Customer Reviews

Olympus D-395 3MP Digital Camera

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I just bought this camera. I compared a few and this was the best value I found. The pictures come out clear in all modes and the flash is acceptable. It is a bit slow, but so are all of these small cameras. I've used a Ricoh and a Nikon in the type and price range before and this is the best out of the three. The movie setting is unimportant to me, but the quality of the videos is very poor. If you want to take movies, buy a movie camera. This unit is very easy to use, simple on screen settings, easy fast download via the included USB cable. I do suggest getting rechargeable batteries, but I suggest that for all of these types of cameras. All in all, the camera is small and light, easy to carry, easy to use and takes great photos for the format of camera that it is. If you want to do fine photography you must buy top of the line equipment as none of these little cameras will take those kinds of pictures. There is more to it than just mega-pixels!

I now own three Olympus digital cameras. The D-395 was my third and most disappointing, but it won't by my last Olympus because I made a consumer error when I purchased this camera....ASSUMPTIONS!

I was looking for a replacement for my older Olympus D-380 because I had proudly given it to my significant. A good performer and reliable the D-380 was.

I assumed that the newer D-395 would be at least as fast as my older D-380 when actually taking the desired photo after the shutter release was pressed. Wrong! Be prepared to limit your candid shots because you'll `miss the moment'. Stills and portraits are fine though.

I assumed that it would have as fast a flash recharge time as fast as my older D-380. Wrong! This is another `miss the moment' issue.

I assumed that it would be able to take as many and as fast of pictures in the continuous drive mode as my old D-380. Wrong!

I assumed that it would charge up as fast when I first turn it on. Wrong! Yup, more of the same.

I assumed that the display would be as clear. Wrong!

I assumed that the flash would work as well in low light conditions. Wrong!

As I mentioned before I made several assumptions when it came to these details. I am very pleased with my other Olympus products. So, be sure you know what you are buying and don't assume that just because you are purchasing the same brand AND upgrading in model number that you are upgrading the camera! Wrong!

I just bought this camera;after buying, two negative reviews came out on amazon.This happened before I recieved the camera;worried I tried to cancel but the camera was in the shipping process.Boy am I glad I didn,t cancel;the camera works good for me.I bought it to take fish pictures;I also have a olympus 5050(top of the line camera 5mp)so I know what a good camera can do.I also know what to expect from a $130.oo camera.This camera is good for snapshot I don,t get redeye with the flash;the movies look better than my Olympus 5050;the color is fantastic.The olympus d-395 is small light(fits in your pocket)shoots good right out of the box.I can't stress this enough,if you like simplicity and want a simple camera that shoots good with no adjustments this camera is it.The display is 120000 pixels and looks as sharp and clear as my Olympus 5050;this makes it easy to check the sharpness of your pictures(you can zoom your picture in when displaying the picture on the lcd to check them)The camera is slow shot to shot but so are most cameras in this price range.The 395 also download you pictures without software with included USB cable.I prefer to back my exposier off -.5 when shooting in bright sunny outdoor conditions.I also turned down the LCD brightness 2 clicks.If you want simplicity,easy downloads,good picture on auto,fantastic LCD resolution,compactness and OLympus quality then buy this camera.

I was very happy with the Olympus D-380 I had for two years. When I bought a 395, I thought I would get all of the 380's great features plus better resolution, but instead found that they had stripped out much of what I liked in the 380 in order to make it 3 megapixels.

Another review has a good catalog of the 395's faults: slow start and recharge, etc., but what I really miss is the spot metering and the ability to have the display off as a default. I suppose they wanted to simplify it, but they really dumbed it down.

And to make matters worse, it takes lousy pictures. The exposure never seems to be right. The 380 got it right nearly every time.

The whole family hates this camera.

I got this digital camera about a week and a half ago, and I love it :) It takes great quality pictures, and good video, plus it's really easy to connect and download pictures to my PC. All I have to do is plug it in to the USB cable and it pops up a window giving me the downloading options.
The only problems I've had with it are that it eats up batteries pretty fast, and if you take pictures without the flash or from really far away in low light conditions, the pictures can be a little fuzzy. However, they still show up.

Overall, I'd reccomend this camera :) It's great, and I can take it anywhere.

While the quality of photos I printed are good, even at 8x10, my problem is elsewhere. Anytime the photo isn't in bright sunlight, the photo is garbage. With the flash on the background all but disappears in blackness. Without flash the image appears like a multiple exposure (fuzzy outlines). Action shots are also problematic because of the delay from pressing the button and time until the photo is actually taken. Outside of those problems the camera has held up well to my constant abuse and the short battery life is solved by turning off the auto-display of each picture after you take it & by using rechargeable batteries.

This camera was a big disappointment for me. The pics are really grainy and low budget looking. The camera does not respond well at all to low lighting and the flash discolors everything. The body is really cheap and the lense is hard to clean. I've used the Canon 60 and Nikon Coolpix 2100 and the pic quality was soooo much better.

I did not purchase it from Amazon, but I will be returning this camera and getting something here instead.

Easy to use, a great first time camera......if you are an experienced digital user, this may not be the one for you...go up to the 5 series.....batteries don't last in this bad boy, therefore consider nicad out the door....also, a larger storage bucket....gave this one to a friend who was non tech plus and she loves it.......

I stuck with Olympus because I just loved my D-400. Good points on the D-395: easy to use. Easy to transfer photos to computer or printer. Good color on default settings. Decent features (have not yet explored all of them!). Small, fits in purse or pocket. Uses AA batteries. Not so good, but fixable points: Small XD card supplied with camera; bought a 128 replacement. Like all digitals, eats batteries; bought rechargeables. Bad points: No optical zoom. I find the digital zoom to be useless. Shutter button confusing for some, it has different options for simple push or firm hold push - if you hand this camera to a friend to take your picture, they usually won't get the shutter to work on the first try. Have not had much luck with the red-eye reducer, but I use software in my PC to fix it. Other: Description claims photos up to 17"; I like to print at 300dpi - I have gotten 8x10 OK but I get the best clarity up to 5x7. I would think average users want 4x6 prints, and this camera delivers. If you plan to use this for specialized computer-edited works you will want a camera with more options like an Optical zoom and more MP. For the price and the features you get it's a great starter camera.

There IS a spot metering mode and there IS a way to start the camera up without the monitor being on....to the person who wrote the last review...read the manual: I got this camera 20 minutes ago and already know that much! Anyways---I think this a great camera for the price...I have a Fuji also and like this the same but clarity is better on the screen. As with ALL digital cameras, the batteries go quickly so get rechargeable ones!! But one question-- does anyone have trouble with the playback mode of pictures-do they appear fuzzy for like 3 secs then appear clear?? Thanks.