Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom Review

Angled on the left are the Exposure Compensation and Flash mode "direct" buttons. Press any "direct" button and rotate the Control Dial to change its setting. Press both of these buttons to adjust the Flash Exposure Compensation.

The Control Dial is in the upper right, just below the Mode Dial. It is used to with "direct" buttons and to vary the aperture and shutter speed depending on exposure mode and and can be reconfigured to perform other tasks in the Setup menu. The AEL is used to lock the exposure, in review it is used to delete images. The Quick View button is for fast review of the image taken last. The INFO button controls the amount of information displayed on the color LCD and also turns it on or off. The 4-way controller is for navigating menus, changing settings and selecting playback images. The OK button accepts menu selections and calls up the menu. The CF/xD button selects the desired storage media device.

When changing any of the settings with the "direct" buttons you will see a virtual dial display like this on the color LCD.

Top controls: On the left are the Focus and Metering "direct" buttons. On the right side is the shutter release/zoom lens control (functions as the index and zoomed playback in review mode.) Just below is the Selftimer/Remote button, to the right is the Drive Mode button - press both at same time to perform a Reset to default settings. The Mode Dial has positions for Program AE, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual, My Mode (4 customizable settings), Movie, Scene and Playback mode. The Power on/off switch is under the Mode Dial.

Also located on top is the monochrome data LCD display. The most important settings such as shutter speed, aperture, flash mode, metering mode, drive mode, remote / selftimer, exposure compensation, image quality, media type, ISO, white balance, pictures remaining and more can be seen at a glance.

By enabling the option "Dual Control Panel" in the Setup menu you can have all of the camera and exposure data displayed on the color LCD by toggling the Monitor button. This is a realtime display and changes as you change the various settings on the camera. This display is VERY readable in the dark and makes up for the lack of a light on the monochrome data LCD.

On the left side are the I/O ports:

A/V output, video is NTSC or PAL, audio is monaural

USB 2.0 (full speed, not high speed) data port

DC INput for optional AC adapter

The C-7070 stores its data on xD-Picture Card or CompactFlash Type I or II cards including Microdrives. The C-7070 is FAT32 file system compatible so it can make use of the latest high-capacity CF cards and Microdrives that exceed 2GB.

The CF2 and xD card slots can be occupied simultaneously, the desired media is selected by pressing the CF/xD button. Olympus includes a 32MB xD-Picture Card with panorama function. The first thing you need to buy is a much larger xD or CF memory card, I highly recommend at least a 512MB size card.

The C-7070 is powered by a BLM-1 7.2V 1500mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery pack. This battery supplies more power than four AA type batteries, is lighter in weight and performs better in lower temperatures. The small and portable BCM-2 AC charger is included.

With the Power Battery Holder B-HLD20 your C-7070 (or C-5060) Wide Zoom becomes a powerhouse that has the energy to keep on shooting for hours and hours as it can hold up to two of the BLM-1 battery packs.

The B-HLD20 features a portrait mode grip, shutter release button and zoom lever to permit comfortable vertical framing. A lock ensures that users will not accidentally misfire their camera. It also has a port for an optional wired remote control.

The B-HLD20 even has a space to store an additional xD-Picture Card to replace the one in use when it becomes full. You'll see where it fits between the two BLM-1 batteries.

The battery door must be removed before installing the B-HLD20. Don't worry about losing it, there's a place on the battery holder that "keeps" the battery door with the holder.

The optional PT-027 underwater housing is made of durable transparent polycarbonate with grips and levers fashioned out of distinctive red-colored polycarbonate. The transparent nature of the housing ensures that users can view their shots with ease, as well as show off the stylish bodies of their cameras. It provides waterproof protection to depths of up to 130 feet.

The housing features fluorite (FL) glass lens windows for greater clarity when shooting photos underwater. To reduce glare caused by sunlight on a digital camera LCD, the housings feature an LCD hood located on the outside back of the housing that makes viewing the LCD easier above and below water. The external FL-20 flash placed inside the PFL-01 Underwater Housing and supported by the PTBK-01 flash bracket is also available for the C-7070 Wide Zoom to deliver more flash options under water.

The housings' stainless steel nickel-plated brass mechanical control buttons, also sealed with silicon O-rings, allow full access to the cameras' functions and menus. With the touch of levers, zoom and shutter are easily operated. For crystal clear shots, the integrated flash diffuser panel cuts down on glare from particles suspended in the water that otherwise would create a haze in the image.

The PT-027 will be available in the summer of 2005.

One of my favorite Olympus accessories is the optional infrared remote control. This allows you to trip the shutter in record mode for self-portraits and is also handy when doing macro shots on a tripod. The RM-1 (shown here with the C-8080 camera) can also control the zoom lens and operate the playback features when connected to a TV set. The RM-2 model remote can only trip the shutter release.