Customer Reviews

Olympus C-750 4MP Digital Camera w/ 10x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

the ultra-zoom c-750 camera is an upgrade to the c-740. the most notable improvements include higher resolution (4MP vs 3MP), hot shoe, sound recording support, and remote control support. finally the c-750 has an all metal body while the c-740 has a mix of metal and plastic.

pros:
- 10x optical zoom - this is the main selling point of this camera (make sure you get a tripod or monopod to hold the camera steady at 10x, though).
- 4MP resolution.
- good image quality.
- allows a great deal of manual control, including the ability to fine-tune white balance.
- external flash hot shoe.
- support for add-on lenses.
- customizable buttons and menus.
- ability to store four sets of individual settings.
- bright 1.5" LCD display (smaller size than competition, though).
- has an electronic view finder allows you to see what the CCD sees.
- adjustable AF area, plus manual and automatic focus modes.
- auto bracketing, sequence, AF sequence, and hi-sequence capture modes.
- allows contrast, saturation, and sharpness image adjustments.
- ability to save low resolution movies directly to the xD card.
- supports TIFF format.
- included remote control.
- non-proprietary AA batteries used. this means replacement batteries are as close as the nearest convenience store (i recommend rechargeables though).
- compact for a 10x zoom camera: 4.2 x 2.6 x 2.8", 10.4oz.

cons:
- purple fringing noticeable.
- noise levels higher than expected.
- some barrel distortion at wide-angle.
- hair-trigger power button.
- electronic viewfinder difficult to view in low light.
- slowest shutter speeds only available in full manual mode.
- does not support RAW format.
- so-so battery life.
- no AF assist lamp, making autofocus difficult in low ambient light.
- the supplied 16MB xD card is inadequate. be prepared to shell out a few more bucks for more memory.
- add even more to buy more rechargeable batteries; you may also want to invest in a faster charger, the included charger is SLOW.

the c-750 is very easy to use and can be used as a point and shoot or as a full manual camera. the noisier than expected images at higher ISO settings and the lack of an AF assist light are areas for improvement. all in all, a solid camera at a good price. if you want to save some money and can live with 1MP less resolution and no hot shoe, you can also go with the c-740.

i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.

My first digital camera came after weeks of excrutiating research -- and so far I love it. I was moving from a very good 35mm Nikon SLR and so had a solid set of expectations. My criteria for a camera were
- compactness (a major gripe against my SLR)
- ample zoom to campture kids' candid moments without intruding
- unlimited movie capability - with sound
- support for "normal" (read: AA) batteries
- Support for external flash
- accurate color reproduction
- Cost ($300 - $400)

On all these counts, the C-750 is a winner. I did not really need the 4MPixel capability and was actually leaning toward the Fuji S5000. However, picture quality and manual configurability tipped the scales towards this slightly more expensive camera.

Although the factory presets will work fine in most situations, I would recommend taking the time to familiarize yourself with its features (on the extensive manual). Even without the gadgetry of a professional photographer you can easily compensate for unwanted artifacts (such as shadows) or poor color reproduction due to lighting.

There is a perceptible shutter-lag: The time between pressing the shutter trigger and the actual picture being taken; you can however, minimize this by pressing the trigger down half-way to compose you picture. Where I can see this being a problem would be if you are trying to capture those fleeting "Kodak momemnts".

The charger that ships with the camera takes a good 8-9 hours to charge 4 batteries. I would recommend that you purchase a smart-charging NiMH battery charger -- these are faster to charge and have auto shut-off features.

In comparing cameras based on movie capability make sure that the only limit is the memory capacity -- there are some (not the C-750) that impose a time limit.

Finally, if you are like me and this is your first foray into the digital world your expenses don't end with the camera: as I mentioned you need a good charger, a spare set of NiMH batteries, a good carrying case, maybe an upgrade from the photographic software that ships with the camera....

This is my first digital camera and I am very pleased with the quality of the camera and the pictures. I reviewed several digital cameras and finally decided on the C750 because of Olympus' reputation for quality lens and clear pictures. The results did not disappoint. The 10x zoom is a nice "bonus" feature not commonly found on digital cameras.

