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(Initial review date: 14 February, 1999, Full review posted 25
April, 1999) |
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1,600 x 1,200 pixel resolution |
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3X optical zoom, + 2.5X digital | |
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Optical and LCD viewfinder | |
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Spot or Average light metering | |
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Program, shutter-, aperture-priority exposure modes, in 1/3-stop increments(!) FULL external-flash support! (with 1/3 stop aperture control) | |
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Large RAM buffer for rapid shot-to-shot
cycling, for up to 10 full-resolution images. |
Preface
We were very fortunate to receive for evaluation a pre-production prototype
of a new 2.1 megapixel digital camera from Olympus, the C-2000 Zoom. Because
the unit we received was so early in its life cycle, Olympus initially asked
us to not publish any pictures captured by it, as the color-management software
was still in a relatively early stage of development, and image quality would
therefore not be at all representative of the final production units. (From
our experience with a number of manufacturers, this appears to be a common
development process: Cameras are designed from a functionality standpoint
first, and the color is tweaked into line only after the final hardware configuration
has been fully defined.)
We've now had the opportunity to test a full-production model of the C-2000
Zoom, and have found it's image quality to be absolutely first-rate: Image
sharpness and low-light performance are both significantly improved over
the preproduction prototype we intitially tested.
Perspective
Olympus has long been a leader in digital photography, with a
line of distinguished products stretching back to their original D-200L VGA-class
compact digital camera. Recently, their focus (no pun intended) has been
on "filmless photography", rightly recognizing that people buy
cameras to take pictures with, not merely as jazzy adjuncts to their computer
system. With the goal of making the filmless photography experience more
like the film-based one, their recent product introductions (notably the
compact-format D-400 Zoom, and the SLR D-620L) have incorporated many "real
camera" features, such as spot metering, and more-rapid shot-to-shot
cycle times. (A persistent bane of digital photography has been the long
delay between shots, mandated by the camera's need to process the information
from one shot before proceeding with the next.)
Other than the cycle-time issue (which Olympus dealt with in dramatic fashion
with the D-620L SLR digicam), a second major limitation of digital cameras
has heretofore been their inflexibility in setting exposure parameters. Most
digicams today have only two or three available lens apertures (if that many),
and permit little or no control over the choice of shutter speed and lens
opening. For many film-based photographers, the restrictions this imposes
on the creative process are untenable: With no control over shutter speed
or lens opening, the ability to isolate foreground and background objects,
or to choose greater depth of field at the cost of a longer exposure times
simply aren't options. Likewise, the ability to employ motion blur, or to
freeze fast-moving objects is completely absent. Thus, many of the techniques
used by film-based photographers to direct the viewer's eye within a scene,
or to control a picture's composition have been lacking in affordable digital
cameras. Lacking, that is, until now: With the C-2000 Zoom, Olympus has established
a new standard for photographic control in under-$1,000 digital cameras,
at the same time that they've expanded the basic capabilities of the camera
with a 2.1 million pixel sensor and a variable ISO rating ranging as high
as ISO 400. The enhanced creative control comes in the form of an exposure
system in which both shutter speed and aperture value can be set in 1/3 EV
(f-stop) increments across their entire range, with either full-program,
shutter-, or aperture-priority metering, and an exposure-compensation adjustment
of +/- 2EV in 1/3 EV steps.
To philosophize for a moment, as we begin to see digital cameras with over
2 million pixels of resolution appearing from a variety of manufacturers,
we're rapidly approaching the point where the basic physical capabilities
of the cameras are "good enough" for a broad range of applications.
Now that the hardware itself is "good enough," we expect to see
manufacturers more and more try to differentiate their products on the basis
of features, ease of use, and creative capabilities. With the C-2000 Zoom,
Olympus has clearly staked out important territory in this new domain of
competition.
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"Executive Overview"
Beginning with this review, we're going to create "Executive Overviews"
of each camera, to give a concise synopsis of their capabilities, for those
wanting to get the basic information before committing to reading our (ridiculously
detailed) full reviews. This information is also included on this site as
a separate "Executive Overview" document,
including more product shots and interface details. (Publishers/Webmasters:
Contact us for information
on licensing our review material for your own photography site!)
The Olympus C-2000 Zoom is a compact (5 x 2.6 x 2.1 inches, 107.5 x 73.5
x 66.4 mm) 2.1 megapixel digital camera, with a solid, "chunky"
feel, yet a surprisingly light weight (9.5 oz, 272 grams w/o batteries).
It's rather squat profile fits the hand and eye very well, but prevents it
from passing the "shirt pocket" test for portability. Still, it's
so compact, it should find its way along on many trips where a more bulky
camera would be left behind.
Our first impression on handling the C-2000 Zoom was how much thought had
obviously gone into the user interface. (The Olympus engineers must have
been reading our reviews, in which we have regularly called for greater camera
control without resorting to the LCD-based menu system!) For all its capability,
the camera is not only remarkably easy to control, but also lets you know
what it's doing at any given moment: If you choose to have the LCD screen
active when shooting, the exposure time, aperture value, and exposure compensation
settings are all displayed on a real-time basis. - No more wondering what
shutter speed the camera might be using, or what aperture (and therefore
what depth of field) you might have!
As noted in the preface, you can choose either full-program, shutter-, or
aperture-priority autoexposure algorithms, and either averaging or spot-metering
exposure evaluation. Couple this level of control with very rapid shot-to-shot
cycle times, and you have a digital camera that finally gives you both the
level of control and the "feel" of a high-end autofocus rangefinder
camera. (Actually, you'd be hard-pressed to find this level of control without
going to an SLR-style camera in the 35mm world.) Particularly useful for
studio environments, a tiny infrared remote is provided, that lets you control
not only the shutter, but the zoom lens and exposure compensation adjustment
as well.
The basic image size captured by the C-2000 Zoom is 1600x1200 pixels, but
lower resolutions of 1024x768 and even 640x480 are available as menu options.
Likewise, there are several image-compression options, including an uncompressed
mode producing full-resolution TIFF images for those times when you really
need the absolute maximum image quality the camera is capable of delivering.
The lens is a 3x optical zoom, ranging from equivalent focal lengths of 35
to 105mm, and a multi-step digital telephoto is also provided, with ratios
of 1.6, 2.0, and 2.5 available. Normal focusing is from 31 inches (0.8 m)
to infinity, while a macro option allows focusing as close as 8 inches (0.2
m). Lens apertures range from f/2.0 - f/2.8 (tele/wide) to f/11.0 (tele and
wide). Shutter speed runs from 1/2 second to 1/800 second, and an undocumented
time-exposure mode extends this to 16 seconds. An unusual feature is the
provision for manually setting the camera's effective ISO speed (light sensitivity),
to values of 100 (the default), 200, and 400. Five white balance settings
are provided, including "auto."
Both optical and LCD viewfinders are provided, the LCD being particularly
accurate, and the optical viewfinder incorporating dioptric correction for
eyeglass wearers. The built-in 4-mode flash has a range of up to 13 feet
(4 meters), and also has the added capability for "slow-sync" operation,
with both "front curtain" and "rear curtain" options.
An external flash sync connector is provided, with the 1/3 f-stop aperture
setting accuracy allowing very precise flash exposures. The unit ships with
an 8 Meg SmartMedia memory card, connects to the computer via an RS-232 serial
interface, and has a video output as well. Images may be captured and stored
at several sizes and compression levels, including an uncompressed mode for
maximum image quality. Software shipped with the unit includes a basic camera
interface package, plus the extraordinary "QuickStitch" panorama-stitching
application.
We found the C-2000 Zoom to be an exceptionally flexible digital camera,
offering greater creative control than we're accustomed to, combined with
one of the best user interfaces we've yet encountered. Image quality was
first-rate, in both color and resolution. Sound interesting? - Read on for
full details!
