Olympus Camedia C-730 3MP Digital Camera w/ 10x Optical Zoom

Olympus Camedia C-730 3MP Digital Camera w/ 10x Optical Zoom The C-730 Ultra Zoom is a powerful 10x optical zoom digital camera (30x total zoom when combined with the 3x digital zoom) that captures sharp, crisp images with details you didn't know existed. The C-730 is also one of the first digital cameras to offer compatibility with the new XD memory card--as well as SmartMedia cards.

Optics and Resolution
The 3.2-megapixel Olympus C-730 digital camera can capture images up to 2,048 x 1,360 in SHQ mode, which produces quality prints up to 11 by 14 inches. It boasts an outstanding 10x optical zoom lens with a 38-380mm focal length (compared to the 8x zoom lens of the previously released C-720). When combined with the 3x digital zoom, you get a total zoom of 30x.

The C-730 also features Olympus TruePic technology, which optimizes the image information captured on the CCD before the data is saved by using the brightness and color information of the neighboring pixels when processing the pixel data. This leads to digital pictures that set standards for picture sharpness, contrast, true colors, and gradation.

Storage and Transfer
With the C-730, you can store images on both the new XD memory card format as well as your old SmartMedia memory cards--a 16 MB XD card is included. Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB storage-class connectivity, which means it can be connected to any USB-based Windows Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.

Movie Mode
In movie mode, the C-730 captures continuous video and audio at 15 frames per second in two formats: 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 pixels. The QuickTime Motion JPEG format offers a limited resolution, which is great for capturing a short movie that can be e-mailed to friends and family, but is no replacement for a true camcorder.

More Features

• Fast shutter speed of 1/1,000th of a second--great for action photography
• Six scene program modes, including sports, portrait, and landscape
• Super-macro mode for photos as close as 1.2 inches
• Electronic viewfinder (EVF) shows you exactly what the camera will capture on the CCD

Power, Size, and Contents
The C-730 is powered by two CR-V3 lithium batteries (included) or four AA-sized NiMH rechargeable batteries (optional). We recommend getting a set or two of rechargeable nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries and a charger.

The camera measures 4.2 by 3.0 by 3.1 inches and weighs 11.1 ounces without batteries. This package includes the C-730 digital camera, 16 MB XD card, two CR-V3 lithium battery packs (model LB-01), AV and USB cables, carrying strap, lens cap and strap, printed instruction manual, and Camedia master software and drivers for Windows and Mac on CD-ROM.
Customer Review: Better than the 720?
In a word, yes. However, I would say after all this time that some other makes are somewhat better at rendering truly faithful colors and that the Olympus autofocus mechanism is slower than newer digicams and therefore will more often yield a slightly blurred image.
That notwithstanding, the 700 was my favorite digital camera for a long time, that is, until the 720 came along. Then along came the 730, which maintained the 3+ megapixel resolution of the 720, while reinserting the 10X (true optical) zoom (the 720 has an 8X).
In point of fact, zooming at 8X or at 10X without a tripod or image stabilization (not present on either the 700 or the 720) is extremely challenging. Anyway, this camera is beautifully made and ergonomically engineered. The aspherical all glass lens system is excellent and the resulting 3 megapixel images are crystal clear at 8" x 10" and quite acceptable at 11" x 14". The zoom of course remains the trump card on the 730, and the smoothness (just the right damping) with which it reaches its 10x limit is awesome. Another nice feature is its ability to take QuickTime movies, which really adds to its versatility.
The news with the 730 is that it is the first Olympus to utilize the new xD memory card format, the "xD-Picture Card". This is a new type of ultra-compact memory media developed jointly by Fuji and Olympus. The main features of the xD-Picture Card are its ultra-compact size (20.0 x 25.0 x 1.7mm), its lower power consumption (the xD Picture-Card users will benefit from the convenience and savings of longer battery life on a single charge) and its faster read/write speeds. Of course, a new card means a new card-reader will be needed, but these are inexpensive and aren't immediately needed, as the camera can be linked by the included USB cable to your PC without too much fuss. Overall, I think the 730 is a winner, especially as prices have fallen steadily over the past year.
Customer Review: Fantastic for far-away targets!
I absolutely love this camera. It's the first digital camera I own and I was initially worried that the picture quality would be less than that of a normal camera with film. However, having printed more than 500 pictures, I can honestly say, the quality is fantastic. Besides this, it produces great photos for computer screens. It is also small and lightweight and not a "burden" to carry around for the casual photographer.

Most impressive is the zoom. The 10x optical zoom alone, already lets you reach those elusive targets - in my case, a lot of shy and faraway African wildlife. The 3x digital zoom lets you come even closer, and as long as you are able to hold the camera steady, you'll get a good shot.

It didn't take me long to figure out how to work the camera with the host of different settings; and for me, the automatic functions were easy to use and produced great pictures. On top of that, I also got some great movie shots of animals running - absolute top notch quality (although my own camera work is in need of some serious help!)

Two minor negative points are the digital zoom and the speed of the camera. The digital zoom quality is not as nice as the optical zoom, and you can see the difference upon print. I also found that the reaction time of the camera can be slow - I tried to take a bunch of shots of cheetahs running, often missing them completely since they'd run out of shot before my camera "hit" them. With a film camera, it would have gone when you pressed "go". I learned to move my camera with my object on the sports setting, which worked really well.

I sent lots of pictures via email, using the user-friendly Camedia software that came with the camera. I reduced picture sizes to post photos on the web with ease.

As far as the memory cards go - it was no problem buying additional memory even in Africa. And digital photos can be printed everywhere these days. The quality was as good in Africa as it was in Europe ...

Needless to say, this camera has been fantastic and has put the joy back into picture taking for me. I carry it with me everywhere!