A great value/quality choice, but beware if it breaks!
Written: Jan 22 '00 (Updated Feb 28 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: bright LCD, fast startup, TIFF format, burst mode
Cons: repairs take months, no usb connectivity, inaccuracy of colors, cheap plastic frame
The Bottom Line: Olympus makes great cameras. But if you eventually have a problem, you might end up waiting long months for back-ordered pieces.
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| transgenik's Full Review: Olympus D-450 Zoom Battery Charger |
Updated Febuary 28th 2001: see at the end for new information about repair-nightmare!
It has been years I've been wanting a digital camera to add some images to my Website. But let's face it: until recently, the top dollars one had to invest just to get a bare-bottom featureless digicam with a low resolution made it pretty dissuasive.
So I waited.
From one time to another, I checked what the digicam world was up to. And still, I waited.
Until September 1999, when I saw this Olympus d450z, which is an upgraded d400z (better resolution, higher adjustable ISO and shutter speed -- the only thing the d450z lacks compared to the d400z is a FlashPath adapter that you insert in the 3'1/4 slot of the PC to read the Smartmedia cards), but costs a few hundred bucks less.
Even though I smelled a good bargain when discovering the existence of that new Olympus, I took time to compare it to the other digicams of the same price range (we're not talking here of the semi-pros like the Nikon Coolpix 950, the Kodak DC265 or the Olympus C2000z, which were simply too costly for me).
I read many rec.photo.digital threads, read Deja and CNET user's ratings, some epinions, and it seemed that, for the price I was willing to pay, the Kodak DC240 and the Olympus D450Z were the two best choices available at that time.
Doing my little research, here's what I learned about the two of them...
Kodak DC240 upsides : USB port, great colors, uses compact flash card (stronger than the smartmedias), comes with a NiMH charger and 4 AA batteries
Olympus d450z upsides : Fast startup time, burst mode, clear LCD even in bright light conditions, availability of an uncompressed mode (TIFF)
Kodak DC240 downsides : slow to startup, fuzzy photos when taken at f16, no burst mode, only saves in jpeg, LCD is less clear, some users reported LCD problems (bad pixels).
Olympus d450z downsides : NiMH batteries and charger adds up to the price, slow download time using the parallel port (which will eventually lead to another expense: a USB Smartmedia reader), photos have a blue tint.
To sum it all, I'd say the d450z has more interesting features, but the Kodak comes with more useful hardware (notably the USB port and the NiMH bundle). I'm not the one who'll advise you for or against one or the other (I saw enough religious wars between tenants of those two babies ;v)). I think that depending on their needs, some may prefer the DC240 features, others will go for the Oly d450z.
On my part, I chose the d450z because of the burst mode, the TIFF format, and the fast startup time. On all point, it is exactly what has been said about it (I won't repeat it all, re-read the up and downsides). I may add that I find its construction somewhat cheap: the frame is in plastic, which makes me fear for the solidity of the Smartmedia's and battery's door over time, and the sliding lens cap could easily crush the lens if one isn't careful enough. Also, what is described as a "blue tint" looks more yellowish in my view (the conclusion is the same, though: the d450z isn't reproducing colors accurately).
Still, this Oly d450z is simply perfect for my needs. I take it everywhere and re-discover every day the joy of photography (which I've left aside for years). All things said, this was great buy.
March 2000 update: For more information about the options available to download photos from a Smartmedia card to your computer, go read my review of the SanDisk Imagemate (which goes far beyond that only solution).
November 2000 update: There's one thing deceiving about Olympus, and you'll only get to discover it if you ever have problem with your camera. I did (for an unknown reason, the camera stopped shooting -- one photo, it was working okay, and the next, it wouldn't at all), and send the camera at their Montreal's repair center (AMT Service). First, it took 3 weeks to a technician to diagnose the problem. Second, the piece that was needed was backordered for 2 months (so when I finally got my camera back, it had spent a quarter of its 1-year life at a repair center -- Olympus nicely offered to add 6 months to the warranty, though). Third, when I got my camera back, it had small scratches on the LCD (not a big deal, but a repair center shouldn't scratch one's equipment). Fourth, and the last, the technician misplaced my Olympus Smartmedia card and replaced it with a no-name brand (and as he didn't noted the exchange anywhere, I had to argue with them so they order a new Olympus brand and give me back exactly what I left them -- I still haven't received the card at the time of writing.
December 2000 update: Needing a more advanced camera to fulfill my photographic needs, I recently decided to upgrade. I was tempted by the Olympus 3030 model. But the fear of an eventual repair at Olympus' Montreal repair center made me go for a Kodak DC4800 instead.
Febuary 2001 update: Still no news from AMT Service about the Olympus Smartmedia card...
The final words: Olympus makes great cameras that often give the best quality for the price. The d450z and its successors (d460z and d490z, which I had the occasion to use), are really great cameras that shoots great pictures. But if you eventually have a problem, even if you're not as unlucky as I was with your local repair center, you might end up waiting long months for back-ordered pieces. Digital cameras depreciate rapidly, and it's a shame that companies don't produce enough pieces to repair the cameras they sell (hey, we're not talking about a 20-years old camera here, it was bought in the very year it was serviced!)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
transgenik
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Member: Martine Gingras
Location: Rosemère, Québec, Canada
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 28 members
About Me:
Let's talk about things. Real things.
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