Sample Photos Update:
The "dreamarts"
site in Japan has posted some very nice-looking images on their Japanese-language
page, though, and the Japanese
PC-Watch site also has a page on the camera, complete with pictures. For
photos with a detailed analysis, check our own pictures
index page for the C-2000 Zoom.
Product Photos/External Controls:
The following product shots show some of the external controls and functions
of the C-2000 Zoom, as well as a quick look at the options available to control
the picture-taking process.
| This 3/4 view of the C-2000 Zoom shows
the lens in the extended position.The accessory threads shown earlier are
contained in the plastic ring at the base of the lens, from which the lens
barrel extends. In this shot, the toggle control for the zoom lens is at
upper left, the dioptric adjustment for the optical viewfinder at upper
right, and the PC connector for external flash connection at lower right. |
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| A rear view of the C-2000 Zoom: Despite the relative paucity of control buttons, we found the user interface very easy to navigate. LCD screen is at bottom (obviously), the door on the right hides the SmartMedia card. |
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| A close-up of the rear-panel controls: The upper-middle button turns the LCD display on or off, while the lower button enables the menu system. Most routine camera control is accomplished with the 4-way rocker button at upper right. We liked the way we could control either aperture or shutter speed (depending on exposure mode) with up/down actuation, and EV compensation with left/right actions, without resorting to the menu system. |
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| Top-panel controls: Most functions you'd use the LCD menu system for are mirrored on the top-mounted LCD display. This makes for great power savings, while still providing full camera control. The rotary function dial on the right has positions for shutter-priority, aperture-priority, program-mode exposure, playback, and setup/PC connnection. The control at upper right has the shutter release in the center, with the zoom toggle control projecting to the front. |
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Screen Shots/LCD Menu System:
The following screen shots should give a fairly good idea of the controls available
on the C-2000 Zoom:
| This is the first screen of the main setup menu. As you might guess, the highlighted entry resets all settings to their default values. The second entry appears to be for image sharpness, with settings of "Normal" and "Soft." The SHQ Setup option lets you choose either low-compression JPEG or uncompressed TIFF file formats for the "SHQ" image-quality setting. Likewise, SQ Setup gives you options for the SQ quality setting to correspond to either 640x480 or 1024x768 pixel images. The last menu item controls the annunciator sounds the camera makes as you actuate various controls. |  |
| The second screen of the main setup menu. Rec View (selected) turns the LCD screen on for a brief period after each shot, to let you verify the image you just captured. Card Setup controls SmartMedia formatting. The grid entry with "9" next to it is used to set how many thumbnails are displayed on-screen in thumbnail review mode: 4, 9, or 16. The screen with the -...+ scale next to it adjusts LCD brightness. (A neat enhancement: The C-2000 Zoom displays a set of grayscale steps while you're setting the screen brightness, giving you an objective reference for the brightness level you've selected.) The last entry sets the date & time as well as its display format. |  |
| The first screen of the Record-Mode Setup Menu. The top entry (selected) chooses between averaging or spot metering modes. The second controls flash modes. The third was never active on our prototype unit: It apparently selects a special slow-sync flash mode, with a longer shutter speed to allow more ambient light to enter the image. The AF option selects between standard autofocus, macro focus, and two fixed focus settings (8 feet/2.5m and infinity). The last option controls the self-timer and remote triggering via the infrared controller, which we didn't have access to for our preliminary tests. (You can apparently control all camera functions via a handheld remote control unit -- very handy for portrait work with kids!) |  |
| The second screen of the record-mode setup menu. The top item controls "special functions" enabled by Olympus-brand SmartMedia cards. The display shown offers choices between rapid-sequence mode (2 frame per second shooting) and panorama mode. The next menu entry selects digital zoom ratio, with settings of 1x (no zoom), 1.25, 1.6, 2.0, and 2.5x. The third entry lets you choose between 5 different white-balance settings. Next is the ISO selector, with options of ISO 100, 200, and 400, all user-selectable. Finally, the image-quality selector provides options of SQ, HQ, and SHQ, with the options for SQ and SHQ being determined by the corresponding settings in the main setup menu shown earlier. |  |
| As a parting shot, here's what the display looks like when taking a picture in aperture-priority mode. (We had the camera pointed at a blank wall so you could see the readouts clearly: Normally, this display would be overlaid on an image of your subject.) At left is the aperture opening we've selected, by rocking the 4-way toggle pad up and down. At right is the EV compensation we've selected, by rocking the 4-way control from left to right. In the middle is the shutter speed (1/3 of a second) that the camera has chosen in response to our aperture and EV compensation settings, and the light falling on the subject. - We really liked both the level of control the C-2000 Zoom gave us, and the way it kept us informed of its current choice for shutter speed and aperture size. |  |
Phew! That's a lot of functionality, packed into a pretty small package. While the screen shots above give some idea of how the camera works, they don't really convey how smoothly the whole user interface works: You can get to the various camera functions with an absolute minimum of button-pushing, yet you have an exceptional level of control over the picture-taking process. Overall, a very nice user-interface design... |
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Design
The "C"
in the C-2000's model number stands for "Compact", and it certainly
is: Check out the photo at right for a comparison with Olympus' own D-600L SLR
digital camera, to see the size difference between the two models. At an overall
size of only 5 x 2.6 x 2.1 inches (107.5 x 73.5 x 66.4 mm), and a surprisingly
light weight of only 9.5 ounces (272 grams), it just misses passing the "shirt
pocket" test, due mainly to the thickness of the body, and the protrusion
of the lens barrel from the front. Despite this, it's so compact that we doubt
it will have any problem finding a place on trips where more bulky cameras would
be left at home.
We commented on the weight as being surprisingly light, not necessarily because
it's so much lighter than other models, but because it's so much lighter than
we thought when we first picked it up: The small size of the unit combines with
a fairly normal weight to produce a very solid, "chunky" feel, suggestive
of quality. Slightly over half of the camera's body is plastic (we'd guess about
60%), the remainder being anodized aluminum. Unlike some models using large
amounts of plastic in their bodies though, the C-2000 Zoom feels quite solid.
Olympus fit an optically fast (f/2.0) 3x zoom lens into the small body of the
C-2000 Zoom by using a telescoping design: When the camera powers-up in one
of its capture modes, the lens extends about an additional inch beyond the front
of the camera body. Fully retracted, the 3/4 inch-thick (20mm) lens barrel adds
about 1/4 inch (10mm) to the overall thickness of the unit, by projecting that
amount beyond the ergonomic bulge on the right-front (viewed from behind) side
of the camera.
Although the camera's overall dimensions are quite small, the grip design sculpted
into the right-hand side of the body works very well, providing a very secure
one-handed grip, even for your reviewer's rather large hands. (The way the grip
encourages your fingers to fold and wrap around the camera means it should fit
a wide range of hand sizes quite well.)
Control layout is very logical and orderly, and
the user interface a model of simplicity and flexibility. We particularly appreciate
the feedback the camera gives you on its current choice of shutter speed and
aperture values. We also appreciate the fact that a much broader range of camera
functions can be controlled via the top-panel LCD readout than is usually the
case: This promises to save on battery power by not forcing users to enter the
LCD menu system to change common settings.
We also especially liked the little infrared remote control that's included
with the camera: Our first reaction to this was "oh, another gimmicky remote-control
gadget." In the studio though, once we tried it, we couldn't put it down!
The remote not only lets you trip the shutter, but operate the zoom lens as
well. See the "user interface" section of the review for more info
on this.
The one complaint we had about the
design of the camera was the very difficult-to-operate battery compartment door.