This camera comes ready to shoot straight out of the box in auto mode and yet has many manual features for those who prefer greater control. As an amateur photographer, the manual feature is a great way for me to learn without having to wait to see how the pictures will come out.

There are several negatives, but mostly minor ones. The C750 is a bit heavy for its size. The camera does not come with a carrying bag and because of its size, the bags that Amazon recommends are too small. The lens cover is not automatic, it has to be manually removed prior to taking pictures. The view screen freezes briefly when a picture is taken, which makes it difficult to follow the subject in an action shot. Olympus uses the xD picture card which is more expensive than other memory cards. Finally, the C750 does not have image stablization so a tripod is needed for clear zoom shots.

Overall, the Olympus C750 is a very well built camera that takes great pictures and is one of the best value/quality digital camera in the 4MP class.

I was comtemplating on waiting for the Canon Powershot A80 but really wanted the 10x zoom so i went ahead and bought the Olympus C-750 instead. The main reason i bought it was the zoom and its usage of AA batteries. I also bought a 512mb xD card by Fuji which works great and holds somewhere around 180 pics at top rez. I dont really use the Camedia software but instead use ACDSee v6 which I am more familiar with, and didnt want to learn new software. I think i will be buying a help guide to learn how to use all the manual features in this cam, as there are many. The digital view finder is nice as long as its not a very dark environment (I have been told that an optical viewfinder on a 10x zoom is not feasible and would result in a very expensive camera). The only things I wish could be different would be the inclusion of a printed reference manual, and if there gonna make this camera only use the expensive xD memory they should at least make it so panoramic mode would be accessible on third party xD memory (if you want to use the panoramic you have to buy "Olympus" brand xD memory). Olympus also wants you to send em more money to upgrade their bundled Camedia software to "pro" which is pretty shady in my opinion. If they would bundle the "Pro" version of the software, and take the restriction off the third party xD memory, this camera would easy get 5 stars.

After months of research I finally settled on Olympus as the manufacturer. It took me another few weeks to settle on the 750UZ. I think the October issue of PC Magazine kind of settled things for me. It was the Best digital camera $500 or more and was even better than the 5 Megapixels compared to it. Easy to use and even better- terrific pictures. Set the mode to Auto and take your pictures its as easy as that or for the more adventurous there are manual settings to muck with. The one insignificant problem that I had was with the manual. It comes on CD and you need Adobe Acrobat to read it. Other than that it was a wise choice. I am extremely happy with this camera, it ROCKS! Advice - get either a 128mb or 256mb xDcard. They hold tons of pictures. Also when using the 10X zoom its easier to hold it steady with a Tri or Mono - pod.

I had this camera for a few days before I switched to the c5050. The zoom is amazing on this camera. And Oly gave this (and the c740) their new ED lens, which cuts down on purple fringing a great deal. I could definitely see the benefits of the ED lens.

The picture quality is a little lacking compared to the c5050, but it makes up for this with the 10x zoom and the great battery life. The 10x zoom is awesome. I took some pics at a concert sitting way back zoomed all the way in, hand held..and the pics came out great. It also takes amazing macro shots.

I also like the fact that it uses AA batteries and not proprietary ones like some other brands. But you want to make sure to get a nice charger. I use a charger that charges in 3 hours and is smart enough to condition the batteries and doesn't overcharge the batteries. The charger is called maha or something close to that. The charger that comes with the unit will take a whole day and you probably won't want to leave your batteries in there for too long if it's fully charged.

This camera will be great for simply pointing and shooting, and it'll allow you room to grow when you can finally utilize the plethora of manual options.

Here is why it gets 4 stars and not 5:
1. It uses the XD card, which, at the time of this review, is more expensive than the commonly used CF and SM cards.
2. If you want to take panorama shots, you HAVE to buy an Olympus XD card.
3. It doesn't function too well in low light conditions (in-doors)

But the 10x zoom really makes up for all this. I got the c5050 and I really miss the zoom of the c750 :) Very compact too.

