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Olympus C-4000 Zoom Olympus introduces a top-of-the-line four-megapixel model with superb *configurability* great image quality, and an impressively low price. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet C-4000 Photo Gallery! C-4000 Sample 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-4000 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & Interface Review First Posted: 8/27/2002

Image Storage and Interface

The C-4000 Zoom uses 3V (3.3V) SmartMedia memory cards and comes with a 16MB card. Extra cards currently can be purchased in sizes as large as 128 MB from either Olympus or third parties. Only Olympus-branded SmartMedia cards will enable the camera's panorama function, but third party models should otherwise be identical.

The C-4000 Zoom can store images in both uncompressed TIFF and compressed JPEG file formats. The TIFF setting can be assigned to any one of seven(!) resolutions through the camera's Mode Setup menu. JPEG compression levels include Super High Quality (SHQ), High Quality (HQ), and Standard Quality (SQ1 & SQ2). The myriad size options can be assigned to the camera's TIFF, SHQ, HQ, SQ1, and SQ2 quality levels via the record setup menu, as shown in the table below. (Green table cells indicate image size options that can be assigned to each named quality setting. Whatever image size/quality options are assigned to the five named quality settings can be quickly selected either by the "shortcut button" (see the description of the user interface later) or via the record setup menu.

 

Image Size Options	3200x2400 (Interpolated)	2288x1712	2288x1520	2048x1536	1600x1200	1280x960	1024x768	640x480
TIFF		•	•	•	•	•	•	•
SHQ	•	•	•
HQ	•	•	•
SQ1				•	•	•
SQ2				•			•	•

 

I appreciated the C-4000 Zoom's file naming protocol, which includes the month and day at the beginning of the file name, and provides the option of numbering images progressively from one card to the next, or of resetting the naming sequence for each card. The C-4000 Zoom lets you write-protect individual images from accidental erasure through the Playback menu. Entire SmartMedia cards can be write-protected by placing a write-protection sticker over a specified spot on the card. While individually protected images can still be erased by a card format operation, cards that are write-protected with a sticker are also protected against card formatting. Write-protect stickers can only be used once and must be clean to be effective.

As just mentioned, the C-4000 Zoom offers a verging-on-absurd range of resolution and image compression settings, including one interpolated size. The table below shows all the available size/quality options, the number of each that can be stored on the included 16MB memory card, and the amount of image compression employed for each.

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality 16MB Memory Card		Hi	Fine	Normal
Interpolated 3200x2400	Images (Avg size)	N/A	2 5.8MB	8 1.9MB
	Approx. Compression	N/A	4.4:1	12:1
2288x1712	Images (Avg size)	1	6 2.7MB	16 1MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	12:1
2288x1520	Images (Avg size)	1	6 2.6MB	18 0.9MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	12:1
2048x1536	Images (Avg size)	1	6 2.3MB	20 0.8MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	12:1
1600x1200	Images (Avg size)	2	11 1.4MB	32 0.5MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	11.6:1
1280x960	Images (Avg size)	4	17 0.9MB	49 0.3MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	11.5:1
1024x768	Images (Avg size)	6	26 0.6MB	76 0.2MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	11:1
640x480	Images (Avg size)	16	66 0.2MB	166 0.09MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	9.6:1

 

The following table shows the maximum seconds of movie recording time (with sound) that can be recorded on the included 16MB memory card. NOTE that the maximum time per clip is fixed, regardless of the memory card size.

		Movie Time in Seconds
Recording Mode	Resolution	Per Clip	Total (16MB card)
HQ	320x240 (15 frames/sec)	33	48
SQ	160x120 (15 frames/sec)	148	212

 

The C-4000 Zoom comes with interface software and cables for both Macintosh and Windows computers. It employs a USB Auto-Connect interface for high-speed computer connection. Like all of Olympus' most recent digicams, the C-4000 is a USB "storage class" device. This means it can connect directly to Mac OS Version 9.1 or later, or Windows Me or 2000 computers, without separate driver software. Storage-class or Auto-Connect connections are generally faster than device-class ones. I clocked the C-4000 at a transfer rate of 546 KBytes/second on my G4 Mac. This is a good bit faster than the average USB-connected camera although not quite at the top of the charts. (Close, though.) While it's becoming more commonplace now, Olympus was one of the first companies to pioneer storage-class camera connections. - I really like not having to load driver software to connect the camera!

Lost Images? - Download this image-recovery program so you'll have it when you need it...
Since we're talking about memory and image storage, this would be a good time to mention the following: I get a ton of email from readers who've lost photos due to a corrupted memory card. It's tragic when it happens, there are few things more precious than photo memories. Corrupted memory cards can happen with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. "Stuff happens," as they say. A surprising number of "lost" images can be recovered with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though. Given the amount of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph in all my digicam reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by DataRescue SA. Read our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now, so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for Windows or PhotoRescue for Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the PDF manual and quickstart guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you need it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when... PhotoRescue is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital photos I've seen. (Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of the product, but I'd highly recommend the program even if we didn't.) OK, now back to our regularly scheduled review...