Customer Reviews

Olympus Camedia D435 5MP Digital Camera

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

 

 

i don't know much about cameras, and this is the first one i've ever bought. its small and incredibly lightweight and fits in your jacket pocket. the controls are easy to read and it has a good-sized screen. its easy to upload pictures onto the computer, and the pictures turn out nice. highly recomended!

At first I loved my camara, it took really good pictures for a very low price. But then I noticed that I was the only one who was able to take good pictures! If I gave the camara to someone to get my picture taken, it would ALWAYS come out blurry. Also, not a good camara for pictures where the object is at a distance, good for close ups only. I bought it less than a year ago and I'm already looking into getting a new one.

I liked the size and compact feel of the camera. The lack of Optical zoom reduces its' ability to take pictures a bit far away. I would prefer at least 3X Optical zoom. The size of the screen on the back where you view the image to be taken is too small. Otherwise it was an OK camera for its price. It definitely is a "beginners" camera. I needed one one step up! I will probably gift it to someone and buy a camera with the better features I mentioned.

I bought this camera looking for something rather simple to take pictures of service projects sponsored by my non-profit group, Service for Peace. I wanted a camera that was not too expensive, rather light and easy to carry, that would take XD cards (since I already had some from a previous camera), and that would be easy to use, since I often ask other people to take pictures at our events. Naturally, I also wanted clear shots, a durable camera, long battery life, and all those things.

Another requirement was that the camera NOT have a zoom lens. All things being equal, a good fixed lens takes better pictures than a zoom lens, and I don't mind moving around to find the best shot. I've also noticed that zoom lenses on digital cameras, because they have to stick out, can be easily dirtied or damaged. Fiddling around with the zoom control seems to make it easy to miss quick candid shots that look really good for documenting projects like ours. With this camera's 5 megapixel resolution, there is no problem cropping down to just the exact picture I need, and since I'm doing it at home with editing software, I can take my time and get it just right. I can also use the same shot for both close-ups and far-away shots.

So how did this camera shape up? It is light and easy to carry, and it is simple to operate. It generally works well for documenting my projects. I do have a few beefs with it, however.

The most important is that I have been having a problem from time-to-time recently with the camera saying the door for the memory card is not closed, even though it is. This is a problem because the camera will not do anything else until it is satisfied the door is closed. So far, I have been able to get the camera working by opening and closing the door several times, and reseating the memory card, but I know the day will eventually come when I will miss an important shot because of this problem. Also, I fear they day will come soon when just opening and closing the door will no longer solve the problem.

Another issue I have found is that if you put the camera in your pocket, it is quite easy to slide the OFF/ON button to the ON position. This does wear out the battery a bit before the camera goes into sleep mode, but a greater problem is that the whole time the camera is in your pocket, the lens is open, and can easily be damaged. A more recessed OFF/ON switch could solve this problem.

There is a considerable delay from the time when you press the shutter button until the shot is taken. I know this is a common problem in digital cameras, as the camera focuses, determines the exposure, and the like, but I find it annoying, and it has cost me many excellent candid and action shots. By the time the shutter actually operates, the moment is long gone. I was raised on 35 mm range finder and SLR cameras, and I really value instantaneous response when I take a picture.

The last issue I have with the camera is that when pictures are blown up, they are not very clear, even if taken at infinity. The lens is not sharp at all. Previously, I owned a cheaper camera, a Fuji Finepix A200, and the pictures were sharp as far as you could blow them up, but this is not the case with this camera. Another beef I have is that the individual pixels often are colors that jar significantly with the colors of the area they are representing, such as green or blue pixels in the area of a person's face. I assume this is an artifact of the compression algorithm used by the camera, but it looks pretty bad if you need to blow up a section of a picture in a situation, such as on a computer screen, where individual pixels are visible.

Still, I do find this camera useful, and although I have been tempted to take it back, I'm still using it. I give it three out of five stars.

This is a great first time camera!! You can adjust the Mega pixel so you can down load them online. This Camera goes every where with me!! I do not like that the zoom does not go very far. And the biggest problem I seem to have with it is the delay on the picture!!! It takes about 4 secs to take a pictures after you push the button. I take alot of pictures where I need it to take right away! So I learned if you press the button half way down all you have to do it wait for what you want to take a picture of and press it and it takes it right away. I would recommend rechargeable batteries for this camera. I use it so much and normal batteries die so fast!! I would go though so many in a day. With rechargeable I charge them at night and the last all day long!!! This is a great First Time Camera!!!!!

I do a lot of outdoor activities and wanted a camera that was not too expensive in case something happened to it so I purchased the D435. I have been extremely pleased with this camera. I did not expect the pictures to be as clean as they turned out to be. Even using the digital zoom, the pictures came out clear. I would suggest this camera to anyone looking for an inexpensive camera.

I have used the Olympus Camedia D435 camera for several years, mostly as a still camera. I seldom use the video facility which has no sound.

Some plus points:
Quality build and robust feel
Easy to hold and controls easy to use
Light and compact design, easily fits into pocket or worn on belt
Takes ordinary AA batteries
Variety of photo settings
Good colour definition and sharp pictures obtained in outdoor and indoor conditions

Some negative points:
No optical zoom
No special effects
Small viewing screen
Discernable time lapse in acquiring the subject and taking the photo
Dated in comparison to newer models

Conclusion.
Although dated the D435 remains good value as an entry level point and shoot camera that produces decent photos in a variety of conditions.

Positives: Very nice quality pictures. Easy to use. Good options in terms of picture size/compression for a camera in this price range. Digital zoom doesn't totally ruin pictures. Takes video with no audio. Flash works well.

Negatives: Eats batteries way too quickly... even when powered off? No optical zoom means zooming will hurt your quality. Video quality is nowhere near as good as the picture quality.

Overall: A good camera. Definitely worth getting rechargable batteries for this. You'll also definitely want an xD Picture Card for it, which are not as common as SD or microSD cards. A 512meg card is cheap, though, and more than enough for most people.

i won this camera, so it was absolutely worth the price. still shots that are at a normal distance are good. it also takes good pictures in minimal to no light (my xmas tree in the dark with just the lights was incredible!) warm lighting it's not so great, and it's also slow to expose, so if the light is just so so, it's not very great. this was my second digital though, and i would at the least buy another Olympus.

update: i now have a 10 mp camera, and it's better than this one. if you just need something super basic and easy, this will work. XD cards are a pain in the butt, though.

Bet the designed circuit or the one that I bought has problem. It is a battery eater even it is off. Every few days batteries have to be replaced even it hasn't been used if I don't take the batteries outta it. So far my battery cost more than this camera.