- This sounds like a trivial gripe, but it had us gnashing our teeth on a number
of occasions, until we figured out the right trick to get it to close. The problem
is that you need to exert quite a bit of pressure on the door to hold it shut
so you can actuate the latch, and the plastic it's made of isn't especially
stiff. It seemed to us we needed three hands to get the battery compartment
closed: One to hold the camera, one to press firmly on the compartment door
(with at least two fingers, to distribute the pressure evenly), and one to actuate
the compartment latch lever. We eventually achieved reliably good results by
inverting the camera, placing two fingers on either side of the latch lever
and our thumb on the shutter button, and pinching VERY firmly while rotating
the latch with the fingers of our other hand. A trivial thing, to be sure, but
we found ourselves dreading each battery change until we got the hang of it,
and even then wished it were easier.
Viewfinder
As is common among all but the lowest-end
digital cameras today, the C-2000 Zoom has two viewfinders, an optical "real
image" model, and the rear-panel 1.8 inch, 72,000-pixel LCD screen. The
optical finder is more accurate than most, showing 91% of the final image area
at the wide angle end of the lens' range, and 92% at the telephoto end (85%
is typical of most cameras we've tested), while the LCD is extremely accurate,
showing as close to 100% of the final image as we're able to measure. The optical
viewfinder works quite well for eyeglass wearers (like your tester!), with both
a dioptric correction adjustment, and a comfortably high eye-point, leaving
a reasonable amount of room between your eyeball and the finder for an eyeglass
lens to fit in. The optical finder is also almost entirely immune to framing
errors due to lateral variations in eye location. As you'd expect, the optical
viewfinder zooms along with the lens, but can't take into account the operation
of the "digital zoom". Thus, the digital zoom function is only enabled
when the LCD is operating in viewfinder mode. LED indicators adjacent to the
optical viewfinder illuminate or blink to show camera status, such as flash
charging, camera ready, missing memory card, etc.
When the LCD viewfinder is in use,
the C-2000 Zoom provides an unusual amount of feedback about the current exposure
settings, showing the currently-selected f-stop, shutter speed, and exposure
compensation in a row of numbers across the top. In aperture- and shutter-priority
modes, the aperture or shutter value appears continuously, along with the exposure
compensation setting, while the second, automatically-determined exposure value
(conversely, either shutter speed or f-stop) appears whenever the shutter button
is half-pressed, triggering the autofocus and autoexposure systems.
The LCD view screen can also be used to review previously-captured images as
well, and in that mode has the notable ability to zoom-in on displayed images
by up to 3x. This is extremely handy for checking focus, small details, or precise
framing.
We did find one viewfinder shortcoming in the prototype model we tested: The
view through the optical viewfinder is rotated about 2 degrees, relative to
the final image captured by the CCD. This has been a surprisingly common shortcoming
of the prototype digicams we've tested, apparently resulting from loose tolerances
in the jigs used to align the CCD with the camera body, during the (largely
manual) assembly process. The good news though, is that we've never seen a problem
of this sort carry over into production models, and assume that Olympus will
correct it in the C-2000 Zoom as well.
Lens
Olympus is well-known for the quality of the optics on their 35mm and APS cameras,
and that expertise shows in the lens on the C-2000 Zoom. An all-glass aspheric
design, with 8 elements in 6 groups, it provides a range of 35mm-equivalent
focal lengths from about 35-105mm. Of greatest interest in its design though,
is its very fast f/2.0-f/2.9 (wide-to-tele) maximum aperture. This is a "fast"
lens by any standard, and much faster than that of many competing digital cameras.
Normal focusing distance is from 31 inches (0.8m) to infinity, while a macro
mode moves this range to between 8 and 31 inches (0.2 to 0.8m). Autofocus occurs
through the lens, using a contrast-detection method. This means that the autofocus
will work properly with auxiliary lenses, but also means that you'll need to
use the focus presets in very dim lighting (below about EV 8-9 or so). Under
normal lighting conditions the focus is quite accurate, but no indication appears
to be provided showing when focus has been achieved. This means that effective
use of close-up lenses and other accessories will depend on knowing in advance
the usable focal range of such items. (As long as you're working within the
range of focusing distance that the accessory supports, the autofocus should
work fine for you. The trick will be in determining what that range is.)
In addition to the autofocus system, the C-2000 Zoom provides two "Quick
Focus" settings, which fix the focus distance at either 8 feet (2.5 m),
or infinity. These are useful for achieving much shorter shutter delays (see
the later section on shutter lag and cycle times), or for focusing on subjects
at a known distance when shooting in very dim conditions, either using available
light, or with a strobe. The documentation is a bit vague on the depth of field
you could expect with the two Quick Focus settings, but it appears that in wide
angle mode, the 8 foot setting produces good results from about 30 inches (0.75
m) to infinity. (This seems overly broad, perhaps referring to the depth of
field with the lens stopped all the way down.)
We found the
lens design particularly intriguing in one respect: Olympus told us that the
unit had filter threads on it, and that they'd be adapting their full range
of high-end tele/wide/macro adapters to work with the new model. We were surprised
then, when we observed no filter threads on the lens barrel itself, when in
its extended, working position. There are threads however, on a heavy plastic
ring attached to the camera body, surrounding the lens barrel itself. As we
operated the zoom, we observed that the outside lens dimensions don't change
at all as the lens is racked from its wide-angle to telephoto positions. Olympus
has confirmed that they will be offering a cylindrical adapter that screws into
these body-mounted threads, and provides a second set of accessory threads at
the end of the adapter, just beyond the furthest extent of the lens' travel.
In this way, Olympus has solved the telescoping lens/filter thread dilemma that
has stymied so many camera companies thus far: The problem with telescoping
lens assemblies is that the mechanisms are rather delicate, and not able to
handle either the weight of a beefy external tele-extender, or the torque required
to dislodge a stuck filter attachment. While some might complain about the need
to carry the extra adapter tube along with the C-2000, this strikes us as an
elegant solution to a tricky design constraint that's baffled the industry as
a whole until now. (It's one of those solutions that seem obvious, once someone
else has thought of it.) We expect to see this approach copied by other companies
in the next generation of compact-format digital cameras. While we haven't tested
them, Olympus' accessory macro, wide-angle, and telephoto adapters appear to
be very high-quality, multi-element optical-glass designs: For photographers
interested in "interchangeable" lenses on a high-quality digital camera,
the C-2000 Zoom looks like a good bet..
When Olympus shipped us the final production unit to test, they included the
little lens-adapter ring, which provides a set of 55mm filter threads. We used
this to good advantage with our fancy multiple-element macro lenses, and with
the excellent 1.7x teleconverter Olympus also sent along. The series of images
below show the incredible range you can achieve when using the 1.7x converter
in addition to the on-camera zoom lens. (The secret's finally out: That's a
"Lobster Crossing" sign in the upstairs window of the house!)
We've only recently begun reporting on lens distortion, so feel compelled to
note here that some previously-reviewed cameras won't contain this commentary:
Just because it isn't there, doesn't mean that their lenses are distortion-free!
Conversely, just because we include this commentary here doesn't mean that the
C-2000 Zoom is any worse in this respect than the general run of digital cameras...
The C-2000 Zoom shows slight (0.9%) barrel distortion at the wide-angle end
of its zoom range, and almost imperceptible (0.3%) pincushion distortion at
the telephoto end. We also observed some chromatic distortion at the wide angle
end, as evidenced in our resolution target shots, as green/red fringes around
target objects at the edges of the frame. The chromatic aberration is slight
(we figure it at about 0.16% of the vertical frame), and disappears almost entirely
at the telephoto end of the lens' range. There is no detectable "coma"
(a radial blurring of the image at its outer edges), at any focal length. Overall,
lens quality on the C-2000 Zoom appears to be very good.
