Olympus Stylus FE-230 7.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

by Olympus

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 3.6 x 2.3 inches ; 4.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000LXVM7G
• Item model number: 225935
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,874 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 25, 2007

Product Description

Manufacturer Description

Digital photography made easy! Built-in help guides, one-touch operations, preset scene modes, and a large 2.5-inch LCD are just a few of the features that make using the FE-230 simple and fun.

Stylus FE-230 Highlights

7.1 megapixel CCD sensor The FE-230’s high-resolution CCD delivers superior image quality for larger prints without sacrificing detail.

Super-slim body Stay in style! This amazingly slim, .65-inch full-metal body is so thin that you can fashionably fit it in your pocket, take it anywhere you go, and never miss a photo-op.

Digital Image Stabilization mode and Edit Prevent and correct blurry images without a computer! Digital Image Stabilization mode freezes the action with high ISO sensitivity and faster shutter speed to capture sharp images even if you or your subject is moving. Digital Image Stabilization Edit uses built-in gyro sensors to track camera movement, so you can fix blurry images right in the camera.

Bright Capture technology Keep it bright even in low light! When shooting or recording in low light, Bright Capture allows you to clearly preview your shot on the LCD and capture brighter, more vivid images -- without a flash.

2.5-inch LCD The large, bright LCD (115,000 pixels) provides easy shooting and sharing of your images with friends and family.

3x optical zoom The precision-crafted Olympus lens delivers sharper, clearer images and brings you closer to the action without taking a step.

19 Shooting modes including Movie with Sound Getting the best shot has never been easier! Preset shooting modes optimize the camera’s settings for any shooting situation to ensure you capture a great shot. Select Scene Modes such as Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Sports, Beach and Snow, Underwater and more. Records TV-quality AVI movies with sound (640 x 480 resolution at 30fps) up to the capacity of your xD card.

My Favorites Always keep your favorite memories with you! This in-camera album allows you to store up to 9 of your favorite images to share with friends and family anytime -- using a minimal amount of memory.

TruePic TURBO Image Processor Capture the moment with superior image quality. This exclusive Olympus technology delivers truer colors and quicker start-up, shot-to-shot and shutter release time so you always get the best results.

Product Description

MD) CL) OLYMPUS FE-230 DIGITAL CAM

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly small with nice features, but incredibly fuzzy pics, July 28, 2007

By 

Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Olympus Stylus FE-230 7.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

Olympus used to make good-quality digital cameras, but their product lines in the last couple of years have been emphasizing the wrong set of features. The company tries to out-do the others by making tiny digital cameras -- the FE-230 is probably the smallest real digital camera I've seen -- you have to see it in person to believe it. It packs over 7 megapixels, a 3x optical zoom that also works in movie mode, and a number of useful shooting modes. It's also very easy to use.

Unfortunately, the picture quality, which Olympus should have invested money in improving, is very lacking. Still images all have this blurry or fuzzy look to it, even when shot on a tripod. There's something not quite right with the lens. I guess it's both because the camera's super-super-compact body demands a tiny lens, and optical physics tells us that a tiny lens often screws up the image quality (by bending and deflecting light too much), and because Olympus uses some cheap lens (the camera is made in Vietnam). Compare this to Fuji's and Sony's just-slightly-bigger models and you'll see the latter companies use much better lenses which are probably no bigger than the one on the FE-230.

The upshot is, the FE-230 takes incredibly dull and fuzzy pictures, as if the camera cannot focus properly. If you are in sales (e.g., a real estate agent) this is a good pocketable camera to carry for business. But if you want to take pictures for your own photo albums, skip this. Get super-slim cameras from Sony, Canon, Fujifilm, or Casio instead.

(Also, this camera uses the xD-card flash memory, which in my previous experience with lots of Fuji cameras is not very reliable and is definitely quite slow, esp. at capacity of 1GB or more.)

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor picture quality, April 29, 2007

By 

CMS - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olympus Stylus FE-230 7.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

This camera really wowed me in the shop, great design, easy to use, large screen. The zoom is great and there is even a super macro mode for shooting small objects. But the pictures, regardless of setting, were really awful in my opinion. They are blurry and washed out. Other sites' reviews indicated similar issues. After about an hour of toying with it I decided to return it ASAP. I'd even eat a re-stocking fee I am so disappointed.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice little camera, April 27, 2007

By 

Sheldon (Aspen, CO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Olympus Stylus FE-230 7.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

I was looking for a very compact digital camera, and I think I found it. I don't know how much smaller they can make a quality digital camera, but this little Olympus is probably about it.

The camera is easy to handle and has a large LCD on the back but no viewfinder, which would make it easier to use in bright sunlight. The controls are easy to use, and in automatic mode anyone can use this camera with success.

I compared indenticle shots with this camera and my Nikon D70 DSLR. While the D70 images were a bit snappier with better contrast, the Olympus images were remarkably close and surprised the heck out of me. More zoom would be nice, but 3x is adequate for most people in a point and shoot camera, unless you shoot a lot of nature images.

The camera works well in low light situations (without a flash), and the flash exposures appear to be very good. And, since it's hard to handhold a camera this small, the image stabilization works as advertised.

Since I've been taking SCUBA lesson I went ahead and got the underwater case (PT-083) and the case fits the Olympus like a glove, with access to all controls. The price on the case was also very reasonable for an underwater case that will go to around 100 feet, which is farther than I'll be going, and it's not one of those Baggie type cases; this is a well made plastic case with large O-rings.

I haven't had it long enough to check battery life, but so far it's lasting much longer than my Pentax Optio.

I believe if you are looking for a small, quality camera that will fit in just about any pocket this is it. Prices have gone down on all digital cameras, and for under $200 this one is hard to beat. Have also had good luck with Olympus cameras in the past, so expect no less from this one.

And, if you have a problem or question, Olympus support is excellent.