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Olympus C-740 Ultra Zoom 3.2 megapixels, a sharp 10x zoom lens, tons of features, and an affordable price! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet C-740 Photo Gallery! C-740 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-740 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: 03/02/2003, Updated: 07/17/03

Image Storage and Interface
The C-740 stores images on xD-Picture Cards, and comes equipped with a 16MB card.

The C-740 can store images in both uncompressed TIFF and compressed JPEG file formats. JPEG compression levels include Super High Quality (SHQ), High Quality (HQ), and Standard Quality (SQ). No less than seven image sizes are available, with a variety at each quality setting. Resolutions include 3,200 x 2,400 ("Enlarge" size, produced by interpolating up from the 2,048 x 1,536 pixels of the CCD); 2,048 x 1,536; 2,048 x 1,360 (3:2); 1,600 x 1,200; 1,280 x 960; 1,024 x 768; and 640 x 480 pixels.

The C-740's file naming protocol 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 camera lets you write-protect individual images from accidental erasure through the Playback menu. (Note that individually protected images can still be erased by a card format operation).

The myriad size options can be assigned to the camera's TIFF, SHQ, HQ, SQ1, and SQ2 quality levels via the Shooting 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 earlier description of the user interface) or via the record setup menu. The second table below shows the approximate size and compression ratio of each of the 740's size/quality setting combinations, along with how many of each image size can fit on the included 16MB memory card.

Image Size Options	3,200 x 2,400 (Interpolated)	2,048 x 1,536	1,600 x 1,200	1,280 x 960	1,024 x 768	640 x 480
TIFF		•	•	•	•	•
SHQ	•	•
HQ	•	•
SQ1			•	•
SQ2					•	•

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality 16MB Memory Card		Hi (TIFF)	Fine	Normal
Enlarge Size 3,200 x 2,400	Images (Avg size)	N/A	2 6,400KB	8 1,882KB
	Approx. Compression	N/A	4:1	12:1
2,048 x 1,536 pixels	Images (Avg size)	1 9.4MB	8 1,882KB	20 1,000KB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	12:1
1,600 x 1,200 pixels	Images (Avg size)	2 5.8MB	11 1,455KB	32 500KB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	12:1
1,280 x 960 pixels	Images (Avg size)	4 3.7MB	17 941KB	49 323KB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	11:1
1,024 x 768 pixels	Images (Avg size)	6 2.7MB	26 604KB	76 209KB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	11:1
640x480 pixels	Images (Avg size)	16 0.9MB	66 242KB	165 97KB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	4:1	10:1

 

The C-740 comes with interface software and cables for both Mac and Windows computers. It employs a USB interface for high-speed computer connection, and implements a "storage-class" connection. This is what Olympus refers to as their "USB Auto-Connect" function, which lets you connect the camera directly to a Windows Me, 2000, or XP computer, or a Mac running OS version 8.6 or later, without the need for driver software.

Download speed is *very* fast: The C-740 is only slightly slower than the C-750, which is actually the fastest USB-connected digicam I've tested to date. I measured the C-740's download speed at of 684 KB/second on my 2.4 GHz Sony VAIO computer, running Windows XP.

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...