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Olympus Camedia D-40 Zoom Super-compact 4 megapixel model takes great pictures! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet Camedia D-40 Zoom 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 Camedia D-40 Zoom Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Viewfinder :(Previous) | (Next): Exposure & Flash>> Page 5:Optics Review First Posted: 10/8/2001

Optics
The D-40Z features a telescoping 7.25 - 20.3mm 2.8x aspherical glass zoom lens (equivalent to a 35 - 98mm lens on a 35mm camera), made up of seven elements in five groups. Focus ranges from 31 inches (0.8 meters) to infinity in normal shooting mode and 3.9 inches (0.1 meters) to infinity in Manual focus mode. When the Macro mode is engaged, focus ranges from 3.9 to 31 inches (0.1 - 0.8 meters) at the wide-angle setting and from 9.8 to 31 inches (0.25 - 0.8 meters) at the maximum telephoto.

In addition to the 2.8x optical zoom, images can be enlarged up to 2.5x with the Digital Zoom, by engaging the Digital Zoom option in the Shooting menu and zooming past the camera's maximum telephoto range. A red bar in the on-screen zoom gauge indicates when you've entered Digital Zoom. As always, we remind our readers that digital zoom is not the same as optical zoom, as it simply crops out and enlarges the central portion of the CCD image, resulting in lower image quality and increased image noise.

Focus is set on the subject that falls within the center target mark of the camera's viewfinder. The default focus mode is single frame autofocusing, which sets the focus when you depress the shutter button halfway. You can also select Fulltime AF in the Mode menu to maintain continuous focus whenever you change the camera position, or when your subject moves across the viewfinder. A Manual Focus mode is accessed by holding down the OK button for more than one second. Once engaged, a distance indicator appears on the right side of the monitor and you adjust focus using the Up and Down Arrow buttons.

In our testing, optical distortion on the D40 was about average (which is still more than we'd like) at the wide-angle end, where we measured an approximate 0.72 percent barrel distortion. The telephoto end fared much better, as we found only one pixel of barrel distortion there. Chromatic aberration was low, showing only about two or three pixels of coloration on either side of the target lines, and the color was fainter than average. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.) The lower than average chromatic aberration was also apparent in our Far Field test shot, where the amount of "purple fringe" in the upper corners of the image was a bit less than we're accustomed to seeing. Overall, it looks like the D40 has a pretty good lens.