Customer Reviews

Olympus Stylus FE-240 7.1MP Digital Camera with Dual Image Stabilized 5x Optical Zoom (Black)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After a few years of struggling to have a winner, someone at Olympus has gotten on a roll. The FE-240 is a great camera for someone wanting a bit more zoom, but in a very small package.

The first thing you'll notice is the slim body, thinner than most 3x zoom cameras. The finish is nice, and camera appears solid in your hands. The 5x zoom has average smoothness and noise. That little extra reach can really make all the difference.

The selection dial makes this a joy for someone new to photography. There's an excellent photo & description of each mode, and a very helpful "guide" setting.

The only "cons" on this camera are that it uses the xD memory card instead of the easy to find SD cards, and that it doesn't have an anti-shake system (the anti-blur mode uses a high ISO).

It would be hard to find a camera even close in both function and style in roughly the same price range. But look at the black finish, and you'll really fall in love!

I bought this 9 days ago, along with a 512MB Olympus Brand xD memory card. I was amazed at the size and the features. My first digital camera in 1996 was an Olympus, and my expectations were so much higher now... I'm right on the verge of returning it...why?

A. The manual is weak, mentions memory card only in passing. But lost near the bottom of a page, it does say
"memory card - see advanced manual".
In a hurry in my hotel room to fire photos, I must find and fire up my laptop to use this "advanced manual on a CD". This is a classic symptom of missed deadlines when they burn CDs to cover for poorly written manuals, likely conceived before the product was even manufactured.

B. Missing pixel in top right corner of black display shows 'green'. Right out of the box, a very visible, imperfection

C. Odd Modes, seem promising but fail
I. Fireworks mode!! Wow, how long have I wanted this!! Now at 4th of July fireworks, the photos come out like doubleexposure on slow film. Nice effect, if you like Monet, but not expected from a camera.
II. Still haven't figured out the cryptic green lines in 'Panorama' mode.

D. Last straw... taking photos of fireworks, experimenting to find the best mode, I must wait for a PROGRESS BAR "processing....." for 5-15 seconds between photos, Not even my 1996 Olympus made me wait that long.

E. Bonus... the battery charger and power cord is bigger than the camera. The battery looks just like a cell phone batter.... $60-$99 at Amazon... $22 for 2 on eBay.

F. Comes with video cable for slide shows on your newer television or laptop.

G. Beautiful, helpful, although somewhat crowded display.
The zoom indicator is very good, showing white until you reach max then a red area to indicate you've moved from optical to digital zoom.

H. Fits nicely in hand, with supplied wriststrap so you can be ready at all times for a extemporaneous shot.

I. Has a threaded spot for a standardc tripod, a video mode (AVI) and some nifty preset modes. HOWEVER when you move to any new setting and back to whence you came many of your settings are gone, ESPECIALLY turning the flash OFF or "always on" ... seems to always go back to Red Eye mode... a very time consuming and sloooow mode.

Bottom line, cute, handy but well beneath the Olympus reputatio. I believe that it suffers from poor or non-existent Q.A., a mad dash to market leaving QA for the client to discover on theirown.
It needs,
1. a couple smaller resolutions mode, i.e. 800x600 and 1280x800
2. One really good manual
3. Option to charge the camera via USB cable attached to computer
4. Inspection on production line for things like missing pixels in LCD
5. absolutely NO "processing time" while saving photos at lower resolutions.... time between photos should be far less than it was in 1996!!
6. Optical View finder

This is the SLOWEST camera I have ever used. It takes forver to write to the xD card. The images are very noisy (lots of grain) even outdoors. The indoor shots are almost un-usable. The only good thing about this camera is that, if used outdoors, the color and sharpness are good. I used this camera for 100 shots (mostly outdoors), but decided to return it. I got a Canon SD750 instead. Can't beat a Canon!