Exposure
One of the more unusual features of the C-2000 Zoom (at least as of this writing
in April, 1999) is the option it provides to adjust its ISO value (light-sensitivity
rating). From its default value of ISO 100, you can boost it manually to 200
or even 400, via an option on the LCD menu system. As you'd expect, the more-sensitive
settings also result in more noise in the images, but it's exceptionally useful
to be able to select the ISO value you want to work with: In many situations,
you'd gladly trade a slightly increased level of image noise for the ability
to use either a faster shutter speed or a smaller lens opening. By the same
token, there are times when you'd actually like a lower sensitivity, to achieve
various slow-shutter effects, such as a motion blur, etc. Low ISO ratings have
been one of the unfortunate facts of life with under-$1,000 digicams, with few
exceptions: We can't emphasize enough how nice it is to be able to select a
higher ISO rating, and come back with a sharp (if slightly noisy) shot, rather
than a blurry one taken at a slower shutter speed! Likewise, the ability to
opt for a slightly greater depth of field is very nice as well. The variable
ISO settings are only active in aperture-priority or shutter-priority exposure
modes, as the programmed-exposure option appears to vary the ISO rating as needed
to accommodate the exposure conditions, boosting the effective ISO when the
light level is low. We determined this behavior by experimenting with the various
exposure modes in low-light conditions, observing that the exposure parameters
in "program" mode corresponded to increased ISO ratings when the lighting
was dim. This analysis was subsequently confirmed with a beta copy of Juri Munnki's
Cameraid software for the Mac, the latest
version of which reads and reports on ISO data embedded in the EXIF JPEG file
headers. (Note to Olympus: In our humble opinion, this is a major
user-interface shortcoming! If the camera is going to change an important parameter
on you like this, it should tell you about it! Even more so, it shouldn't let
you think you have control over it, when you really don't! - At
the very least, disable the ISO-adjustment option in the record-setup menu when
in programmed-exposure mode!!) The manually-variable ISO option is also
only active when the LCD viewfinder is enabled.
This brings us to another unique aspect of the C-2000 Zoom: Its options for
either aperture- or shutter-priority metering modes. These have been almost
non-existent in the world of "inexpensive" digital cameras (defined
here as those models costing less than $5,000 or so). Recently, we've seen some
other units appearing on the market that offer this option as well, but the
C-2000 Zoom appears to go a bit beyond the capabilities of the competition in
this area: While some competing units only provide 3 or 4 fixed apertures in
their "aperture priority" mode, the C-2000 Zoom offers true 1/3 f-stop
resolution, in BOTH the aperture setting and shutter speed (in shutter-priority
mode). This is a substantial improvement in exposure accuracy over all of its
competitors, at least as of April, 1999, when this review was written. Combine
this with the optional spot-metering mode, and you have an unparalleled level
of creative control over the exposure process. The C-2000 also sports the usual
"exposure lock" function, when you half-press the shutter button.
Used with the spot metering, this lets you easily handle backlit subjects, without
having to guess at exposure compensation.
Speaking of exposure compensation, even an exposure system as accurate and flexible
as the C-2000's can be "fooled" by unusually-lit subjects. (A snow
scene in winter, for instance.) In such situations, you need to be able to tell
the camera to deviate somewhat from the exposure value its automatic metering
system dictates. This "exposure compensation" adjustment is made on
the C-2000 Zoom by using the rear-panel 4-way rocker control, rocking it right
or left to increase or decrease the exposure in 1/3 stop (1/3 EV) increments,
up to a total of +/- 2EV. The current exposure compensation setting is displayed
on the rear-panel LCD screen. (The LCD viewfinder must be enabled to adjust
this setting, but once set, you can turn the LCD off to conserve power.) If
an exposure compensation is currently active, a small "+/-" icon appears
in the top-panel LCD readout as well, to let you know there's an adjustment
in force. This is both a finer adjustment and a more convenient user interface
than most cameras on the market. (At least two other models currently offer
1/3 EV exposure-compensation resolution, but the C-2000's user interface for
this function is one of the easiest and most natural we've seen.)
Returning to more mundane features, the C-2000 Zoom offers the typical 10-second
self-timer, to allow the photographer to get into the picture, but augmented
by an infrared "remote" that can be used to control the camera from
a distance. There's also the usual complement of white-balance settings, including
automatic, sunlight, cloudy, incandescent, and fluorescent. As is usual in the
digital cameras we've tested, the incandescent setting appears tailored to the
color balance of professional tungsten lighting, rather than typical household
incandescent. The automatic white balance appears to be unusually effective
though, as it performed very well on our difficult "indoor portrait"
test shot.
Flash!
As powerful as the C-2000 Zoom's ordinary, ambient-light exposure capabilities
are, it really shines (no pun intended) when it comes to flash exposure. The
camera has a fairly standard built-in flash unit, with four operating modes
(Off, Auto, Fill (always on), and Red-Eye Reduction), and a range of 13 feet
(4m) in wide-angle mode, or 8.5 feet (2.5m) at the telephoto setting. Any of
these modes may be combined with a slow-sync option, in which the shutter is
left open for a much longer time, increasing the ambient-light exposure. A"PC"-style
sync socket provides for use with external flash units.
There's such a range of variation and creative control provided by the C-2000's
flash system that we're a bit at a loss for how best to report on it. For openers,
the internal flash is at least partially affected by the exposure-compensation
adjustment, a very nice feature that gives you the ability to moderate the action
of the flash in situations where it might otherwise be overpowering. Depending
on the balance of ambient and strobe light , you can also obtain interesting
and subtle effects by playing with the white-balance settings in conjunction
with the exposure-compensation control. We were very surprised at the extent
to which we could control the color balance and lighting of an indoor scene,
depending on how these options were set. Combined with the immediate feedback
available via the LCD display, we have to say that the C-2000 Zoom provides
greater (or at least easier) creative control over flash photography than any
film-based camera we've used to date, let alone a digital one!
We mentioned the slow-sync mode: This forces the camera to use longer exposure
times in conjunction with the strobe. This has two effects. First, it allows
the ambient lighting to make a greater contribution to the final exposure of
the images. This can produce very nice effects, particularly in conjunction
with the action of an external strobe unit, resulting in more naturally-lit
photos. A second effect is that you can produce shots which combine a "motion
blur" on the subject (due to the long ambient-light exposure) with a sharp
initial or final image (caught by the flash exposure). Note that we said "initial
or final" image: The C-2000 Zoom supports both "front curtain"
and "rear curtain" triggering in slow-sync mode, firing the flash
at either the beginning of the shutter-determined exposure time, or at the end.
- So-called "rear-curtain" sync is necessary to produce motion blurs
on moving objects that trail the sharp, flash-exposed image, rather than precede
it.
As we mentioned above, the C-2000 provides a sync connector for an external
flash unit, and the operating flexibility in this mode is exceptional: We found
an incredible range of creative control through combinations of the external
flash, normal or slow-sync flash settings, white balance selection, and exposure-compensation
adjustments. The fine 1/3-stop aperture adjustments also contributed to this
level of control, as did variations in ISO setting. By playing with the various
settings, we could choose how we wanted the ambient lighting to balance with
that from the strobe, and exercise a surprising degree of control over the color
balance of the result.
To use an external flash with the C-2000 Zoom, you need to operate the camera
in aperture-priority mode, controlling the amount of flash illumination reaching
the CCD with the lens aperture setting (this is standard operating procedure
for film cameras as well). The camera will attempt to produce a good exposure
with its automatic settings, whether involving its own flash or not. - Thus,
if you've disabled its internal flash, you'll get a rather long exposure time,
effectively a "slow sync" mode, whether you want that or not. To get
a shorter exposure time (1/30 of a second), you'll need to enable the camera's
own flash, although this will normally result in an over-exposure, since both
the internal and external flashes will be firing. Note though, that you can
use the camera's exposure compensation to cut the amount of light coming from
the onboard flash or (if you really only want the external flash, but still
want a faster shutter speed), just block the on-camera flash tube with a piece
of electrical tape or sliver of neutral-density gel affixed with transparent
adhesive tape. In the short time we had the camera, we didn't have the chance
to set up a series of shots showing the results of these myriad variations,
and a full treatment is really beyond the scope of even an Imaging Resource
review. Take our word for it though: We found a greater range of flash-exposure
control with the C-2000 Zoom than in any camera we've tested to date! (April,
1999) - If flash shooting is a primary concern for your choice of a prosumer-level
digital camera, the C-2000 Zoom should win hands down!
