Editorial Review:Product Description:The compact, lightweight C-730 Ultra Zoom is the ideal companion for photographing sports events and nature. Thanks to a 10x optical zoom lens and its digital zoom facility, up to 30x magnification is possible, enabling even distant objects to be captured close up. Of course, with its automatic settings and scenes programs it is also suited for everyday use. Photographers looking to experiment with shutter speed, depth of field and white balance, for example, will enjoy its manual control options. This model's three-megapixel resolution and image optimization processes assure the results also impress when printed in large formats. It accepts both the new ultra-compact digital storage standard xD-Picture card as well as SmartMedia.
Amazon.com Product Description:The C-730 Ultra Zoom is a powerful 10x optical zoom digital camera (30x total zoom when combined with the 3x digital zoom) that captures sharp, crisp images with details you didn't know existed. The C-730 is also one of the first digital cameras to offer compatibility with the new XD memory card--as well as SmartMedia cards.
Optics and Resolution The 3.2-megapixel Olympus C-730 digital camera can capture images up to 2,048 x 1,360 in SHQ mode, which produces quality prints up to 11 by 14 inches. It boasts an outstanding 10x optical zoom lens with a 38-380mm focal length (compared to the 8x zoom lens of the previously released C-720). When combined with the 3x digital zoom, you get a total zoom of 30x.
The C-730 also features Olympus TruePic technology, which optimizes the image information captured on the CCD before the data is saved by using the brightness and color information of the neighboring pixels when processing the pixel data. This leads to digital pictures that set standards for picture sharpness, contrast, true colors, and gradation.
Storage and Transfer With the C-730, you can store images on both the new XD memory card format as well as your old SmartMedia memory cards--a 16 MB XD card is included. Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB storage-class connectivity, which means it can be connected to any USB-based Windows Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.
Movie Mode In movie mode, the C-730 captures continuous video and audio at 15 frames per second in two formats: 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 pixels. The QuickTime Motion JPEG format offers a limited resolution, which is great for capturing a short movie that can be e-mailed to friends and family, but is no replacement for a true camcorder.
More Features - Fast shutter speed of 1/1,000th of a second--great for action photography
- Six scene program modes, including sports, portrait, and landscape
- Super-macro mode for photos as close as 1.2 inches
- Electronic viewfinder (EVF) shows you exactly what the camera will capture on the CCD
Power, Size, and Contents The C-730 is powered by two CR-V3 lithium batteries (included) or four AA-sized NiMH rechargeable batteries (optional). We recommend getting a set or two of rechargeable nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries and a charger.
The camera measures 4.2 by 3.0 by 3.1 inches and weighs 11.1 ounces without batteries. This package includes the C-730 digital camera, 16 MB XD card, two CR-V3 lithium battery packs (model LB-01), AV and USB cables, carrying strap, lens cap and strap, printed instruction manual, and Camedia master software and drivers for Windows and Mac on CD-ROM.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Better than the 720?
In a word, yes. However, I would say after all this time that some other makes are somewhat better at rendering truly faithful colors and that the Olympus autofocus mechanism is slower than newer digicams and therefore will more often yield a slightly blurred image.
That notwithstanding, the 700 was my favorite digital camera for a long time, that is, until the 720 came along. Then along came the 730, which maintained the 3+ megapixel resolution of the 720, while reinserting the 10X (true optical) zoom (the 720 has an 8X).
In point of fact, zooming at 8X or at 10X without a tripod or image stabilization (not present on either the 700 or the 720) is extremely challenging. Anyway, this camera is beautifully made and ergonomically engineered. The aspherical all glass lens system is excellent and the resulting 3 megapixel images are crystal clear at 8" x 10" and quite acceptable at 11" x 14". The zoom of course remains the trump card on the 730, and the smoothness (just the right damping) with which it reaches its 10x limit is awesome. Another nice feature is its ability to take QuickTime movies, which really adds to its versatility.
