Olympus C-740 UltraZoom Review

Click to take a QTVR tour of the C-740UZ

The CAMEDIA C-740 Ultra Zoom is a compact, 10X optical zoom, 3.2 megapixel digital camera. It's ideal for the budget-conscious family photographer who wants the flexibility of a wide focal length range, automatic controls for basic point-and-shoot simplicity, and manual controls for maximum creativity in a portable package.

The C-740 Ultra Zoom offers a powerful Olympus aspherical ED (extra dispersion) glass lens to create sharp, even exposure for details and vibrant colors at distances near or far. The camera's 10X optical zoom is an equivalent zoom range of 38mm to 380mm. Based on the popular Olympus C-700 Ultra Zoom series (the world's smallest optical Ultra Zoom digital cameras), the C-740 provides even more pixels and has a sleeker, more compact durable body than its predecessors. Because it uses the miniature xD-Picture Card exclusively, it measures a mere 4.2" long x 2.6" high x 2.7" wide, and weighs just 10.4 ounces, making it the perfect travel companion to go the distance.

The C-740 offers a menu architecture that's easy to navigate to get the right settings fast. In fully Programmed Auto mode, the camera offers basic point-and-shoot simplicity for flawless picture taking in typical situations. The easy-to-use Scene Program on the mode dial provides fully automatic exposure adjustments for the photographer who wants optimum results in a wide variety of settings: Portrait, Self Portrait, Landscape-Portrait, Sports, Night Scene and Landscape photography. The special "My Mode" feature saves time by allowing the user to assign frequently used settings to the mode dial for quick access. Advanced settings include controls for aperture priority, shutter priority, and full manual operation and are ideal for experienced photographers who want to take control.

Transferring images to the computer has never been easier with the supplied Auto-Connect USB cable for "no software required," hassle-free image downloads with the latest Windows and Macintosh operating systems. Pictures and movies may also be viewed on a television with the supplied audio-video cable.

C-740 Ultra Zoom Features:

• 10x zoom (38-380mm equivalent) with ED Glass elements
• 3.2-Megapixel resolution for 2048x1536 pixel native images and, up to 3200x2400 with Optimum Image Enlargement mode
• Color EVF viewfinder with 180,000 pixels
• 1.5-inch color Wide-View TFT LCD monitor
• Uncompressed TIFF, JPEG and QuickTime movie formats
• Program AE, Shutter-speed priority, Aperture priority and full Manual exposure modes
• Six Scene Program Modes and Four custom MyModes
• 320x240 QuickTime Movies without sound at 15fps
• 1/1000 to 16 second shutter speeds
• Noise Reduction on shutter speeds of 1 second or longer
• iESP auto TTL white balance with presets and manual
• Digital ESP metering with Spot option
• Super Macro focus as close as 1.6", regular Macro from 3.9" to 23.6"
• ISO auto or fixed at 100, 200 or 400
• Adjustable image sharpness, contrast and saturation
• Automatic pixel mapping (map out bad pixels)
• xD-Picture Card storage
• USB 1.1 "auto connect" connectivity
• Uses four AA or two CR-V3 batteries

The C-740 Ultra Zoom is available now (Apr 2003) with a street price of about $499. It includes an Auto-Connect USB cable, Video Out cable, carrying strap, lens cap with retainer cord, 2 LB-01 CR-V3 Lithium batteries, a 16MB xD-Picture card, Olympus CAMEDIA Master Software, instruction manual and Quick Start guide.

Physical Views

Here's the 4 Megapixel C-750UZ and the 3.2 Megapixel C-740UZ

The C-740UZ compared in size to a standard CompactDisc

C-740 Ultra Zoom Specifications