Olympus FE-340 Zoom Review

The FE-340 features an Olympus 5x optical lens with a 36mm - 180mm (35mm equivalent) zoom range and a maximum aperture of f3.5-f/5.6. This is an all-glass lens constructed of 8 lenses in 6 groups with 4 aspherical lenses. When powered down the lens retract inside of the body and is protected by an automatic lens barrier.

The CCD contrast detection autofocus system has a range of:

Normal Mode: (Wide): 23.6" (0.6m) - infinity; (Tele): 39.4" (1.0m) - infinity
Macro Mode: (Wide): 3.9" (0.1m) - infinity; (Tele): 23.6" (0.6m) - infinity

The built-in speedlight has modes for: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-In, and Off. The maximum working range is:

Wide: 0.33 ft. (0.1m) - 12.8 ft. (3.9m), using ISO 800.

This is a higher than normal sensitivity setting, so the FE-340's flash range at lower, more useable ISOs will be much shorter.

Controls on the back: At the top is the red camera button for Record mode and the blue arrow button for Playback mode. The Mode Dial has positions for: Auto, Program, Blur reduction mode (uses Digital Image Stabilization), Portrait, Landscape, Scene, GUIDE, and Movie. Next is the DISPlay button, it controls the amount of information displayed on the camera's LCD in both record and playback mode as well as acts as the help function when navigating the menu. The 4-way controller is for navigating menus, changing settings and selecting playback images. Press "up" to adjust Exposure compensation or set DPOF settings in Playback mode, press "left" for macro focus, press "down" for the self-timer and press "right" to change flash modes. The OK/Menu button in the center accepts menu selections as well as give access to the handy Function shortcut menu. The MENU button calls up and dismisses the main onscreen menu system. The "Backlight Boost" button raises the brightness of the LCD's backlight for help in framing under severe lighting (harsh sunlight, etc.), and also acts as the Delete button in playback mode.

Located on top is the Power button, and the Shutter release with the Zoom lens controls mounted around it. They also serve as the Magnify and Index options in playback mode.

On the right side are the I/O ports: The Multi-terminal handles USB 2.0 (full speed, not high speed) data as well as Audio/Video output (NTSC/PAL selectable.)

The FE-340 stores its data on 48MB of internal memory or on an optional xD-Picture Card. xD cards are currently available up to 2GB in capacity.

Approx. Still Image Capacity

Approx. Movie Capacity

The FE-340 is powered by a LI-42B 3.7v 740mAh Li-ion battery pack. Olympus claims the pack can power the camera for up to 240 shots. The included AC charger lets you charge one battery while using another. Lithium battery packs can be charged or "topped off" at any time without shortening the service life of the battery.