera has four flash modes, off Auto-Flash, Red Eye reduction and fill in flash, these are selected through the four way directional arrow pad and the on screen instructions.
Also by way of the four way directional arrow pad you have other camera choices.
Macro Mode, this gives you close up pictures from as near as eight inches, very useful if you have items of jewellery that are valuable and you wish to have pictures for insurance purposes.
You can enlarge pictures that you have taken to look closer at them.
Protect pictures so they cannot accidentally be deleted.
Index display, two in one pictures and panorama shooting.
The software really has two main parts first the main program. From here you can transfer pictures directly onto your PC and save them onto your hard drive. One problem I did encounter is where the saved pictures were actually located, for those of you who are interested the following is where I found them on my PC. The reason I was so interested is I have other software packages that I prefer using for editing pictures, and if I wanted to email a picture it does help to know where it is. "C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\OLYMPUS\Camedia Master 4\Album\Samples\WHATEVER YOU CALL YOUR ALBUM". I hope that makes life easier. You get a full user guide for the software in the form is a 149 page document in PDF format (acrobat reader), this will help anyone who really wants to get the most out of the software, from storing and editing through to creating postcards, calendars and a whole host of other features. As I said earlier I do not use the software for much apart from transferring to my PC. I think that most people will be the same, you find a software package that you like and tend to stick to it
The second part is the full Olympus Digital Camera Reference Manual. This is a 148 page document in PDF format (acrobat reader) This gives you all the specific details about the camera and what it can do. Since I have had mine I have only scratched the surface of what it can do, and I know that I have years of fun and learning ahead of me with this camera. Yes I have started to read this manual, mainly because I am so impressed with the camera that I want to get the most from it.
For a price of £119.95 I think that this really does represent great value for money and it is one of my favourite ever presents.
Advantages: Can be used for snapshots or more advanced photos. Easy to use Disadvantages: Eats batteries. Software needs registering if you want extras
...Initially, I was bought the Olympus Camedia C150 as a gift where the brief was "just get something cheap with an LCD screen I can use for the Ebay stuff". The Camedia, I would soon discover, is far more versatile and I am on my way to taking more photos in the 6 months of ownership than I have ever taken on conventional cameras in my life.
In the early days of digital cameras, you could tell the difference and film always looked better. This is ... ...improvement I could suggest to Olympus would be to have a facility to store frequently used settings, but for a camera around the £100 mark, who am I to complain?
There is an extensive manual included, though there's also a "Quick Guide" for those of us who want to use it within minutes of taking it out of the box. I would recommend studying the manual. I've been more than happy with the quality of the snapshots I have taken, but the manual will ...
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Advantages: Small and comfortable to hold. Disadvantages: Many - As stated in my review
The Olympus Camedia C – 150 is in my opinion a step back wards for Olympus.
One of the previous cameras to this is the C – 100, and to be honest, I use this camera mostly with the new one as a back up.
The C – 150 comes with almost identical features, and options as the previous, but looks more stylish, is more comfortable to hold, is to an extent easier to use and takes less batteries. Also it is 2.0 Mega pixel rather then 1.3 mega pixels of the ... ...But it comes with an Olympus ultra-compact xD – picture 16MB memory card.
Photos can be viewed on the display monitor after the picture is taken or previewed at any time until it is deleted from the camera. You can take a picture using the monitor or if you prefer you can turn the display off and use the viewfinder like a normal camera.
It has a USB connection for computer use, and a Video out connection, the cables all come with the camera.
The ...
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Advantages: REMOVABLE XD-PICTURE CARD Disadvantages: EATS BATTERY FOR DINNER,ANOYEING WAIT BEFORE FLASH GOES OFF
...miss.
I picked an OLYMPUS camera from the CAMEDIA range.This seemed like a good all in one choice for a first digital camera,as it had a flash plus 2 MEGA pixel's an XD memory card as well as having all the software for uploading and downloading pictures with out having to go to the shop and getting the needed cables, at the time of purchase I did buy a memory card reader though as I was told downloading the pictures straight from the camera runs ... ...Bright F2.8 5 mm Olympus lens (equivalent to 38 mm on a 35 mm
camera) plus 2,5x digital zoom
TTL autofocus plus centre-weighted and
spot light metering
Easy operation thanks to full auto program and four scene programs Multi-language menu
Large 1.8 inch LCD monitor
Quick Time Motion JPEG for movie recording
Accepts the ultra-compact xD-Picture Card
USB AutoConnect and video out
weight = 215 grams
WHAT IT FELT LIKE AFTER PURCHASE
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
...
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Advantages: Good camera for under £100.00 Disadvantages: I never have enough batteries
Well as my title says this was my very first time into the world of digital cameras and i decided that i didnt want to spend a lot so i found this at Comet or Currys (forget which one) for £99.00.
The main reason i bought the camera was to take pictures for selling items on ebay. The 2nd reason was to decide how useful it was as a full time camera on holidays. For the use on Ebay - brilliant, exactly what i needed a very easy to use camera, that ... ...though it is 2.0 Megapixel quality (not an expert on these things but if i was going to spend more money then i would go for 3 Megapixel instead) but definatly worth it for the money.
For use on holiday - still not decided yet. I think it is going to have to be a no for the moment, but you never know. The main reason being that i would have to buy some more memory cards as the standard 16mb card that you buy with the camera holds about 27 pictures ...
