Can you beat the best? Nothing tops this yet -- for the price
Written: Apr 14 '02 (Updated Feb 03 '06)
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Pros: Superb resolution quality images, good price, USB, panorama, up to ISO 400
Cons: No significant cons.
The Bottom Line: You simply can't beat this for an average camera. Price-wise and quality-wise.
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| erickn8318u's Full Review: Olympus Camedia D-510 Zoom Digital Camera |
Update: I've used this camera for well over 4 years now, and it still works perfectly! I've even dropped it a couple of times with no damage! With my AA NiMH rechargeable batteries, I only have to swap out the batteries every few weeks to charge them. It doesn't have the 5 or 6 megapixels that the latest cameras have, but that's fine for me since I don't print zoomed-in pictures or 8x10s or anything. Anyways, I like the fact that the pictures I take don't take like 5 MB apiece on my computer's hard drive! I still love this camera.
Where to begin? I must say after owning this camera for several weeks, I have yet to see a digital camera come close to the quality and value per dollar of this incredible model. I upgraded to this camera from a Polaroid PDC 1100 (see my separate review on that).
At first this Olympus camera looks a little familiar…that’s right, it is based on the award-winning D-490 model, with a couple changes. The major thing is that our new D-510 model now offers USB support, which is almost a must these days. Other minor changes include a flash that pops up out of the camera all the time now, instead of only when you manually activate it, etc.
Out of the box:
Opening the box revealed:
The Olympus D-510 2.1 Megapixel Zoom camera
8 MB Smartmedia card
USB cable for sending photos to a computer—NO serial support
Video output cable (hook to TV)
4 AA alkaline batteries
Basic user manuals and registration card
Wrist strap
CD-Rom with Olympus Camedia Master 2.5 software
I won't go into too much boring detail on camera specs and stuff here, because you can see all the needed information at the bottom of this review.
Operation:
First I stuck in some Rechargable Ni-MH batteries--which seem to last quite a while under normal use. Almost everything was smart and intuitive to set up and get going, even though many people have complained about the manual. The user's guide seemed well-rounded enough to help me get started taking all kinds of shots and movie clips.
I quickly got used to using the menu system on the beautiful LCD screen for adjusting settings, (There is four directional buttons next to the screen, along with a screen control button and a menu/OK button) and then I started experimenting with snapshots in different modes.
Images and quality:
You can choose your resolution ranging from normal 640x480 up to high quality 1600x1200 shots, which can be used for 5x7 or even some 8x10 photos. I usually use the SQ 1280x1024 Normal mode to take snapshots, and even at this lesser resolution, the camera consistently delivers supreme clear photos. I take a wide range of photos, from outdoor landscapes to indoor closeups, with lowlight shots too. I have not had a grainy photo yet.
One thing this camera has is an adjustable ISO feature, which is like changing between ISO 100, 200 or 400 film. 100 is great for bright light, 200 is great for a lot of uses, and 400 is better for low-light situations. This is what I’ve always been wanting!! Quality low-light pictures are a great function of this camera.
A few details
Excellent "105mm" optical zoom that only extends 3/4 inch from the camera
Up to 9x digital zoom (digital zoom=lowers the image quality)
Has a sliding lens cover that works as the camera's main on/off switch
12 second timer for taking self-pictures
Various flash settings with night mode (see specs below)
TV replay function
Diopter adjustment on the standard viewfinder
More features and comments:
The included Olympus 8 MB SmartMedia card can hold from 1-82 shots on it, depending on the quality selected. I use a standard resolution that allows 24 shots on the 8 MB card. Then I also have a 64 MB card that can hold many more shots, which I purchased at Newegg.com for $23.
There is a movie mode that makes Quicktime-compatible movies. What it seems to be is a fast sequence of snapshots-like 10-20 fps. These clips can be taken 25 seconds at a time, until your memory card is full. Expect around 5 or so minutes of video to fit on a 64 MB card. The clips are low resolution and they do not include sound, but it is still a nice feature.
The panorama mode is an awesome feature! You can only use this mode when a OLYMPUS brand Smartmedia card is inserted though.
In panorama mode, you can snap up to 10 consecutive shots of a landscape (horizontal or vertical), then open the photos in the included Camedia editing software and connect all the pictures together in one big seamless magnificent photo! Get a great field of view that way.
