Olympus C 2000 Zoom

Excellent camera. All the features I need after using a Contax system for 20 years that included lenses from 24 mm to 500mm, etc.

Very good exposure. Especially good in snow.

Hard to thread on the lens adapter for aux. lens

Agfa Ephoto Agfa CL50

Not required.

Prior to buying this unit, I read every professional and owner/user review on the internet and decided this is the camera I was going to upgrade to. I read the complaints about (1) lens cap falling off, (2) shutter button too close to the on/off button,(3) neck strap gets in the way of your finger near the shutter button,and camera hangs at an angle. (4) eats batteries, and (5) the menu is hard to navigate. My answer to these minor complaints are as follows: (1)Take the lens cap off before using like the user manual advises you,(2) After pressing the on /off button instead of the shutter button in error you will soon break yourself of the bad habit.(3)use a small wrist strap instead of the neckstrap, as(the camera isn`t heavy like a 35mm,(4)anyone familiar with a digital camera knows that NIHI rechargeables are absolutely necessary ,and (5)my 10 yr old grandaughter knows how to use the menu/navigation dial. I have learned how to use this camera well in about an hour. Thats not too bad. This was a top of the line full featured unit selling for $999.00 not too long ago and it is at least on a par with the Nikon 950. It is as good as most of the newer cameras being produced now. I will not comment on the end picture quality. Read the reviews by others. It is no secret that Olympus`s color and sharpness is unbeatable at any level of camera. Finding a brand new one may not be possible right now but there are many refurbished, and some used ones too, selling on Ebay for approx $440.00. I paid $439.00 at Sunset Camera .com and I just can`t find a blemish or a mark on it. (it appears to be brand new) This has to be the best bargain in digital photography. If you don`t mind a few minor faults(all cameras have them) then buy this camera. Some simple 2.1 megapixel fully automatic point and shoots cost at least this much, and stiil have little manual control. I can now freeze the action when my grandson makes the shot into the basket.How nice!

shutter and aperture control,manual exposure settings, quality build,low (discontinued model)price, performance,compact size, light weight, and user friendliness.

none

olympus 460Z,(excellent)olympus 360L,(great) and polaroid PDC700(good)

POOR! No response. Shame on Olympus rep. I only wanted to ask a question but received no response.

The Olympus 2000 was one of the first 2 megapixel cameras featuring manual controls. The widely acclaimed C-2020Z, C-3030Z and C-3000Z are all direct decendents of this ground breaking camera. They retain the compact size and easily grasped shape of the original. There are many cameras that have been recently introduced that do not have the refinement or features of this tried and true classic. It's still possible to find the C-2000Z for sale, and if the price is right,it's a camera well worth looking into. The camera features a 2.1 megapixel sensor with through the lens average and spot metering modes. It can be used as a point and shoot camera by using the AE mode or the photographer can exert complete control with the choices of aperture priority or shutter priority modes, at ISO's of 100, 200, or 400. This camera has a fast f2.0 - f11(how many super expensive digital cameras can stop down to f11??) 8 element glass lens that's sharp as a tack. A 3x zoom is the eqivalent 35-105mm zoom lens on a 35mm film camera. Theres also a digital tele, like all other digital tele's I've encountered, it really degrades the image. Accessory wide and telephoto add on lens are available. The optical or the backlit 1.8" color LCD viewfinders can be used to compose the image. The LCD doesn't automatically turn on in auto exposure mode. In AP or SP modes it turns on as soon as you enter that mode, but can be shut down to conserve battery power. Operational information is acessed from menus either through the 1.8 LCD on the back of the camera or the energy saving contol panel on top. You have to choose almost every camera function by navigating through the afore mentioned menus with a jog dial (kind of like the direction control on playstation). Real buttons for the most often used controls became available on later models. I must confess this is diffcult to master at the beginning, but after awhile I was breezing through the menus with a minimum of fuss. White balance can be set in auto or daylight, overcast, tungsten, and fluorescent are manually accessable. I found auto white balance is hard to beat and had better results with auto even under artificial light sources. Shutter speeds range from a documented 1/800 sec. to 1/2sec. and can also be set from 1 to 16 seconds in an undocumented slow speed shutter mode. See Dennis Curtin's "A Short Course in Olympus C-2000 Zoom Photography" or various Internet sites to see how easy this is to do. Even in the auto exposure mode +/- 2 step exposure compensation, in 1/3 stop increments is available. This comes in handy when augmenting available light with fill flash. Speaking of flash- Auto, red-eye reduction, forced fill, forced off, and 2 modes of slow sync flash are the built in flash choices. There's also an x-sync connection for external units, so bounce, diffuse, etc. are possible. Sorry, no hot shoe. This versatile gem also includes auto focus, 2 manual focus settings: 8' and infinity AND macro. The Oly 2000 can save pictures in 5 modes, tiff or jpeg Image resolutions are: 1600x1200 uncompressed tiff 1600x1200 minimum compression jpeg 1600x1200 standard compression jpeg 1024x768 standard compression jpeg 640x480 standard compression jpeg The highest quality uncompressed tiff take up about 5.5 megabytes of space. There's a self timer and remote control (another feature I find invaluable that's not available on more "modern" digitals). All in all I find the Oly 2000 to be a fine digital camera.

Fast f2 lens that stops down to f11. Excellent resolution and color. Many manual controls. Can shoot panoramas.

Awkward navigation through menu driven conrol options. Jog dial not as precise as 4 seperate directional buttons.

C-2020Z, C3000Z

N/A

I've had the pleasure of using an Olympus C2000Z for a year, until it was lost/stolen leaving London Heathrow Airport terminal 3. We took over 1700 photos together, both for work and pleasure, and the photo quality still impresses me. The camera feels like a real film camera, and very easy to use once you've mastered the menu settings. I rarely used the highest resolution, and the 1024x768 jpeg are great for technical reports, PC presentations and prints with 38 per 8Mb card. Engineering machinery equipment shots are particularly good. Investing in NiMh AA cells and charger is a good idea, and I had a Camera Care Systems CC1 padded hand case - which saved the camera more than once when dropped onto concrete. I'm going to replace it with a C2020Z once the insurance company pays up.

size features picture quality 3x optical zoom color reproduction battery cell size

lack of case as standard lens cap needs tether on/off button too close to shutter button tricky menu rocker switch poor focussing in dim light

Olympus 820

not needed

as a bebinner, this is the most fun i have had. this camera is very forgiving. it has automatic features that creat award winning shots. i am still learning how to take photos. i love the fact that i can delete the bad pics. the cusomer service is great too, even for silly questions. i even won a photo conest with it!!!! i can't see using anything else.

user friendly

the booklet is not for a novice.none

None

very good