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Olympus C-720 Ultra Zoom Olympus packs an 8x zoom lens into an amazingly small body, for an amazingly low price. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet C720 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 C720 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Video, Power, Software :(Previous) | (Next): Reference: Datasheet>> Page 12:Test Results & Conclusion Review First Posted: 7/1/2002

Test Results

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In keeping with our standard test policy, the comments given here summarize only our key findings. For a full commentary on each of the test images, see the C-720 Ultra Zoom's "pictures" page.

As with all Imaging Resource product tests, we encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the camera performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how C-720 images compare to other cameras you may be considering.

Overall, the C-720 Ultra Zoom performed well, producing pretty accurate color in most cases. For the most part, the camera's white balance system handled my testing well, with the Auto option typically providing the best results. However, I often noticed a slight warm cast with the Auto setting, particularly under our studio lights. The camera had a little trouble with the difficult incandescent lighting of the Indoor Portrait (without flash), producing a slightly warm color balance under both the Auto and Incandescent white balance settings. - Far from the worst I've seen, but more than I'd personally prefer. Despite the slight warm cast, the C-720 did a good job with the large color blocks of the Davebox target, with good saturation as well. The camera had some trouble with the awkward blues in the flower bouquet in the outdoor test shot, darkening the tone and shifting the color into violet (a common failing among many cameras I've tested). I also noticed slightly reduced saturation in the red tones in the outdoor house shot. Though its color performance falls a little short compared to previous C-series cameras I've tested, the C-720 still does a good job. I'd like to see a manual white balance adjustment however, which might eliminate the slight warm cast, and would almost certainly help it with incandescent lighting.

The C-720 performed well on the "laboratory" resolution test chart. It started showing artifacts in the test patterns at resolutions as low as 600 lines per picture height, but I found "strong detail" out to at least 1,000 lines. "Extinction" of the target patterns occurred at about 1,300 lines. There is a fair bit of softness in the extreme corners of the images though, which can combine with the modest chromatic aberration to produce very visible purple fringes around the edges of dark objects appearing against bright backgrounds in the corners of the frame.

The C-720's electronic viewfinder (EVF) proved very accurate at both wide angle and telephoto lens settings. At wide angle, I measured an approximate 99 percent frame accuracy.At telephoto, the viewfinder was very slightly loose, but very close to 100 percent frame accuracy. (Frankly, the coverage was probably exactly 100% for both zoom settings, the minor differences reflecting the margin of error in my measurements.) Given that I generally prefer LCD monitors to be as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, the C-720 does an excellent job here. .

The C-720's full manual exposure control and maximum exposure time of eight seconds gives the camera great low-light shooting capabilities. At ISO 100, the camera captured bright, clear images with good color at light levels as low as 1/4 foot-candle (2.7 lux), though the target remained visible as low as 1/16 foot-candle (0.67 lux). At ISO 200, images were usable as low as1/8 foot-candle (1.3 lux), and as low as 1/16 foot-candle at ISO 400. I noticed that images still appeared slightly dim, even at the brightest light levels, but were still good enough for use.The camera's Noise Reduction system did a fairly good job of eliminating image noise, however, a few bright pixels of noise made it into all of the images (with the highest level at ISO 400). Typical city street lighting equates to about one foot-candle (11 lux), so the C-720 ought to do a good job with much darker shots.

The C-720 was about average in the macro category, capturing a slightly large minimum area of 3.93 x 2.95 inches (100 x 75 millimeters). Resolution was very high, with sharp, well-defined details in the dollar bill, coins, and brooch. Exposure was a little bright, however, and there was some barrel distortion from the wide-angle lens position. (There's also a little corner softness present.) The C-720's long lens barrel blocks the flash in the lower left corner of the frame when you're at the closest macro shooting distance, and flash power is much too bright overall. Bottom line, an average macro performer, and plan on using an external light source when you're really close.

Despite the slightly warm color cast in some images, the C-720 Ultra Zoom did pretty well during my testing. Given the extensive range of manual controls it offers, a manual white balance option would have made a lot of sense as well. Still, overall color and saturation was good, and the camera's low-light shooting abilities should be ample for most uses.

Conclusion
If you need to routinely deal with distant subjects, there's simply no substitute for a long-ratio zoom lens. With an 8x zoom and three megapixels of resolution, the aptly-named C-720 UltraZoom offers a very affordable and functional entry into the realm of long-telephoto digital photography. It snaps good pictures, with good color and tone, but it has a few limitations too, including greater than average "purple fringing" of dark objects against bright backgrounds, in the corners of the frame (a common long-zoom problem), and a somewhat sluggish shutter response. As my regular readers will know, I'm also no big fan of electronic viewfinders, because they're generally next to useless in dim lighting. Still, looking at the camera as a total package, it offers really excellent value in a long-zoom camera. There's plenty of resolution for sharp 8x10 prints, color and exposure are very good, and there's plenty of manual control available. With the focusing set to "landscape", it'll snap good pictures down to very low light levels, with very little image noise. All in all, a good buy in a long-zoom camera, particularly if you're on a limited budget. The predecessor C-700 UltraZoom was a very popular model, and I expect the C-720 UltraZoom will be as well.