The news with the 730 is that it is the first Olympus to utilize the new xD memory card format, the "xD-Picture Card". This is a new type of ultra-compact memory media developed jointly by Fuji and Olympus. The main features of the xD-Picture Card are its ultra-compact size (20.0 x 25.0 x 1.7mm), its lower power consumption (the xD Picture-Card users will benefit from the convenience and savings of longer battery life on a single charge) and its faster read/write speeds. Of course, a new card means a new card-reader will be needed, but these are inexpensive and aren't immediately needed, as the camera can be linked by the included USB cable to your PC without too much fuss. Overall, I think the 730 is a winner, especially as prices have fallen steadily over the past year.
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Fantastic for far-away targets!
I absolutely love this camera. It's the first digital camera I own and I was initially worried that the picture quality would be less than that of a normal camera with film. However, having printed more than 500 pictures, I can honestly say, the quality is fantastic. Besides this, it produces great photos for computer screens. It is also small and lightweight and not a "burden" to carry around for the casual photographer.
Most impressive is the zoom. The 10x optical zoom alone, already lets you reach those elusive targets - in my case, a lot of shy and faraway African wildlife. The 3x digital zoom lets you come even closer, and as long as you are able to hold the camera steady, you'll get a good shot.
It didn't take me long to figure out how to work the camera with the host of different settings; and for me, the automatic functions were easy to use and produced great pictures. On top of that, I also got some great movie shots of animals running - absolute top notch quality (although my own camera work is in need of some serious help!)
Two minor negative points are the digital zoom and the speed of the camera. The digital zoom quality is not as nice as the optical zoom, and you can see the difference upon print. I also found that the reaction time of the camera can be slow - I tried to take a bunch of shots of cheetahs running, often missing them completely since they'd run out of shot before my camera "hit" them. With a film camera, it would have gone when you pressed "go". I learned to move my camera with my object on the sports setting, which worked really well.
I sent lots of pictures via email, using the user-friendly Camedia software that came with the camera. I reduced picture sizes to post photos on the web with ease.
As far as the memory cards go - it was no problem buying additional memory even in Africa. And digital photos can be printed everywhere these days. The quality was as good in Africa as it was in Europe ...
Needless to say, this camera has been fantastic and has put the joy back into picture taking for me. I carry it with me everywhere!
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Takes a bit of getting used to
I must say, I was a bit disappointed when I first got this camera, I am used to the Olympus C range, having used a C 3020 extensively for work, so I thought this would be a breeze. Well, it takes some getting used to that killer zoom, and a lot of the first few pictures I took suffered from the shake associated with a longer lens, also on automatic settings, it tends to go for slower shutter speeds rather than pop up the flash (more hand shake issues). But, once you get used to it, and start to manually adjust settings (made really easy to save with the my mode settings), it takes great shots, and the zoom really is AMAZING.
Only thing I really hate is that horrid digital viewfinder thing, its grainy, and you have NO idea whats in focus or not, it's not too big an issue, because I almost always use the LCD when I'm taking my shots, but I have no idea why anyone whould do that to such a great camera (must waste a lot of battery too).
Some minor dislikes: it does't feel as solid as the C 3020, the dials seem less durable, a strap that only attaches to one side, so that the camera hangs like most point and shoots, and not like an SLR.
Bottom line, great camera, amazing zoom, sucky viewfinder, a bit of a learning curve. If your interested in the zoom, go for it, otherwise you might be better off with the C 4000 or something such.
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Fabulous camera, my gradeschooler is using it!
This is my first digital camera after upgrading from a point & shoot. I've never used any kind of manual controls before. However, within an hour of unpacking this camera & browsing the manual, I was taking macro shots of my daughters hermit crab in full manual mode. Cropping & blowing up the picture to 8x10 produced a gorgeous, finely detailed and colorful photo. My 12 year old spent the day playing with this camera and producing "Ranger Rick" quality photos. Great camera, easy to use, light weight, excellent close-up and zoom capability... what more could you want.
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Great Camera!
I've had this camera for about four weeks and love it! I can't believe the sharpness of the images througout the entire zoom range (38-380). Macro pictures also come out razor sharp. Its everything I wanted in a digital camera in one small and lightweight package. No need to lug around and change lenses. I had some problems trying to navigate through the menu system at first but got used to it. My wife couldn't believe the pictures I took came from this digital camera. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a long zoom range camera with advanced features.
