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Olympus C-3030 Olympus extends their high-end compact to 3.3 megapixels, adds sound to its movies! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet C-3030 Test Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on C-3030 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 11:Video, Power, Software Review First Posted: 5/18/2000

Video Out
The C-3030 has a video-out port which supports the NTSC timing format on US and Japanese models (we assume that the PAL standard is supported on European models). The video output can be used for reviewing previously shot images or running slide shows from the camera, but also shows all the LCD menu screens as well as the preview display from the LCD viewfinder. Combined with the very flexible infrared remote control we mentioned earlier, the availability of a live viewfinder display via the video signal opens interesting possibilities for portrait photography, using a video monitor as a remote viewfinder.
Actually, the output cable is a true A/V cable, as it fans out into two RCA jacks, one for video, and one for audio. As noted above, this is the only way to hear the sounds you've recorded directly from the camera, since there's no internal speaker. Plugged into any video monitor (or TV with direct video and audio inputs), the audio capabilities of the C-3030 Zoom make for an unusually effective portable presentation device.
Power
The C-3030 is powered by four internal AA Ni-Mh, Ni-Cd, alkaline or lithium batteries or two CR-V3 (Olympus LB-01) batteries. The camera ships with two of the new CR-V3 batteries in the box, but no rechargeable batteries. Do yourself a favor, and don't even use the CR-V3s in the camera, but instead put them immediately into your camera bag as a backup power source for such time as your rechargeable batteries (inevitably) are dead when just when you need them the most. Go out and buy a couple of sets of high-capacity NiMH rechargeable AA cells and a good-quality charger, and plan to use these for the main power source of the camera. The CR-3V lithium cells provide great battery life, and more or less indefinite shelf life (something like 5 years or so) in your camera bag. They thus make an absolutely excellent backup power source that'll always be ready when you need it. For routine use though, they're just too expensive, at something like $10 apiece. (A pair? - no matter, still way too pricey, IOHO.)
Earlier cameras in this series from Olympus (the C-2000 Zoom and C-2020 Zoom) were surprisingly efficient in their battery usage, particularly if you kept the LCD display screen turned off. The C-3030 Zoom continues this happy tradition: It's "idling" power in capture mode with the display off is almost nil, meaning you can comfortably leave the camera on all day, so it'll always be ready whenever you want to take a picture. This is a very nice feature, and really increases its usefulness. Despite this thrifty battery usage, we still strongly recommend that you pick up a couple extra sets of high-capacity rechargeable batteries and a decent charger. Here's a table showing the C-3030's power consumption in a variety of operating modes. (Overall, it has very good power efficiency for a three megapixel camera: A good set of NiMH AA cells should easily last for a full day's shooting, if you can just avoid the temptation to ogle your pictures on the LCD monitor.)

Operating Mode	Power Drain
Capture Mode, w/LCD	610 mA
Capture Mode, no LCD	< 10 mA
Half-pressed shutter w/LCD	620 mA
Half-pressed w/o LCD	340 mA
Memory Write (transient)	590 mA
Flash Recharge (transient)	(not measured)
Image Playback	460 mA

Memory Retention
We don't normally comment about memory retention in digicams (clock/calendar, settings, etc), but at least one other internet reviewer has knocked the C-3030 Zoom for losing its memory if the batteries are removed for more than an hour or so. So much has been made of this in various discussion forums and newsgroups that we felt compelled to comment. While it is certainly convenient for cameras to have a separate lithium battery to provide backup power to the clock/calendar chip and settings memory, the C-3030 is by no means unique in lacking that feature. The earlier C-2000 had a backup battery, but the C-2020 did not. More to the point, the Nikon Coolpix 990 (with which the C-3030 directly competes) does not either, meaning that it will lose its date/time setting at least as fast as the C-3030 Zoom will. True, the Canon Powershot S-20 does have a clock backup battery, but we don't feel it's fair to single out the C-3030 Zoom on the basis of this one deficiency. For our part, we invariably leave one set of our NiMH batteries in our digicams all the time anyway. It's true that NiMH cells have a relatively short shelf life, but not nearly to the extent that other authors have represented: Some have claimed that NiMH cells lose 5% of their charge per day: While some cells may show this level of self-discharge, we've more often heard quoted a figure of 1% per day, and this matches our own (non-quantitative) experience more closely. Thus, while we would clearly like to see a lithium clock-backup battery in the C-3030 Zoom, we don't feel it deserves any special condemnation for its lack thereof.
Included Software

Learn what the manual left out - How to *use* your camera. Camera manuals are (sometimes) fine for knowing which button does what, but where do you go to learn how and when to use the various features? Dennis Curtin's "Shortcourses" books and CDs are the answer. (Cheap for what you get, too.) Order the Shortcourses manual for the camera reviewed in this article.

The C-3030 comes with a very nice complement of software on an included CD. Direct camera control and image downloading are provided by an updated version of Olympus' own Camedia software package (version 2.0) which allows you to download and save images to your hard drive, and provides rudimentary organization capabilities. We confess to slightly mixed feelings on the other half of the package though: On the downside, we were chagrined to see that the excellent panorama-making program QuickStitch (from Enroute Software) is no longer included in the software bundle. On the upside though, the even more useful (at least to the majority of users) Photoshop LE version 5.0 is included. (Even better, all software packages provided are fully functional on both Mac and PC.) While there are many other image-processing programs out there, Photoshop is consistently our favorite, thanks to the level of control and features it provides. The "LE" version of Photoshop lacks only a few of the features of the full-retail version (notably color management tools and support for non-RGB color spaces), and is entirely suitable for use by the serious digicam owner. Adobe recently began selling Photoshop LE on the open market (previously, it was only available in software bundles like this), and its $99 retail price is a very valid representation of its value. Thus, if you don't already own Photoshop, buying a C-3030 Zoom could end up saving you a very real $99 relative to where you'd likely end up anyways. So, while we miss the incredible QuickStitch panorama-maker, including Photoshop LE is a huge plus.