For $159, this is a nice camera. Compact, pocket-sized, that was important. Most cameras this tiny have 3X optical zoom; the 5X here puts this one ahead. Most controls are intuitive. It has plenty of point and shoot settings, I'm still experimenting to find what works best in poorly lit indoor settings. This is a great camera for typical point and shoot folks like me. Downsides: I miss the viewfinder you get on bigger cameras, and I cannot figure out how to tell how many pics remain and how much battery life remains. The manual is about useless. Overall, I'm pleased with my purchase.

I've had this camera for about two months now and it has come in handy. At first though the pictures i were taking lacked quality but after adjusting settings and realizing that its not a great for low light indoor pics on automatic mode, this camera has turned out to be a success for a good price with good picture quality and easy navigation. The two things i don't like are the average to sub par battery life and the fact you have to set red eye on before each picture which doesn't bother me much since its an easy proccess.

From an another point and shoot camera, I opted for Olympus FE-240 in spring 2007. It is not difiicult to use, but pictures taken in indoor are very much deceiving. When I compare those pictures taken by other cameras at the same place and the same time, I am really frustrated...

We got this camera at work. I was impressed with the looks and the small size and the light weight. It's half as thick as my Canon S400. However, when I tried to use it, it became quickly apparent that is not suited for field use. With my Canon I am accustomed to holding the camera with my thumb and middle finger and working the controls with my index finger all in one hand. I had a hard time holding on to this camera, I had to use the wrist wrap in case I dropped it. Also, my thumb kept hitting the menu button and I got that annoying screen. The camera is too small and "slick" to hold with one hand. I was also unable to work the dial with my index finger, too small and too tight. On the positive note the image stabilization really works as all of my pictures were sharp despite my shaky hold, you obviously need it for a camera this size. I'll stick to my S400 for now.

Olympus FE-240 probably is the best mini camera in the market. It out do any of the newer digital camera in the market. It zooms when taking video and steady and captures the motion fast, not like the newer model with a delay when taking video in action.
I have tried seven newer digital camera ( all brands) this year. None of them came to my sactisfaction. I already have two fe-240 and I just in need of another one. But it is not available in the retail store anymore, not even the manufacturer direct. Fortunately, I locate one in Amazon, togeher with a couple of XD memoriey cards. I sure enjoy what I have.

This is by far the best camera I have owned for the type of pictures I take. I have taken modeling headshots, animals, babies, self portraits, tourism, fireworks, sunsets, landscape, and many more. The dial for the various setting make taking pictures fun and easy. To enhance the pictures even more at a beginners level I recomend Picasa to go along with this camera, although, more often than not, it is unnecessary. It's slim enough to put in my jeans pocket and light enough to carry everywhere. This camera has survived 2 tours in Iraq and even though it looks like it has been through a war, it still manages to perform as well as it did when I first bought it. EXCELLENT camera. Highly durable. Olympus is my favorite camera product because it's made durable, made for soldiers like me who want to document every part of their lives! Mine has been dropped, run over by military vehicles, stepped on, beat up with my M4/M16, passed around between several of my soldiers, etc. My small children can operate it easily as well because the screen is so large they can see everything! I can only speak highly of the Olympus product. The only thing that can be considered a drawback was the zoom. However 5x zoom was USUALLY all that was needed. But it is exactly that. only 5x. when fully zoomed out the pictures become blurry. Even with this slight negative I still give it 5 stars. The only reason I had to move away from olympus was becasue I lost the USB cord and couldn't find an XD card reader. Being in the area I am assigned to now, I needed these immediatly or a new camera from the one store (PX) we have here... As beat up as this one is though, it's time to put her in retirement. I just wish I didn't have to.

Bought this a while back and finally reviewing now. Still have this after more than a couple of years and it's been great. 5x zoom is better than most (which typically have 3x) Easy to use, works great, easy to carry. Get the high speed xD card, I think it is called H, to be able to record video best. Video looks pretty darn good for a camera! I don't think lens can zoom while videoing though.