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Advantages: Ideal for the first time user Disadvantages: None that I can think of
Having never really considered getting a digital camera, I had the C150 bought for me as a birthday present. Initially I wasn't too impressed, what do I want with a digital camera? But then I started using it and was pleasantly surprised to say the least. The camera is extremely user friendly and easy to use, infact I still haven't read the instruction manual properly! Battery life seems quite reasonable as I know this is a problem with digital cameras, ... ...with a 16mb card, which will hold 32 photos at a decent quality, so would also recommend getting a higher capacity card. The software provided is very good, simply connect the camera to your computer and the photos are downloaded, it is then a simple process to organise them, print them or do whatever you like. This is a great camera for the beginner, snaps are of good quality and it is easy to use, believe me, once you have one you will wonder how ...
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Advantages: ease of use Disadvantages: battery life poor
...This a short report on the OlympuscamediaC-830L digital camera. Free with certain computers such as Tiny, or buy it new for around £150 (and dropping!). The camera has 1.3 million pixels and the picture quality is as good as you would want from any camera. Easy to use and with the program supplied is very easy to download the photos onto your computer. What fun it is as you do not have to worry about paying to develop films etc. The quality of the end product does depend on the copy paper being used and photo quality paper can work out expensive, so try out your pictures on a cheaper paper, to ensure you really want to print that picture. The down side to the camera is that the batteries last no time at all, if you take the camera out with you make sure you have plenty of spare batteries....
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...around!)
OlympusCAMEDIAC-100 Digital Camera
Dimensions: 12.3 x 4.5 x 6.5 (cm)
Weight: 190 g (so light I originally thought it was going to be a 'cheap' camera)
Localisation: English
Supported flash memore: SmartMedia (this means you can put the disk directly into your computer and get the pictures off it. I love it!)
Sensor Resolution: 1.3 Megapixel
Shooting Modes: Panorama mode, frame movie mode
Lens Aperture: F/4.0
Focus Adjustment: Focus free (another EXCELLENT feature)
Min Focus Range: 60 cm
Focal Length: 4.5 mm
Digital Zoom: 4x
Camera Flash: Built-in
Red-Eye Reduction: Built-in
Microphone: None
Viewfinder: Optical - real-image
Display: LCD display - TFT active matrix - 1.5 inch - colour
Battery: 4 x 'AA' , alkaline
Manufacturer's Warranty: 1 year
That is the technical jargon, lets go now to the practical.
This...
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Advantages: easy to use, good quality photos Disadvantages: uses batteries up quite quickly
...I got this camera around Christmas last year and haven't turned back. I now realise the benefits that digital cameras have over the old 'film' cameras.
When I go on holiday I always take loads of pictures and pay a bomb to have them developed, for most of them to be either completely rubbish or not turn out at all. This is not the case with digital cameras where you can view the pictures and then choose whether to delete them or keep them. The quality of the pictures is excellent, very clear, good colour. The only problem I have is keeping it in one piece when I go out drinking! (it has very nearly been dropped in a pint on several occasions!)
The OlympusCamediaC-1 is an excellent camera and well within budget at between £150-175 (don't know the exact amount, it was a present!)
It has a 1.31 Megapixel matrix. Its small enough...
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The CAMEDIA C-150 is the perfect model for those who want to explore the world of digital photography at an extremely affordable price. Featuring several automatic and creative functions and a bright lens (f2.8), this auto focus model guarantees top-quality results while remaining incredibly easy to use. The C-150 also contains a well-laid out multi-language menu with a choice of four languages. Its operation as well as picture framing and viewing is aided by the 1.8-inch LCD monitor, the largest in this camera category. Thanks to its compact design, the C-150 can be taken almost anywhere to shoot the most spontaneous moments. The CAMEDIA C-150 offers exceptional ease of use for a smooth entry into the world of digital photography. Just insert batteries and xD-Picture Card, then point and shoot. Everything else is built in: automatic systems for exposure, focusing, ISO, white balance and an integrated flash with various modes as well as a high-quality 38 mm AF lens (equivalent to a 35 mm camera). As such, the CAMEDIA C-150 is perfect not only for complete beginners to photography, but also for newcomers to its digital form. Four scene programs provide the photographer with pre-set shooting parameters for common motifs, such as portraits, self-portraits, night scenes and landscapes. Besides automatic white balance, a selection can be made between four pre-sets for sunlight, overcast conditions, tungsten and fluorescent lights for true color reproduction. Other functions, including panorama mode, 2 in 1 shooting, and recording of short movie sequences in QuickTime Motion JPEG format, offer the photographer further innovative shooting options. But the fun does not end there. Photos captured in color may be changed to black and white or sepia, altering compositions to suit personal tastes or capture a particular mood. The image rotation function is particularly useful when viewing photos originally taken in the portrait format, on a TV. Thanks to the USB AutoConnect interface, images are downloaded quickly and easily to a computer. The CAMEDIA Master software delivered with the camera offers users numerous options for further processing their digital photos. Images are saved onto an xD-Picture Card, the ultra-compact media storage card. The CAMEDIA C-150 supports the EXIF 2.2 standard as well as PIM II, enabling compatible printers to apply the saved data in order to produce optimized results. Featuring 2.0-megapixel resolution, the CAMEDIA C-150 is an extremely versatile and affordable digital camera which is child's play to operate.
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