Sometimes for my auction photos I need to get an extreme close up shot of a product label, so buyers can read the small print. This camera works well for that, using the Macro mode. I can take a close-up snapshot of a page of a book, and the resulting photo is clear and readable.
Messing with photos:
Transferring photos to the computer could never be easier. With Windows ME, 2000, or XP you just stick in the USB cable and let 'em go. If you have Windows 98 then you will need to install the included driver first. Other methods you could use to transfer photos are: obtaining a floppy disk adapter, a Serial or USB SmartMedia card reader, or a PCMIA laptop adapter.
Once the images are on the computer, you can open them in any image editing software or print them. You will need a quality color/photo printer to do justice to these spectacular photos. If you open the photos in the supplied Olympus Camedia software, you can use some average editing tools, but I would recommend that you use a different editor. One thing I do use the Olympus software for—that is to compose and join together the panoramic photos into one big seamless photo!
Here are the main detailed specs that you would find in the D-510 manual:
Movie pictures:
QuickTime Motion JPEG compliant
Recording medium:
3V (3.3V) SmartMedia card Up to 128MB
No. of storable still pictures (8MB card):
1 shot in TIFF Mode/1600 1200 pixels)
5 shots (SHQ Mode)
16 shots (HQ Mode)
24 shots (SQ 1,280 x 960 normal)
32 shots (SQ-HIGH Mode/640 480 pixels)
82 shots (SQ Mode/640 480 pixels)
Image pickup element:
1/2.7 inch CCD solid-state image pickup
2,110,000 pixels (gross)
Resolution (number of pixels):
640 480 pixels ~ 1600 1200 pixels (still picture)
Total Zoom range
3x optical + 3x digital zoom for a total 9x zoom
White balance:
Full auto TTL, Preset (daylight, overcast, tungsten
light, fluorescent light)
Lens:
Olympus lens 5.4 ~ 16.2mm,
F2.8 ~ 4.4, 8 elements in 6 groups (equivalent to
35 ~ 105mm lens on a 35mm camera)
Aperture*:
W: F2.8, F5.6
T: F4.4, F8.6
Shutter*:
1/2 ~ 1/1000 sec.
(used with mechanical shutter)
*Manual setting of shutter speed is not supported
Shooting range:
0.8m (31″) ~ ∞(in standard mode)
0.2m (8″) ~ 0.8m (31″) (in macro mode)
Viewfinder:
Optical real image viewfinder (with AF target
mark), monitor
Monitor:
1.8 inch TFT color LCD
No. of pixels:
Approx. 61,000
On-screen display:
Date/time, frame number, write-protect, picture
mode, battery check, file number display, print
reserve, menu, etc.
Battery charging time for flash:
8 sec. or less (at room temperature with
new batteries)
Flash working range:
W: Approx. 0.2m (8″) ~ 4m (13ft)
T: Approx. 0.2m (8″) ~ 2.6m (8.5ft)
Flash modes:
Auto-Flash (automatic flash activation in low light
and backlight), Red-eye Reduction Flash, Off (no
flash), Fill-In Flash, Night Scene Flash, Night
Scene Flash + Red-eye Reduction Flash
Autofocus:
TTL system autofocus
Focusing range:
0.2meter (8″) ~ infinity
External connectors:
DC-IN jack,
USB connector,
Video OUT jack
Automatic calendar system:
Up to year 2031
Calendar power supply:
Backup by capacitor
Power supply:
This camera uses either four AA (R6) alkaline,
NiMH, lithium or NiCd batteries. Two CR-V3
lithium battery packs are also available. Do not
use zinc-carbon (manganese) batteries in this
camera.
Dimensions (excluding the raised portion):
117.5mm (4.6″) (W) x 49.5mm (1.9″) (H) x 66.0mm
(2.6″) (D)
Weight:
8.5oz (excluding batteries/SmartMedia
card)
I hope this review has helped you make your decision, and if so please rate my review,
Thanks,
~Eric R.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Epinions.com ID:
erickn8318u
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Member: Eric R.
Location: Colville, WA, USA
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
I enjoy Aviation, computers, and much more. I love God and His Word. Ephesians 6:10-13
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