Olympus C-3040 ZoomOlympus updates its top-of-the-line 3-megapixel model with a "faster" lens and increased movie capabilities.<<Design :(Previous) | (Next): Optics>> Page 4:ViewfinderReview First Posted: 4/14/2001 |
ViewfinderThe C-3040 Zoom offers both an optical, real-image viewfinder and a rear panel, 1.8-inch, wide view, 114,000 pixel, TFT color LCD screen. The optical viewfinder accommodates eyeglass wearers with a diopter correction adjustment and a comfortably high eyepoint, leaving a reasonable amount of room between your eye and the finder for an eyeglass lens to fit. Although the optical viewfinder zooms along with the lens, it does not show the operation of the digital zoom, which can only be enabled when the LCD monitor is on. A central autofocus target helps to center your subjects, and two LED indicators (one orange and one green) are adjacent to the viewfinder window, indicating camera status with either glowing or blinking lights. If the green LED is blinking, the camera is reporting trouble with either the SmartMedia card or the autofocus. A solid green LED indicates that focus is set and the camera is ready to snap the picture. A flashing orange LED means that the flash is still charging, while a solid orange LED shows that the flash is fully charged and ready to fire.
The C-3040 Zoom's LCD monitor provides detailed information on a number of exposure settings, including the currently selected f/stop, shutter speed, and exposure compensation adjustments across the top of the screen. In Aperture and Shutter Priority modes, the chosen aperture or shutter speed appears as a constant, while the second, automatically determined exposure value changes whenever the shutter button is half pressed (based on exposure compensation and changing light levels). The Manual mode displays both the selected f/stop and shutter speed values (adjustable with the left/right and up/down Arrow buttons, respectively), while the exposure compensation value is reported in the upper right corner, and glows red when the setting is over- or underexposed. In Manual Focus mode, a distance display scale appears on the LCD monitor, which helps to adjust focus in low-light situations.
In our testing, we found the optical viewfinder to be a little tight, showing only about 84.1 percent of the final image area at wide angle, and about 84.5 percent at telephoto (for the 2,048 x 1,536-, 1,280 x 960-, and 640 x 480-pixel image sizes). We also noticed that the optical viewfinder framing resulted in an image shift to the top of the frame. The LCD monitor fared much better, however, showing approximately 96.7 percent accuracy at wide angle, and about 97.3 percent at telephoto (also for the 2,048 x 1,536-, 1,280 x 960-, and 640 x 480-pixel image sizes). Since we generally like to see LCD monitors as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, the C-3040 Zoom does an excellent job in this category.
When using the LCD monitor to review captured images, you can zoom in on displayed images up to 3x, and then scroll around the enlarged image using the Arrow buttons. This is extremely handy for checking focus, small details, or precise framing. There's also an Index display option, which shows either four, nine, or 16 thumbnail images at a time. A very handy "Quick View" function lets you check the last picture taken in Record mode by pressing the Display button twice in quick succession. The image will remain displayed on the LCD monitor until you revert back to Record mode by pressing the Display button again.
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