One tiny, ergonomic gripe about the external flash though: The "PC"
sync socket is protected by a tiny plastic cover that strikes us as INCREDIBLY
easy to lose -- There's nothing attaching it permanently to the camera (such
as a tether of some sort), and it is small and difficult to grasp. It struck
us as an accessory just begging to be lost!
Special Exposure Modes
Panorama Mode
In addition to the averaging or spot-metering modes and the half-press exposure
lock option, the C-2000 offers a "panorama" exposure mode when operating
with Olympus' own panorama-enabling SmartMedia memory cards. In Panorama mode,
the exposure and white balance for a series of shots are determined by the first
one taken. Note that this function is only enabled by SmartMedia cards including
the special panorama-related firmware instructions found on Olympus-brand memory
cards.
Sequence Mode
Taking advantage of its large buffer memory (see the subsequent discussion of
shutter lag and cycle times), the C-2000 Zoom offers a "sequence"
mode that effectively provides a motor-drive capability for the camera, letting
you capture between 6 and 12 separate pictures (depending on the complexity
of the image, and the resulting file sizes ) at approximately 2 frames per second.
We found some variances in the operation of this mode, relative to that detailed
in the draft of the manual we received with the camera, all of them favorable.
First, the manual stated that the shutter speed was always set to 1/30 of a
second in this mode: While true that this is the longest exposure time allowed,
we found that higher shutter speeds were permitted under brighter conditions.
Secondly, the manual stated that this exposure mode would always default to
the "SQ" image-quality setting. While we discovered that, in fact,
SHQ mode wasn't available for sequence-shooting, normal "HQ" mode
was: Thus, you can capture sequences of full-resolution 1600x1200 images with
the C-2000 Zoom, albeit at a higher compression ratio than used for the best
quality supported by the camera. One obvious limitation of sequence mode is
that the camera's internal flash may not be used with it. BUT: If you have an
external flash capable of cycling at the 2 frame/second rate, and shoot in aperture-priority
mode, you CAN use flash with the sequence-shooting mode.
Long Time-Exposure Mode (Undocumented/unsupported
feature)
We're not sure if this is supposed to be an "official" capability
of the camera, or if we were instead exercising a function intended to be used
at the factory, for testing the CCD sensors. (It's even possible that this capability
won't be present in the final production models of the camera, as it isn't mentioned
anywhere in the documentation we received from Olympus.) We were first tipped-off
to this from a post by a reader on Steves Digicams' message forum, but unfortunately
didn't note his name, and that message has now scrolled off, so we can't credit
him here. (If it was you, email us, and we'll give credit where due!)
It turns out you can activate a time-exposure mode on the C-2000 Zoom in the
following fashion: 1) Select shutter-priority exposure mode. 2) Choose the slowest
shutter speed allowed (1/2 second). 3) Hold down the "OK" button,
while simultaneously rocking the jog control downward. The shutter speed display
in the LCD will turn red, and display the numeral "1", indicating
a one-second exposure time. In this mode, the lens aperture is locked at f/2.0-2.8
(wide-tele), and the exposure-compensation setting has no effect (even though
you can adjust it via the jog control.) Once in this mode, you can select shutter
speeds of 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 seconds, although the noise levels in the image
are very high at the longest exposure times. (While a subjective evaluation,
we felt we obtained good results with shutter speeds up to 4 seconds, at an
ISO setting of 100.) Oh yes: You can combine time exposures with increased ISO
settings. Frankly though, once you get to the equivalent of 4 seconds at ISO
100 (or, 1 second at ISO 400), anything beyond that only increases the noise
in the image, and produces little real benefit. We hope this feature makes it
into the final production models of the camera (where it's even possible that
noise levels may be much reduced, due to more highly-integrated electronics):
It is a genuinely useful extension of the camera's capabilities, and opens up
nighttime and low-light photography considerably beyond the prospects offered
by the camera's "standard" exposure options.
Long Time-Exposure Mode, f/11 aperture (Yet another undocumented/unsupported feature)
We're indebted to reader Mike Roda (thanks, Mike!)
for this one: The "normal" long time-exposure mode described above
forces the lens aperture to f/2.0. What if you want greater depth of field,
or an unusually long exposure time in moderate lighting (to blur moving water,
for instance)? It turns out there's another hidden feature on the C-2000
Zoom: You can set it to use an aperture of f/11 with the long time exposures!
You do this as follows: 1) Put the camera in long-exposure mode, as described
above. 2) Press and hold the "OK" button. 3) WHILE HOLDING DOWN THE
OK BUTTON, half-press the shutter button, and the LCD readout will indicate
an aperture of f/11. That's it! The f/11 setting will remain in effect until
you move out of long-exposure mode, or until you do the OK/Shutter action again.
Very slick! (But again, this is a feature that could well disappear in the future,
as it isn't documented by Olympus, and so not officially supported.)
Low-Light Shooting Behavior
In our studio/lab tests, we found that the C-2000 Zoom's low-light performance
using the long time-exposure mode was a bit of a mixed bag, which perhaps explains
why Olympus didn't publish the trick for entering long-exposure mode. We obtained
good results down to light levels of around EV 7 or so, but below that the color
balance and gamma curve got pretty strange. At the very lowest light levels
we tested (around EV 5-6, which is *really* dark), the MacBeth(tm) color chart
took on a ghostly appearance, with very washed-out colors, and the black tape
separating the color chips appearing as a strange silver tone. We don't know
how much to make of this, as we've seen excellent evening/night shots on the
various Japanese 'web pages that show C-2000 samples. We don't have any standard
"night" shots, but will try to get out with the C-2000 for an evening
of shooting sometime before we have to send it back. Our guess is that what
we were seeing in the studio had something to do with infrared affecting the
sensor, but we haven't had an opportunity to see what happens with an infrared
filter in place. Outdoors at night, we expect that infrared would be much less
of an issue.
Qimage by Michael Chaney - a useful companion for low-light work!
One thing that happens in very long exposures with CCD-based cameras is that
noise and minor pixel variations throw a lot of non-picture garbage into the
pictures. While the production model of the C-2000 Zoom was dramatically better
than the prototype unit in this respect, you're going to find this sort of noise
and "stuck pixel" problem with just about any digital camera when
doing long time-exposures. We wanted to let our readers know about a VERY useful
program for eliminating (or at least drastically reducing) these sort of problems,
in the form of Qimage, by Michael Chaney. Qimage's "stuck pixel" filter
in particular is little short of amazing, and makes the problem of removing
the glints of stuck pixels from your low-light images trivially easy. You can
download a 2-week
free demo version of the program from Michael's site, and the "unlock"
code only costs $30. If you plan to do a lot of low-light photography, Qimage
is well worth the price! (Oh yeah: Qimage does a LOT of other stuff besides
just filter out CCD noise - Check out Michael's
site for the full list of features.) (Windows only.)
Shutter Lag/Cycle Times
When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time before
the shutter actually fires. This time is to allow the autofocus and autoexposure
mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some
situations. Since this number is almost never reported on, and can significantly
affect the picture-taking experience, we now routinely measure it, using a little
Windows utility developed by Digital
Eyes.
The C-2000's shutter delay is typical of digital cameras we've tested, at about
0.75 seconds for full autofocus, 0.3 seconds for preset focus (8 feet/2.5m or
infinity), and 0.15 seconds with focus and exposure pre-set by half-pressing
the shutter button before the shot itself.