The long awaited Olympus 750 is the latest in a line of excellent relatively compact, long lens models. The last model, the 740, was a stop-gap measure that allowed the company to position a new model in the line while they worked out the kinks in the 750's updated autofocus system. The result was worth waiting for, as a much faster system now exists that allows the camera to take better advantage of low light and fast action scenes.
In addition, the 750 addresses another of the 740's drawbacks, the lack of sound on the occasionally very useful movie feature has been fixed. Many users will also be pleased to note that finally they have upped the maximum resolution from 3 to 4 megs.
Still troublesome however is the lack of stabilization, making long range zoom shots very tricky. In point of fact, zooming on any camera at 10X without a tripod or image stabilization is extremely challenging.
Anyway, this camera is beautifully made and ergonomically engineered. The aspherical all glass lens system is excellent and the resulting 4 megapixel images are crystal clear at 11" x 14" and beyond. The zoom of course remains the trump card on the 750, and the smoothness (just the right damping) with which it reaches its 10x limit is awesome.
The 750 (a feature that began with the 730) is the third 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 750 is the Olympus most users have been waiting for, sans stabilization. Whether that system (present on my Olympus 2100 & far from perfect) is in the works on a 760 model I cannot say, but if you're in the market for a relatively compact digicam with a very long zoom, you can hardly go wrong with any of the 700 series by Olympus.

As far as I can see, this is a great camera. The only thing that I didn't realize when buying is that the viewfinder is 'pixelized'. As in, when you're looking through the thing to take a picture, you don't see a clear image of what you're taking until after you take the picture. It's not a normal glass-like viewfinder. Otherwise it's great. Awsome zoom. Panoramics are hard though. Just don't use regular batteries - get rechargeable. Also, you'll have to spend an extra $100 or so on a memory chip that will actually hold more than a few pictures.

This camera is just simply amazing. Whether you are new to photography, or are an avid photographer, this camera will fit all. The auto mode lets this camera operate as a simple point and shoot camera, while the multitude of manual adjustments offer a great deal of flexibility in shot selection. The pictures that I have taken thus far have been of very good quality. I can't wait to see what they look like once they are printed out on a decent printer.
This camera comes with 4 rechargeable NIMH batteries and a charger, Camedia 4.1 software, remote control, and of course users manual and cables. I love being able to view my pictures on a tv with the included A/V cables. The remote control is also very nice if you take a lot of self portrait shots or group photos. I haven't used the included rechargeable batteries yet, but they are only 1700MA.
The zoom of this camera is great. The optical zoom is a whopping 10X, but you can also use the digital zoom to get as close as 40X... and the quality is actually pretty good for that much digital scaling. The 4X digital zoom is available while taking pictures in any resolution!! My previous camera was a Finepix 3800, and I hated the variable digital zoom.
Some of the manual settings include aperture control, shutter control, white balance, saturation, contrast, focus....etc. This camera has been able to do anything that I want and then some.
As of this writing, I have absolutely no regrets about buying this camera. I thought at first that the initial...price was a little steep, but that was before I actually started using this incredible camera.
Great job Olympus!!

I've had this camera for about a week now. I love it. My first digital camera was Kodak dx4330. I was glad that I had the kodak one as my first digital camera because it was very user-friendly and easy to use. But I wanted to have more advanced features, such as A/S/M control, white balance, macro mode, exposure compensation. This Olympus camera offers lots of features I was looking for.

I must say that if you're a beginner photographer or new to the digital camera, this camera might be too complicated and not user-friendly. However, for those looking for cameras with advanced features, such as various manual setups and ultra zoom, this is a great camera for a reasonable price range.

When I tried to use the Movie mode with Sound (this model has an option of having Sound on or off with Movie mode), there was a constant mechanical grinding noise by the microphone and whenever I recorded the movie, it would record that annoying noise too. I called the technical support at Olympus. The person I talked to told me that that was "normal" for their digital cameras. He could not offer any solutions to get rid of that noise. I was so disappointed about this fault. However, yesterday when I was trying different modes and options on this camera, I discovered that turning off "FULLTIME AF" option from Movie Mode Menu gets rid of that noise. "FULLTIME AF" mode is offered in both Still Camera mode as well as in Movie mode. In order not to have the grining noise recorded in your movie, you need to turn off "FULLTIME AF" from the Movie Mode menu option.