Olympus C-3030 Zoom

Click to take a 360-degree QTVR tour of the C-3030 Zoom
A 32MB SDRAM buffer allows for rapid shooting at 3.5 frames per second. The builtin 6-mode flash has a new slow syncro mode plus red-eye reduction plus a connector that provides true TTL control of the Olympus FL-40 external speedlight. Shutter speeds from 1/30 to 1/10,000 second plus longer shutter speeds of up to 16 seconds in Manual mode. The Manual exposure mode allows both the shutter speed and apertures to be selected independently. Jump to the C-3030 Zoom specifications ![]() On the back is a 1.8-inch "Wide-View" active-matrix color LCD first implemented on the C-2020. It is much easier to view in all but the extremes of direct sunlight. The LCD is used to access the menus (see next page) and as a real-time viewfinder. It can be switched off to conserve battery power when using the conventional eyelevel viewfinder.
The green LED indicates a focus lock and the amber LED tells you the status of the flash. ![]() I'm happy to report that Olympus has finally done away with that battery door that required two hands and twelve fingers to close. The new door easily closes and latches securely shut with little to no effort. The bottom of the C-3030 is nice and flat and lends itself well to being mounted on a tripod. ![]() The 3X zoom (32-96mm equivalent) is an 8-element, all-glass aspherical lens with continuous 2.5X digital telephoto. It's not as fast as the F2 lens on the C-2020 but it's still performs well in low light. Aperture settings of F2.8 - F11 are selectable in 1/3 step increments. Autofocus or manual focus range is from 8" to infinity. The lens base is threaded and accepts the optional Olympus CLA-1 lens adapter to attach filters or add-on lenses. ![]() The mode dial is also the main power switch. Recording modes include "P"rogram automatic, a choice of "A"perture priority, "S"hutter priority or full "M"anual operation (depends on how you set it up in the menu). And the QuickTime movie mode that also captures sound. The shutter button has the zoom lens control built around it. It also functions as the zoomed playback and thumbnail control when in play mode.
The tiny cards are easily removed by means of a "push in and pop out" type of ejector mechanism. The red LED illuminates when the card is being accessed and lets you know when it is unsafe to remove the card. The C-3030Z accomodates any capacity 3.3v SmartMedia card and comes with an 16MB card.
Next is the combination Video Out and Audio Out port for playback on a TV set. New on the C-3030 is a high speed USB port for speedy download of those large, three megapixel images. An RS-232 serial port for PC and Mac. The external flash sync port is a dedicated port for the Olympus flash (see below) and will NOT work with other strobes without an adapter cable and it is not yet available (as of 6/14/00).
The benefits are longer range, bounce/tilt flash head and true TTL-controlled flash illumination. ![]() A newly designed door makes changing the batteries a snap now compared to the tug of war we had with the C-2020 and C-2000 models. Flexible power options include four 1.5v alkaline or lithium AA cells, four 1.2v NiMH and NiCD rechargeable AA cells or two of the new CR-V3, long-life lithium cells. What's in the box?The C-3030 ZOOM camera, a 16MB Olympus brand panorama SmartMedia card, remote control, 2 CR-3V Lithium batteries, lens cap, strap, USB cable for PC and Mac, video connection cable for TV or VCR, Adobe PhotoShop LE image manipulation and creation software, Enroute Imaging QuickStitch panorama stitching software, Olympus Camedia Master Utility Software, and instruction manuals. ![]() Still my favorite "included" accessory, the infrared remote control. It not only controls the camera during playback, you can also use it to trip the shutter and work the zoom lens in record mode too. ![]() Casio QV-3000, Nikon Coolpix 990 and the Olympus C-3030 Zoom |
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C-3030 Zoom Specifications
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