A Great All-Purpose Camera
Written: Oct 12 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: small, great pictures, good optics, packed with features, remote control, splashproof
Cons: battery container, annoying camera off feature
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| eltonlin's Full Review: Olympus Stylus Zoom 70 QD 35mm Film Camera |
My first camera was a Canon EOS Rebel, and I loved the thing. However, I found it tiresome to have to lug around a huge bag full of lenses, filters, etc, especially since I travel frequently and love to spontaneously take pictures.
Thus, I wanted a nice compact, light, easy to use camera that was also full featured and takes great pictures. After researching quite a bit, I happened upon the Olympus Stylus Zoom 70.
I fell in love with the camera. It's a nice compact size, but not too small for those with large fingers. As a result, it's easy to hold and use w/o your fingers getting in the way of the lens, or keeping your eye away from the viewfinder (as is the case w/ the tiny ELPHs). When you hold the camera, it feels quite sturdy. The plastic is solid and very durable (I've dropped the camera several times, and aside from a couple scuffs, has held up very well). The clam shell design also offers good protection for the lens, and is the main component in the camera's "splashproof" rating.
To operate the camera, one merely slides the clamshell to the left. The lens and flash automatically pop up and out, ready for you to take the picture. The flash recharge time is not too bad (2-3 seconds), so there isn't much of a delay. A very simple, easy to use zoom button, allows you to frame your picture perfectly. However, compared to my SLR, the zoom can be somewhat slow (obviously). The shutter button is a nice large round button that can't be missed. I found the camera very easy to use- and others did as well. The ultimate test was going on trips and asking people for help with the pictures- no one asked how to operate the camera.
There are quite a number of features included with the camera that I love. One great feature in my opinion is the method that Olympus uses for red-eye reduction. a series of very small flashes occur before the final flash comes around. Very easy on the eyes and it also serves as a little timer of sorts. Much better than those cameras that actually take two flashes- and allow an opportunity for those horrible "i had my eyes closed" type of pictures. The second great feature is the night-shot feature. This feature keeps the shutter open for an extended period of time (it adjusts to the amount of light available) and sends a flash before the shutter closes, thus capturing the foreground (subject) and the nice well lit background. The other flash settings (auto, on all the time, and no flash), are your standard fare.
Another added feature is the remote control. I love this. Rather than having to rely on the auto timer, the remote control allows one to manually operate the shutter while in the picture. The remote is small and durable, but the range and reception is a little shaky at times.
The pictures that came out of my Olympus really amazed me. Crisp, clean, and vivid colors. Olympus did a great job in putting a nice set of lenses in this base model camera.
A couple annoyances. First, when one presses down on the flash, the camera turns itself "off". When this happens, one needs to either shut and open the clam shell, or jiggle the zoom to move the lense and "wake-up" the camera. Secondly, the battery compartment can be hard to open at times. Granted it gives a feeling of security that the one camera size battery will stay in place, but when it does come time to change (which isn't too often), it can be a pain.
Overall, I very much enjoy this camera. It's size, cost, and picture quality can't be beat. I am hard-pressed to find another camera that offers the quality and features that the Stylus Zoom 70 provides for it's price point.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
eltonlin
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Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 2 members
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