Olympus C-740 Ultra Zoom3.2 megapixels, a sharp 10x zoom lens, tons of features, and an affordable price!<<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 11:Video, Power, SoftwareReview First Posted: 03/02/2003, Updated: 07/17/03 |
Video Out
The
C-740 has a Video Out port for reviewing previously captured images and movies,
or running slide shows from the camera. It also shows all of the LCD menu screens,
as well as the preview display from the LCD viewfinder. (This last means that
you could use a TV monitor as a "remote viewfinder" if you wanted
to.) Through the Setup menu, you can set the Video Out signal to NTSC or PAL.
Power
The
C-740 is powered by two CR-V3 lithium battery packs, four AA batteries (alkaline,
lithium, NiMH, or NiCd), or an optional AC adapter that can significantly extend
battery life if you're doing a lot of downloads on the computer or working in
a studio environment. The table below shows the power drain I measured in various
operating modes for the C740, as well as projected runtimes based on a set of
four NiMH batteries with a true capacity of 1600 mAh. (This is rather conservative
these days, as you can now find NiMH AA cells with as much as 2000 mAh of true
(vs advertised) capacity.)
| |
(@6.5 volts on the external power terminal) |
(Four 1600 mAh NiMH cells, true capacity) |
| Capture Mode, w/LCD | |
|
| Capture Mode, EVF only | |
|
| Half-pressed shutter w/LCD | |
|
| Half-pressed, EVF only | |
|
| Memory Write (transient) | |
|
| Flash Recharge (transient) | |
|
| Image Playback | |
|
Overall, the C-740's battery life is quite a bit better than I've come to
expect from digicams with electronic viewfinders. Generally, the issue with
EVFs is that you can't turn them off, so they continue to draw power whether
you need them or not. (You can often save significant battery power on cameras
with optical viewfinders, simply by leaving the LCD display turned off.) Even
in its worst-case power-drain mode (capture mode, with the rear panel LCD
display active), projected run time is fully three and a half hours. This
is much better than average for a digicam powered by four NiMH AA cell batteries.
Despite it's good battery life though, I strongly recommend that you
purchase at least two sets of high-capacity NiMH rechargeable AA cells, and
a good charger. Read my NiMH
Battery Shootout page for the latest on actual battery performance, or
my review of
the Maha C204F to see why it's my favorite charger.
Included Software
The C-740 comes with a nice complement of software on the supplied CD. Direct camera control and image downloading are provided by Olympus' Camedia Master software package (version 4.1) for both Mac and Windows platforms (Macintosh OS 8.6-9.2/OS X, Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000 Pro/XP). USB drivers for both platforms and an Apple QuickTime reader are also included.
Camedia Master lets you download and organize images, as well as perform minor image correction and enhancement functions (such as adjusting contrast, sharpness, and color balance). For panoramic images, Camedia Master supplies a "stitching" utility to piece together shots vertically or horizontally. A complete printing utility works with the DPOF settings and allows you to print images directly to Olympus or other DPOF-compliant photo printers.
In the Box
Here's a list of what's included in the box with the C-740 UltraZoom:
- C-740 Ultra Zoom digital camera.
- 16MB xD-Picture Card.
- Two CRV3 battery packs. (Non-rechargeable)
- USB cable.
- Video cable.
- Camedia Master software CD-ROM.
- Neck strap.
- Lens cap with strap.
- User manuals and registration card.
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