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Olympus C-3030 Zoom Misses its Mark
Faulty ergonomics and performance blemish an impressive list of features
Written by Marty Beaudet on May 5, 2000
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Color me blue Under ideal conditions the C-3030's colors are vibrant, as in these tulips (right). Here (left), however, the inclusion of an overcast sky gives the same flowers a bluish cast.
It moves mountains
Under just the right conditions the image quality of the C-3030 is commendable, but there were many times that the automatic mode failed to judge the exposure correctly. In one instance, I took a picture of snowcapped Mt. Hood in broad sunlight against a hazy sky at a distance of 20 miles. When I reviewed the image, the mountain was completely gone! I had no trouble capturing the same scene however, with the Epson and Nikon cameras in automatic mode.
Moving Mountains The C-3030 inexplicably removed Mt. Hood from this shot (left). By comparison, the Nikon CoolPix 990 (center) and the Epson PhotoPC 850Z had no such problem.
Colors were generally vibrant, but I found that the C-3030 had a tendency toward excessive contrast. In shady forests for instance, bright areas such as waterfalls, sunny patches, and white flowers were often overexposed and "burned" around the edges. Manual compensation can fix this, of course, but the Nikon CoolPix 990 fared much better under the same conditions without any intervention needed.
When high contrast is desirable the C-3030 does a fine job of bringing out color, as in these columbine flowers.
No photo finish
Olympus once captured my heart with the D-340, a camera I recommended to friends and family for years. (It's still a good consumer-level camera.) But the prosumer-targeted C-3030 misses the mark. While it shares some shortcomings with the rival Nikon CoolPix 990 -- losable lens cap, battery usage -- its deep-sixed menu options and other ergonomic issues put it even further behind. There are better options than the Olympus C-3030 Zoom available for a similar price.
Contributing editor Marty Beaudet is a freelance writer and graphic designer in Boring, Oregon. Read more of his work.
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In response to D. Laird's comments
Bad days aside, let me address some issues raised here.
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D. Laird said: "To change from one image quality to another only takes 7 or so button pushes - more than I might like, but nowhere near the 20 claimed by the author."
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Depending on the resolution and size desired, selection can require *up to* 20 button pushes, as I stated in the review.
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D. Laird said: "In addition, I find the battery usage of this camera to be quite reasonable. Perhaps that's because I, unlike the author, can remember to turn the camera off when I'm not using it."
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Remembering to turn off the camera is certainly a good idea with the C-3030, however I am not in this habit because all the other cameras I've used turn themselves off in minutes.
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D. Laird said: "Also, I can't understand why the author was complaining about having to crawl behind his PC to plug and unplug the USB cable - I guess he couldn't figure out that it can be left plugged in, even when not in use."
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Because I often test mulitple cameras simultaneously, in addition to using other USB devices, I can't leave them all plugged in at once. Not only is a shortage of USB ports an issue, but some cameras' download software gets confused or crashes when multiple cameras are attached.
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D. Laird said: "I also wonder where he shops, for he quoted a $100 price for a SmartMedia reader. A very cursory look at most any shopping site finds them being sold for well under $50. The prices he quotes for other accessories are quite odd, as well."
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Where possible I have taken prices from respective vendors' websites. Prices will always vary among retail vendors.
-Marty Beaudet, author
Review off the mark
You don't have to click thru the menu each time you want to access digital zoom. When once activated, a slide scale appears on the LCD screen. As to automatic shutdown, my 3030 does so in exactly three minutes, not four hours. Colors of the flowers had a blueish cast on an overcast day? Of course they would. Why didn't you switch to "cloudy" white balance? And your USB complaint about "crawling" behind the computer to change it because of multiple uses for your USB port. Wouldn't the same be true if you connected a Nikon or Epson reader to your USB port?
About the Lens Cap
Think about this, have you ever used a REALLY GOOD 35MM camera?? At least with my Nikon FG and my 2 Pintex K1000's all the lens that they have use lens caps that do not have a teather. This camera is made up put Digital, and 35MM together with the manual features that it has. So why wouldn't it have a non teathered cap. With my old Sony cam I had it had a teathered cap and it kept either getting in the picture or in front of the LCD, that did me more harm then good. On the subject of the carrying case. I would rather use my handy backpack that I store all my camera supplies in then have to have a seperate one for my DC. In conclusion, the author of this article had some good drugs that day because I love my 3030, it is starting to replace my 35mm cams, how you could not like this DC I don't know.
Chris Hileman.
www.chrishileman.com - Where everything is FREE!
Review misses the mark by a mile
I'm afraid it appears that the author of this review had a terribly bad day. At least he didn't blame the camera for his getting stuck in the snow.
While the 3030Z does have a complex menu structure, I find that it is not nearly as bad as described here. To change from one image quality to another only takes 7 or so button pushes - more than I might like, but nowhere near the 20 claimed by the author.
In addition, I find the battery usage of this camera to be quite reasonable. Perhaps that's because I, unlike the author, can remember to turn the camera off when I'm not using it. By the way, the camera does enter a power-saving 'sleep' mode when left on for ~3 minutes.
Also, I can't understand why the author was complaining about having to crawl behind his PC to plug and unplug the USB cable - I guess he couldn't figure out that it can be left plugged in, even when not in use. I also wonder where he shops, for he quoted a $100 price for a SmartMedia reader. A very cursory look at most any shopping site finds them being sold for well under $50. The prices he quotes for other accessories are quite odd, as well.
I will admit, however, that he does have a couple of valid points. I think that the lack of 'in the box' accessories is a disappointment. A lens cap tether, set of NiMH batteries, and a carrying case would be logical freebies to be thrown in with a $1000 camera. Overall, however, the camera is a joy - much more than I can say about this review.
Donald Laird
laird@donaldlaird.com
Oviously did not spend the time to learn.
Many statements of "fact" that are totaly untrue. Flowers (last photo) are not Columbines but Dwarf Larkspur.