We mentioned the C-2000 Zoom's rapid cycling or "shot recovery" time
earlier: Our test unit could take about four maximum-resolution (SHQ JPEG mode)
images or 9 HQ-mode shots in rapid succession, before having to pause to write
data to the memory card. In this "rapid fire" mode, the shot-to-shot
cycle time averaged about 2.5 seconds with full autofocus, or 2.2 seconds in
a fixed-focus mode (8 feet/2.5 meters, or infinity). Once the buffer memory
was full, it took a bit less than 20 seconds to empty sufficiently to enable
capture of the next picture. One feature we liked very much (and that in our
mind greatly contributes to the usefulness of the large buffer) is that the
camera stays "live" while it is processing data from previously-captured
images, in all but uncompressed TIFF mode. (Uncompressed images make you wait
until the camera is done writing data to the card before it enables the user
controls again.) Thus, you can change essentially any camera setting, without
waiting for the processing of earlier pictures to be finished. This will be
a great boon in many photographic situations, where you want to quickly "bracket"
your shots, varying exposure, aperture, or shutter speed across several exposures
in rapid succession, to maximize your chances for getting the shot you've visualized.
If a shot every couple of seconds isn't fast enough for you, the camera's "rapid
sequence" mode (discussed earlier), captures images continuously at about
2 frames per second as long as you hold down the shutter button, until the buffer
memory is filled. (As noted, this is about 10 frames at full resolution, and
we counted fully 50 frames in VGA (640x480) mode!)
Operation and User Interface
The user interface on the C-2000 Zoom makes extensive use of the LCD viewscreen
for menu selections, and to provide feedback on current settings during use.
We were pleased to see, though, that the top-panel LCD data readout can also
be used to control many common camera functions. (Spot/averaging metering; flash
mode; image quality setting; macro, panorama, or sequence shooting mode; IR
controller on/off)
Overall, the C-2000 Zoom is a very responsive camera, not only in the shot-to-shot
cycle time (as just discussed), but in its behavior starting up, shutting down,
and changing between modes. The camera starts up or shuts down in about 3-4
seconds, most of that time being occupied with the zoom lens racking to or from
its extended, working position. Switching between setup or playback and capture
modes also takes about 3-4 seconds. Switching from a capture mode back to playback
to review a just-shot picture requires a variable amount of time, ranging from
about 3 seconds for an SQ-mode image, to a maximum of 11 seconds for a massive
SHQ/TIFF-mode one.
We liked the user interface of the C-2000 Zoom a great deal: We generally prefer
"mode dial" interfaces (see below), as they simplify the menu structure
of a digicam a fair bit, and make for faster operation. In the case of the C-2000,
our favorite user-interface feature is the way the camera tells you what aperture
and shutter speed it's selected whenever the shutter button is half-pressed:
As long-time SLR film-based camera users, one of the most annoying characteristics
of digital cameras for us is the great mystery surrounding what the camera is
actually doing exposure-wise. Most digital cameras leave you totally in the
dark about the shutter speed and aperture opening being used for each shot.
In the C-2000 Zoom, whenever the LCD viewfinder is in use, the camera displays
aperture, shutter speed, and current exposure-compensation setting across the
top of the LCD.
The infrared remote control Olympus provides with C-2000 Zoom is also a very
welcome addition: In our own usage, we shoot most of our tests from a tripod,
and the studio shots tend to have fairly long exposure times. To avoid any loss
of resolution, we're always keen to reduce our disturbance of the camera while
taking pictures. On a conventional camera, this would mean using a cable release,
to avoid jostling the camera when pressing the shutter button. With most digital
cameras, the best we can do is use a VERY sturdy tripod, and press the shutter
button lightly. Thus, with the C-2000, we were pleased to be able to trigger
the shutter by pressing a button on the tiny IR remote. The remote goes quite
a bit beyond the functions of a simple cable release though, as you can also
use it to change the exposure compensation setting, or zoom the lens in or out.
In playback mode, you can step between pictures, and move in or out of thumbnail
and "zoom" playback modes. We can imagine studio portrait photographers
using the remote to let them work more closely with their subjects in front
of the camera, possibly using an external video screen to make the viewfinder
display visible. Olympus states the range of the remote as 5 meters (16.4 feet)
when aimed at the camera from straight ahead, and 3 meters (9.8 feet) when aimed
from an angle of 15 degrees to either side of center. In practice, we found
this range to be very conservative, and in fact almost always used it from behind
the camera, bouncing the IR signal off of our test subjects! About the only
thing we could ask for in the remote would be the ability to prefocus the camera
by half-pressing the shutter release, as you can do from the camera's onboard
shutter button. A pretty small quibble though, as the functions built into the
remote already far exceed those of a standard cable release or camera remote.
On-camera controls are surprisingly
sparse, given the range of functionality they provide. On the top of the camera
is the "Mode Dial," surrounding the power switch, and used to select
from the various camera operating modes. Just forward of that, projecting at
the front of the camera body is the zoom-control lever, with the shutter release
button at its center. (In playback mode, the zoom toggle switches back and forth
between thumbnail (index) view, normal image display, and "zoomed"
playback.)
Only four controls appear on the back of the camera: The display on/off button, Menu button, 4-position "jog" control, and the OK button. Their functions are as follows:
Display On/Off - as you'd expect,
this turns the LCD view screen on or off, but also is used in playback mode
to delete the image currently being viewed.
Menu Button - enables the menu system,
either on the rear-panel LCD screen, or the top-panel LCD data readout.
4-Way Jog Control - Much of the camera's
operation revolves around this control: In capture modes, a left/right actuation
increases or decreases the exposure compensation setting (provided the LCD view
screen is active). In aperture- or shutter-priority exposure modes, up/down
actuation of the jog dial adjusts the setting of the lens aperture or shutter
speed, depending on the mode you're in. In playback mode, left/right actuation
moves forward or back among the pictures in memory, or scrolls around the expanded
image in "zoom" playback mode. In the LCD menu system, the jog control
steps between menus and selects settings from them.
OK Button - As its name suggests, this button confirms settings
you've selected from an LCD menu screen. It also controls subsequent printing
of the images.
Operating Modes
The C-2000 Zoom has five main operating modes, selected by the top-mounted Mode
Dial, mentioned above. These operating modes are as follows:
- Shutter Priority: The user selects the
desired shutter speed (in 1/3-EV units), and the camera adjusts the aperture
to achieve the correct exposure. If the required aperture is beyond the camera's
capabilities, the shutter speed/aperture status numbers in the LCD will flash
red. User-selected ISO values are available in this mode.
- Aperture Priority: The user selects the
desired lens aperture (in 1/3-EV units), and the camera adjusts the shutter
speed to achieve the correct exposure. If the required shutter speed is beyond
the camera's capabilities, the shutter speed/aperture status numbers in the
LCD will flash red. (Minimum shutter speed in automatic-exposure modes is 1/2
second, even though the camera is capable of longer time-exposures, as noted
earlier.) User-selected ISO values are available in this mode.
- Programmed Exposure: Here, the camera
selects both shutter speed and lens aperture, but does so in a fairly intelligent
manner, opting for faster shutter speeds when the lens is in the telephoto position
than when it's working in wide-angle mode. User-selected ISO values are not
available in this mode, as the camera apparently varies the ISO setting itself,
depending on the lighting conditions.
- Playback Mode: View previously-captured
images. Here, the jog control advances between successive frames in memory.
The zoom toggle switches the display to a thumbnail/index mode when moved in
the wide-angle position, and zooms in on the currently-displayed image by 3x
when moved in the telephoto position. When zoomed-in on an image, the jog control
can be used to move the enlarged view around the full image area, letting you
inspect all parts of it.
