Olympus FE-115 Zoom Review

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Olympus FE-115 Zoom

Review posted 7/7/2006


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Click to take a QTVR tour of the FE-115


The 5.1-megapixel Olympus FE-115 is a very affordable digital camera designed for users of any experience level. It features a 2.8x optical zoom lens, Olympus TruePic Turbo image processor and 1.5-inch color LCD display. The FE-115 has a built-in help that explains the purpose of each of the camera's six pre-programmed scene modes.

The FE-115 features an easy-to-use "One Touch" design with individual buttons for shooting, reviewing and deleting images conveniently located on the cameras back with icons so that frequently used functions can be accessed easily. Macro mode, Flash mode and a selftimer are located on the arrow pad for quick use while setting up the perfect composition.

The seven shooting modes are accessed via a rotating dial and makes it easy to capture great images in a variety of lighting situations, such as Landscape, Portrait, and Night Scene. QuickTime Movie mode enables users to create short movies of events that can be emailed to family and friends. The Digital Image Stabilization Mode is for capturing crisp, clear pictures - free from the blur sometimes caused by camera shake or moving subjects.

The TruePic TURBO™ image processor significantly enhances image quality and delivers faster overall processing speeds for rapid startup, shutter release and playback. TruePic TURBO™ enables the cameras to capture information from every pixel with pixel "micro-smoothing" that delivers clearer and more color-accurate photos, even at lower resolutions.

With the power of PictBridge technology, photos can be printed directly from the camera to any PictBridge-enabled printer, such as the Olympus P-11 Digital Photo Printer, without using a computer. Printing and sharing images has never been easier, and the P-11's photo lab-quality dye-sublimation printing produces archival- quality prints in rich color.

Connecting any FE Series camera to a computer is easy with the USB Auto Connect feature, which connects the camera directly via USB 2.0 cable and requires no software. The included OLYMPUS Master software provides the ultimate in digital imaging management. An intuitive user interface makes downloading to your computer quick and simple, and images are searchable by date or keyword in the Calendar View.


FE-115 Zoom Features:

  • 5.0 Megapixel CCD imager for up to 2560 x 1920 pixel images
  • 2.8x optical (38-106mm 35mm equiv) zoom, 4x seamless digital zoom
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 1.5" color LCD and 4x playback zoom
  • Seven shooting modes including Quicktime movies
  • Quicktime movie mode w/out sound, 320x240 HQ and 160x120 SQ quality
  • Stitch Assist mode for perfect panoramas
  • Exposure compensation: +/-2EV in 1/3-step increments
  • Shutter speeds of 2 seconds to 1/2000 second
  • Auto ISO range from 64 to 320
  • Powered by 2 standard AA type batteries
  • USB Direct-print with any PictBridge compatible printer
  • USB connectivity for PC and Mac
  • 28MB internal memory and xD-Picture Card slot


Physical Views



Olympus FE-115 Zoom

Olympus FE-115 Zoom

Olympus FE-115 Zoom Olympus FE-115 Zoom

Olympus FE-115 Zoom

Olympus FE-115 Zoom





Olympus FE-115 Zoom

The FE-115 compared to an average CD disc.





Olympus FE-115 Zoom

Olympus FE-115 Zoom

The 5-megapixel Olympus FE-130 and the FE-115.



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Features & Controls


FE-115 Zoom Specifications
Imager 5.0 megapixel effective, 5.3 megapixel gross, 1/2.5" (12mm) CCD
Lens 6.2 - 17.4mm (38 - 106mm equivalent in 35mm photography), 7 lenses in 6 group
Zoom Seamless to 11x (2.8x optical and 4x digital combined)
Aperture Range f3.0- f5.0
LCD 1.5" (38mm) LCD, approx. 130,000 pixel
Focus System CCD Contrast detection
Focus Range a. Normal mode: 19.7" - infinity (0.5m - infinity)
b. Macro mode: 7.9" - 19.7' (0.2m - 0.5m)
c. Super Macro Mode: 0.8" (20mm)
Focus Mode Autofocus
Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec - 2 sec
ISO Auto (equivalent 64 - 320)
Metering Mode Center weighted average
White Balance Auto
Exposure Compensation -2 EV steps in 1/3 EV steps
Recording Modes JPEG
Adjustment Resolutions a. 2560 x 1,920 SHQ/HQ
b. 2048 x1536, SQ1
c. 640 x 480, SQ2
Shooting Modes 7 preset shooting modes including QuickTime Movie Mode
Panorama Modes Up to 10 frames automatically stichable with OLYMPUS Master software when using Olympus brand xD-Picture card
Movie Mode QuickTime motion JPEG, QVGA 15fps
Pixel Mapping Automatic Pixel Mapping (APM) available via menu setting
Noise Reduction Set automatically at shutter speeds of 0.5 second or longer
Image Playback Still Image; Single, Index display (4/9), Up to 4x enlargement, Slide-show, Rotation
Movie; Playback
Direct Printing Options PictBridge and DPOF
Flash Built in
Flash Modes a. Auto (for low light and back lit conditions)
b. Red-eye reduction
c. Fill-in
d. Off
Flash Working Range Wide: 2.3ft (0.2m)-12.5ft (3.8m); Tele 1.6ft (0.5m)-7.2ft. (2.2m)
Selftimer 12 seconds/Auto
Setting Memorization On/Off (reset to default settings)
Date/Time Calendar Simultaneous recording into image data
Memory 28MB internal memory
Removable Media Card xD-Picture Card (16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512MB or 1GB)
Outer Connectors USB connecter (Auto-connect, USB mass storage), Video-out, DC input (3.4v)
Auto-connect USB 2.0 Full speed
System Requirements Windows 98SE/2000PRO/ME/XP, Mac 10.2 and higher
Operating Environment Operation: 32 ° - 104°F (0° - 40°C), 30 - 90% humidity
Storage: -4° - 140°F (-20° - 60°C), 10 - 90% humidity
Power Supply AA alkaline battery (x2), AC adapter (E-7AU/E-7AE)
Size 3.5" W x 2.5" H x 1.5" D (87.5mm x 62.5mm x 38.5mm)
Weight 4.9 oz (140g) without battery and media card
(Specifications as represented by the manufacturer)




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