Olympus C-700 Ultra ZoomOlympus packs a 10x zoom lens into an amazingly small body, for an amazingly low price.<<Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests :(Previous) | (Next): Camera Modes & Menus>> Page 8:Operation & User InterfaceReview First Posted: 5/31/2001 |
Operation and User Interface
One of the most noticeable changes implemented with the C-700 is the newly designed user interface. Previous Olympus digicams had a somewhat tedious LCD menu system, requiring you to scroll through pages of options and additional menus to change some settings. The C-700's menu system has been greatly simplified. Though there are still several pages of options, the main menu (known as the "Top Menu") is divided into smaller sub-menus, displayed on the screen as three or four buttons, each selected using the Arrow button that corresponds to its position on the screen. The right button is the Mode menu, which includes all of the sub-menus available for that Record or Playback mode. The Mode menu is divided into four subject tabs -- Camera, Picture, Card, and Setup -- with sub-menus appropriate to that subject tab. The other two or three buttons (top, left, and bottom) are "Short-Cut" menus that provide shortcuts to the most frequently used sub-menus, such as ISO, White Balance, and Quality settings. In the P and A / S / M modes, all of these are user programmable. Though it takes some getting used to, this setup is much more efficient than previous models, as you can make fast adjustments to three of the most often used settings.
The C-700's external control layout is not much different from previous Olympus Camedia digicam setups. We were glad to see the addition of the AE Lock / Custom Function button. You can assign a specific adjustment to this button through the Mode menu (Setup sub-menu), creating a short cut to circumvent the menu system completely. For example, if you use the Quality adjustment a fair amount, you could assign it to the AE Lock / Custom Function button as a short cut.
Control Enumeration
Shutter Button: Nestled in the center of the Zoom lever, this button locks focus when halfway pressed, and fires the shutter when fully pressed.
Zoom Lever: Encircling the Shutter button, this lever controls the optical and digital zoom. In Playback mode, pushing the lever toward the telephoto end enables the playback zoom feature, which enlarges captured images as much as 3x. Pushing the lever toward the wide-angle end enables the index display mode, which displays either 4, 9, or 16 thumbnail images on the screen at one time.
Mode Dial: Just behind the Zoom lever and Shutter button, this dial controls the camera's operating mode, with choices of Movie, Aperture Priority (A) / Shutter Speed Priority (S) / Manual (M), Program, Portrait, Sports, Landscape, Auto, and Playback.
Flash Release Button: Located at the bottom right corner of the pop-up flash compartment, this button releases and activates the built-in flash.
Diopter Adjustment Dial: On the right side of the viewfinder eyepiece, this dial adjusts the focus of the viewfinder display to accommodate eyeglass wearers.
Drive / Erase Button: The first in a series of three buttons along the top of the camera's back panel, this button selects the camera's Drive mode. While in Program and A / S / M capture modes, pressing the button cycles through Single Frame (default), Sequential Shooting, AF Sequential Shooting, Self-Timer, and Auto Bracketing options. When shooting in Portrait, Sports, or Landscape mode, the options are limited to Single Frame, Sequential Shooting, and Self-Timer. Auto exposure mode provides only the Single Shot option. In Playback or Quick View mode, this button erases the current frame, with an option to cancel.
Macro / Spot Metering / DPOF Settings Button: To the right of Drive / Erase, this button controls the Macro and Spot Metering modes in any Record mode. The button cycles through normal Digital ESP Metering, Spot Metering, Macro Focus, and Macro Focus with Spot Metering. In Playback mode, this button calls up the DPOF Settings menu, which is also accessible through the Playback menu.
Flash / Protect Button: The final button in this series of three, the Flash / Protect button cycles through the available flash modes in any Record mode. (The availability of specific flash modes depends on the exposure mode.) Flash options include Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-In Flash, Slow Synchro, and Off. In Playback mode, this button enables or removes write protection for the currently displayed image.
Power Button: Situated just above the top right corner of the LCD display, this red button turns the camera on or off.
AE Lock / Custom Function / Rotation Button: Directly to the right of the Power button, this button is customizable in Program and A / S / M modes. The factory default setting is to perform the AE Lock function, (i.e., holding down the button for more than one second locks the current exposure reading). However, by using the Mode menu (located in the Setup sub-menu, Control Button option), you can reassign it to perform one of a variety of functions, including: Info, ISO, A / S / M, Slow Synchro, Digital Zoom, Fulltime AF, Microphone, Function, image Quality, and White Balance. In Playback mode, this button rotates the captured image 90 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise.
Four-Way Arrow Pad: This series of four buttons is arranged in a circle on the back panel, to the right of the LCD monitor. Each button corresponds to a specific direction (the top button is the Up Arrow, the bottom button is the Down Arrow, etc.). Serving as directional keys, these buttons scroll through menu items and pages. In all exposure modes except Auto, the Right and Left Arrow buttons control Exposure Compensation. In Manual mode, the Right and Left Arrows adjust the aperture setting and the Up and Down Arrows control the shutter speed. In Program mode, the Up and Down Arrows control Manual focus, when enabled. In Aperture and Shutter Priority modes, the Up and Down arrows control the adjustable exposure value.
In Playback mode, all four arrows navigate the settings menus. When captured images are displayed, the Right and Left Arrow buttons scroll through each individual image on the card. The Up and Down Arrows jump ahead or backward 10 frames.
Menu / OK Button: Positioned in the center of the Arrow pad, this button pulls up the menu screen in any camera mode. It also acts as the "OK" button for confirming menu selections. In Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual modes, holding down the button for more than one second activates the Manual Focus mode.
Monitor Button: Controls the LCD monitor display, turning the image display on or off.
Battery Lock Switch: This sliding switch on the battery compartment door locks and unlocks the door.
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