- Setup/Interface Mode: Provides for setting
a number of camera operating parameters, and for interfacing to a host computer
via the RS-232 serial interface.
Control Enumeration: LCD Menu Screens
Having described the basic operation of the C-2000 Zoom, we'll now briefly step
through its various menu options, to provide a more-detailed view of its functioning.
Capture mode menu:
Screen 1:
- Metering Mode (spot/averaging) -
Select spot or averaging metering, as described earlier. Default is averaging.
- Flash modes (auto, red-eye, fill, off) - Chose from among the four
flash modes. Default is auto.
- Slow Sync (off, 1, 2) - Enable slow-sync flash mode, permitting longer
exposure times in conjunction with flash operation. Mode 1 is "front-curtain"
sync, with flash firing as soon as the shutter opens. Mode 2 is "rear
curtain" sync, with flash firing just before shutter closes. Default
is off.
- Focus Mode (auto, macro, 2.5m/8 feet, infinity) - auto, macro, or
two fixed-focus settings. Default is auto.
- Remote Control (on/off) - Enable operation of infrared remote control.
When remote is enabled, on-camera shutter button triggers self-timer for 10
second delay. (Delay from remote trigger is about 3 seconds.) Default is off.
Screen 2:
- Special Exposure Modes (off, sequence,
panorama) - Sequence enables rapid-fire (about 2 frames per second) exposure.
Panorama locks exposure & white balance based on first shot after mode
is set. Panorama mode only works with Olympus-brand SmartMedia cards. Default
is off.
- Digital Zoom (1x, 1.6x, 2.0x, 2.5x) - Enables "Digital Zoom",
extracting data from the central portion of the CCD array, presenting it as
a 640x480 image. Default is 1x (no zoom).
- White Balance (auto, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent) -
Five different white-balance settings. Incandescent appears to be set to pro
tungsten lighting color temperature of 3200K. Default is auto.
- ISO Value (100, 200, 400) - User interface lets you set ISO value
in all exposure modes, but it actually only takes effect in aperture- or shutter-priority
modes. (In program-exposure mode, the camera sets the effective ISO rating
as it determines to be appropriate, regardless of the setting you've manually
entered.)
- Image Quality (SQ, HQ, SHQ) - Sets combination of image size/compression
level. SHQ, HQ are 1600x1200, and SHQ can be either JPEG or uncompressed TIFF
file format. SQ may be either 640x480, or 1024x768, as determined by the "Setup"
menu.
Playback mode menu:
Screen 1:
Slide Show Playback - Begins sequential
playback of all images in memory, advancing to the next every few seconds.
Cancel with the "Menu" button. On AC adapter, playback continues
indefinitely. Stops after 30 minutes on battery power.
- Info Display (on/off) - Enables a detailed information display during
image playback. Display showing image quality mode, aperture, shutter speed,
exposure compensation, white balance setting, effective ISO rating, date,
time, and file number of each image is overlaid on the LCD view screen. Default
is off.
- Play (Page Icon) - (Sequence display?) This
wasn't covered in the manual we received with the C-2000 Zoom, and we neglected
to test it while we had the camera. Our guess is that it's for movie-style
playback of sequence-capture images.
- Card Setup (Erase All, Format) Self-explanatory memory-formatting
functions.
Screen 2:
Print All (Off/On) - Marks or unmarks
all images in memory for subsequent printing on the P-330 printer.
- Print Date/Time (Date/Time) - Causes a date/time stamp to be imprinted
on all images marked for output. (Function requires P-330 printer.)
- Card Index - Writes data to the memory card that will cause the P-330 printer to print "index prints," showing multiple thumbnail-sized images on a single sheet.
Setup Mode Menu:
Screen 1:
- All Reset - Resets all capture-mode
parameters to their default values. (Normal autofocus, averaging metering,
turns off panorama and sequence modes, etc.)
- Normal/Soft - Image sharpness control. As noted below (in the test
results section), the C-2000 Zoom doesn't apply any "sharpening"
function to its images before writing them to the card. There IS an option
for deliberately softening them, applying a slight blur function. We're honestly
not sure what the application of this might be, unless to produce more-flattering
portrait shots, hiding facial blemishes, wrinkles, etc. Default is Normal.
- SHQ Setup - JPEG/TIFF - The "SHQ" (Super High Quality)
image-storage mode can save images in two formats, depending on the setting
of this menu option. "JPEG" results in fairly low-compression (about
8:1) JPEG files, while "TIFF" writes totally uncompressed TIFF-formatted
files to the memory card. (At about 5.6 megabytes apiece!) Default is JPEG.
- SQ Setup - 640x480/1024x768 - "SQ" (Standard Quality) mode
has two options also: You can choose either 640x480 or 1024x768 image sizes
for this mode. Both options employ fairly heavy JPEG compression (about 14:1),
but the option for an "SVGA" mode is a nice addition. (Most digicams
provide only high-resolution or "VGA" (640x480) options, so the
intermediate 1024x768 is a nice addition, but we'd really like to have
seen the option for VGA and SVGA capture with less compression applied!) Default
is 1024x768.
- Beep - On/Off - Turns the soft annunciator beeps on or off, that
mark various camera operations. Default is on.
Screen 1:
- Rec View - On/Off - When this option
is enabled, the camera will display the just-captured image for a few seconds
after each shot is taken. This lets you quickly see whether you got the shot
you wanted or not, but you don't have an opportunity to immediately erase
it: Erasure requires switching the camera to playback mode first. Default
is on.
- Card Setup - Format - Reformats the memory card. (This option is
also available in both Record and Playback modes.)
- Thumbnail View - 4/9/16 - Selects how many "thumbnail"
images will be displayed simultaneously on the LCD when the camera is operating
in "index display" playback mode. Default is 9 images.
- Display Brightness - Lets you adjust the LCD display brightness.
As an aid to adjustment, the camera will display the last image captured,
if there are images on the memory card, or a grayscale pattern if there isn't.
- Time/Date Set - Self-explanatory. The camera retains date/time information for a short period of time (the manual says up to an hour) when the batteries are removed, so you should rarely need to use this option.
Image Storage and Interface
The C-2000 Zoom uses the diminutive
"SmartMedia" memory cards, and comes equipped with an 8 megabyte unit.
SmartMedia cards are currently available in sizes as large as 32 megabytes,
and the C-2000 is compatible with that card size as well. Depending on the image
size and quality (compression level) chosen, the furnished 8 megabyte card can
store anywhere between 1 (! - the huge 5.6 megabyte uncompressed TIFF format)
and 122 images. We appreciated the C-2000's file-naming protocol, which progressively
numbers each image shot with the camera, and also includes the month and day
at the beginning of the file name. We couldn't find any way to reset the picture
counter: Presumably it rolls over after 10,000 images (there appear to be 4
digits allocated to the frame number, but the embedded date code will help keep
numbers from repeating for a long while. - This feature is so handy, we wish
more digital cameras offered it: Frequently, you'll want to dump the contents
of multiple cards into a single hard drive directory, but cameras that restart
their file numbering over again for each memory card prohibit this, since the
new files would overwrite older ones.
The C-2000 Zoom comes with interface software and cables for both Mac and Windows
computers, and even includes updated "FlashPath" floppy-disk adapter
drivers for the Mac platform (providing support for 32-megabyte memory cards
on the Mac). Transfers over the serial interface appear to be a bit faster than
the norm, with a 788K file taking 75 seconds on the PC, and 48 seconds on the
Mac. (The Mac's serial port can run at a higher speed than those of most Windows
machines.) This translates to transfer rates of 10.5 and 16.4 Kbytes/second,
respectively. By comparison, the same file was copied via the (optional) FlashPath
floppy-disk adapter in about 27 seconds on both platforms. (This represents
a significant performance improvement for the Mac drivers, as FlashPath performance
on the Mac had previously lagged behind that of the PC. The new Mac drivers
appear to correct this shortcoming.)
