Well, what can you say about this camera. When it comes to digital camera’s, this one is AMAZING ... !!! I researched about 20 different camera’s before making up my mind to buy this one. I almost bought the C700, but I am so glad I waited the extra month for the C740. And it was surely worth it. Let me explain the camera by breaking it down. Specs: 3.3 megapixels, 6.3-63mm ED lens (equivalent to 38-380mm), 10x optical zoom, 3x digital zoom. Media used is xD card (16MB-256MB available), 16MB card is bundled with the package. Needs 4 AA batteries (or equivalent). USB cable provided to connect to the computer. Camera detected as external drive. No software installation required to transfer images to the computer. Construction: The first thing that strikes you when you open the box is the size of the camera. You would expect a big camera, considering the lens it boasts of (more on that later), but the camera is surprisingly small. And it fits very well into your hand. Hardcore SLR users will appreciate the construction, as it allows you to place your left hand on the base of the camera, instead of to the left. Another thing you notice is when you switch on the camera.
The lens assembly protrudes all the way out (giving it a more SLR feel). The lens assembly can wobble just a wee bit (hardly noticable) when extended. But this can be fixed by just putting a small hood on the lens. The LCD screen is decent at 1.3’’ and displays all the menu options clearly. It can be a little difficult to see the screen in bright sunlight, but you always have the viewfinder for such instances. Lens and Image Quality: Well, this is the SELLING POINT of the camera. It has a ED glass lens, and an amazing 10x optical zoom. That is the equivalent of 380mm on a standard SLR camera. You will not see any purple ghosting at all even at maximum zoom (thanks to the ED). Images turn out crystal clear and sharp, although you will need very steady hands for higher zooms. Set the image quality at high, couple the 10x optical with the 3x digital zoom, and you end up with an amazing 1140mm worth of zoom. And image quality is very decent even at full digital zoom. Colour reproduction is rich. Play around with the picture settings, and you wont even need a skylight filter or a polarising filter for certain lighting conditions, its that good. There’s a manual flash (I like that. I dont want the camera to decide whether to use the flash) that does the job of a filler in daylight, and facilitates full darkness shooting at night. Menu: The menu is neatly organized into four different categories. It takes the first timer about 30 minutes to get used to the entire menu system, head to toe. The menu items are very intuitive, and a breeze to understand. Macro Shooting and Other special shooting modes: There’s a macro mode and a super-macro mode. The zoom works in macro mode, but not in super-macro. Results in these two modes are absolutely fabulous. You can enjoy photographing flora and fauna from as close as 1cm away, with brilliant results. There’s also a Black and White mode, and a Sepia mode (gives the photo a brownish tint, to give that old-world feel). Apart from that, it has the entire flurry of standard shooting modes, from fully automatic, to fully manual; with preset modes for portrait, landscape, fast action, night time etc. Media, Battery and Battery Life: The camera uses the new xD card. Two advantages of using this card. One, Amazing battery life. This card’s battery consumption is small, very small. My camera is now 2 months old (regular shooting), and battery life is still at about 70%. The bundled Ni-Mh battery is very good, and will last you at least 2 months of heavy shooting, but I would recommend that you buy the rechargable Ni-Mh batteries available. They are a bit expensive, but you will not regret the decision. And the best part is that the camera also takes standard AA batteries, available at every nook and corner. So, with this camera, you can never run out of batteries. Two, transfer rates to the computer when connected via the USB cable is FAST. Compare it with the SmartMedia or CompactFlash cards, and you will know what I am talking about. Get yourself a 256MB card, and you will easily fit 350-400 pictures at very high quality.
Price: Well, at 450$ in USA, and about 30, 000 Rs. in the Indian market, this camera certainly does not come cheap. Other 3.2 megapixel camera’s cost about 300-350$. But given the lens that it sports, and the image quality, I would invest the extra 100$ anyday. Also, add another 100$, and you can buy the C750UZ (4 megapixels). But ask yourself this. Are you ever going to print photographs bigger than 8x10? My guess is, your answer will be NO. And if that is the case, its wise to get the C740. Final Word: All said, does the camera has any CONS. Well, yes. For one, there are not enough shortcut buttons on the camera. That is not a hinderance, but would have been a plus. Also, the viewfinder is not exactly a through the lens version. It is just another LCD screen inside that shows you what the lens sees. Not the greatest picture reproduction there. Stick to the LCD screen as much as possible. The most noticable CON is the slight shutter lag (the difference in time between you pressing the shutter release, and the camera actually clicking). It takes a little getting used to. All said and done, this is one camera as good for the amateur as for the purist. I will have no hesitation in calling it one of the best digital cameras around. Olympus has done one heluva job here ... !!!