Olympus' "Camedia 4.1" interface software also provides for controlling
several camera settings as well, including timeout values governing when the
camera will go into "sleep" mode when powered by AC or batteries.
Power
Power for the C-2000 Zoom is provided by 4 internal AA batteries, or by an optional
AC adapter that can significantly extend battery life if you're doing a lot
of downloads via the serial port, or working in a studio environment.. As we
mentioned earlier, LCD panels on digital cameras can really "eat"
batteries, and the C-2000's is no exception. Fortunately, many common camera
functions can be controlled via the top-panel LCD readout, without having to
activate the rear-panel color LCD viewfinder. This can substantially reduce
LCD usage, thereby increasing battery life. Unfortunately, the advanced exposure
modes (aperture- and shutter-priority) and exposure-compensation adjustments
require the LCD in order to operate. Thus, if you plan to exercise the creative
control offered by the C-2000's advanced exposure modes, you'll doubtless want
to buy a few sets of rechargeable NiMH batteries and a good charger!
Included Software
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The C-2000 Zoom comes with a good complement of software. Direct camera control
and image downloading are provided by an updated version of Olympus' own Camedia
software package. Although we now use the FlashPath adapter almost exclusively,
we like the Camedia application a lot: It is convenient and easy to use, and
quite fast at downloading images (at least, for a serial-port connection).
In addition to the Camedia package, Olympus provides acquire plug-ins for both
Mac and Windows platforms.The Mac acquire module is a Photoshop plugin, supported
by many Mac image-editing applications. On the Windows side, a TWAIN driver
will provide near-universal access, given the wide range of applications that
support the TWAIN standard.
With previous cameras, Olympus also bundled Adobe's PhotoDeluxe image-editing
software, but it appears they no longer do so with the C-2000 Zoom. This is
not as much of a loss as it might seem though, since the newly-upgraded Camedia
program now provides a reasonable range of image-manipulation functions.
Early versions of the Camedia software included panorama stitching capability
directly within the application itself (for the D-220L and D320L). For the C-2000
Zoom, this feature is provided by the vastly superior and nothing-short-of-amazing
QuickStitch program from Enroute Technology. With versions included for both
Mac and Windows, QuickStitch goes quite a bit beyond any other "panorama"
software that we're aware of: It not only stitches conventional panoramas, but
can assemble images two-dimensionally to create huge, high-resolution images
from multiple smaller ones. (An array of up to 5x5 images can be assembled into
a single enormous one. More to the point, you can easily stitch images either
vertically or horizontally.) While it can't compensate for every goof you might
make in camera positioning, QuickStitch is little short of magical: The software
has a remarkable ability to compensate for barrel or pincushion distortion between
images, successfully stitching together photos that would be hopeless with lesser
programs.
Overall, the software bundle provided with the C-2000 Zoom provides a complete
suite of capabilities for capturing and manipulating your photos. Even better,
all packages provided are fully functional on both Mac and PC.
Test Results
In keeping with our standard policy, the comments here are rather
condensed, summarizing our key findings. For a FULL commentary on each of the
test images, see the Olympus C-2000 Zoom Pictures Page.
As with all Imaging Resource camera tests, we strongly encourage you to let
your own eyes be the judge of how well the devices performed: Explore the images
on the picture page, to see how well the Olympus C-2000 Zoom performed, and
how its images compare to other cameras you may be considering buying.
Overall, the C-2000 Zoom turned in an excellent performance, particularly in
the area of creative control. Colors were bright, accurate, and properly saturated,
and detail was excellent. After an uncertain experience with the preproduction
prototype we first tested, we're happy to report that the production model of
the C-2000 Zoom showed excellent sharpness and resolution. The numerical performance
of the C-2000 Zoom on the resolution test was very good, measuring 750-800 lines
per picture height horizontally, and approaching 800 lines vertically..
The C-2000's 1/3 f-stop accuracy in both shutter- and aperture-priority exposure
modes, and the 1/3 f-stop resolution in its manual exposure compensation setting
mean you don't have to compromise on exposure accuracy. More significantly,
the 1/3 f-stop aperture accuracy allowed very precise control over flash exposures,
even with a "plain vanilla" external flash unit. Creative control
of flash exposures doesn't stop there though: By combining the 1/3-stop aperture
control with various white-balance settings, "slow-sync" extended
shutter times, and manual EV-adjustments, you can achieve a truly unprecedented
level of control over the lighting and color balance of your flash shots. (This
camera really ROCKS when it comes to flash shooting!) This exceptional
aperture control makes the C-2000 the first camera we've tested that we can
confidently recommend for use in a studio environment, with professional strobe
lighting. (Although, we strongly recommend against directly connecting
high-voltage studio strobe packs to the little PC connector on the camera: Use
some sort of a low-powered strobe on the camera to trigger slave sensors driving
the studio packs!)
The C-2000 Zoom continues the Olympus tradition of bright, "snappy"
color, the hallmark of their SLR-based cameras, the D-500L, 600L, and recent
620L. Combined with the higher resolution of a 2.1 megapixel sensor, the results
are visually stunning.
The optical viewfinder is more accurate than most, showing 91% of the final
image area, although our evaluation unit had the viewfinder rotated about 2
degrees relative to the CCD sensor. (We're confident this will be fixed on the
final production models, it being an easy thing to correct.) The LCD viewfinder
is deadly accurate for normal shooting, showing exactly 100% of the final
image area. LCD accuracy decreases somewhat when the digital telephoto option
is used, with the final image shifting upward somewhat from that shown on the
LCD.
The C-2000's low-light performance was good, with the camera producing usable
images in lighting levels as low as EV7, but this is no longer a category-leading
performance. The main limitation to better low-light capability was odd color
balance at very low light levels, rather than sensor noise, so we have some
hope that the behavior could be corrected with a firmware upgrade. (Although
we have no idea of whether the unit in fact can be field-upgraded in this manner.)
Native macro performance was also quite good, with the camera capturing a minimum
field of view of 2.25 x 3.0 inches (57 x 76 mm). This is good, but not exceptional
macro capability, although the availability of high-quality auxiliary macro
lenses from Olympus will make the C-2000 Zoom a much stronger player in this
arena once the accessory adapter unit is available. (As it should be by the
time the production units ship.)
See for Yourself!
Take a look at the test images from the C-2000 Zoom
(with extensive comments), or jump to the Comparometer(tm) page to compare its reference images
with those from other digital cameras.
Conclusion
While the C-2000 Zoom is a true 2-megapixel digital camera, we feel that its
exceptional resolution only accounts for part of its significance: As a continuation
of Olympus' vision of "filmless photography," it truly conveys a user
experience that is more photographic than digital. To date, this sort of digital
photographic capability has been reserved for those with camera budgets in excess
of $10,000. Now, Olympus is bringing the level of creative control demanded
by serious photographers down to the under-$1,000 price range. We view the C-2000
Zoom as a bellwether of the direction the entire digital camera market will
follow (emphasizing "camera" vs. "digital"), and in and
of itself as an exciting entry on the playing field. We found the C-2000 Zoom
to be a fun, compact, and most of all powerful creative tool that we expect
will make many photographers very happy. HIGHLY recommended!
Reader Sample Images!
Do you have a C-2000 Zoom? If you'll post an album of your samples
on one of the photo-sharing services and email us at [email protected],
we'll list the album here for others to see!!
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Dave McClure's C-2000 Album: Outdoor shots & a fast stop-action. (That's Dave's, where's yours?)
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Giorgio Terdina's C-2000 Album: Beautiful pictures with some really nice panoramas!
For More Info:
View the data sheet for the C-2000 Zoom
View the test images from the C-2000
Zoom
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