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I hadn’t heard about the camera but when I googled, I see it received high marks in this review. I think the negs on the xD is a bit more expensive, but there are always bargains if you keep your eyes open.
Just shoot the kinds of images you typically like to shoot. Portraits, landscapes, closeups in various kinds of light. The main thing is to see how it does within your particular reportoire and style of photography as every camera has its areas that it excels in and those that it doesn’t.
I guess Canon’s new SI is probably comparable.
Mark,
Hello again and thanks. The 740’s biggest advantage for me over anything else I could find that was comparable is that it’s phaseing out so the price has dropped to US$299 as opposed to $425 for the Canon SI at B&H. (The Carruths come from Scotland so I tend to be frugal.) I’ve been happy with Olympus point and shoots in both 35mm and digital but I wanted more zoom and more control plus I got a very similar menu system. I traded return time for price so I’ll have to make a decision quickly. My last (and first digital) I bought from Walmart with a 90 day return so the 7 days I have from B&H Photo Video has me a little nervous. But so far so good.
Bob
There is no perfect camera. The best camera is the one that "evoke"s the most positive emotion".
Try it out, if it "feels" good, keep it. If it doesnot, return it.
Leen
Leen,
I agree and it does feel good. I’m only concerned that I won’t shake out any problems before I’ll have to rely on the warranty to get it fixed rather than just return it as defective.
I’m just going to spend the next couple of days trying everything about it that I can to see if I can make it hiccup.
Thanks,
Bob
Bob,
I have the C-750 which is a cousin of the C-740, except for the hot shoe on the c-750. No problem with the camera at all. 10x optical zoom works well for me. Just came back from a trip and took about 60 pictures. Color, focus all OK. I did print up the users’ manual in order to be able to familiarize myself with all the settings.
Ken
Ken,
Great minds think alike. Just finished printing 2 pages per sheet and 2 sided printing so it only came out to around 50 sheets.
Thanks,
Bob
I use XD picture cards with my Fuji…they are tiny !!! So, if you have big fingers …good luck 😉
Oh crap…those darn emoticons…if you use a ‘X’ and a ‘D’ next to each other you get XD
Jodi,
The cards are tiny. However, after opening the card compartment in the camera, one depresses the card with the finger tip, and it pops out. Then I insert it in to my card reader without a problem. I never insert it in to a machine over which I have no control, as at Walgreen or CVS. I burn the picture files, after enhancing them in Elements, on to a CD and then insert the CD in to the machine. The prints that I obtain this way are (1) 4×6" precisely centered, with or without border (2) better quality prints than I can obtain on either of my 2 inkjets (3) cheaper @$0.29 per pop. I do print some special pictures myself on selected paper.
Ken
Ken, ya, they aren’t a problem for me either. I had been used to the chunky CF cards with my prior digital and was only amazed at how small the x d cards were. Glad you are getting good prints at the stores. I haven’t tried that yet and i probably wont as long as my printer behaves….but it’s nice to know i can if I absolutely have no other choice.
Funny thing, when i lived in Florida my prints processed from my ol 35mm came out really really well at the local Walmart down there. Up here they were really really bad….then i went digital so i no longer have the need to rely on anyone processing my work. You would think they all use the same equipment but obviously there are differences. Then again, could be the hired help. Wondering if same holds true for your method of printing.
Jodi,
I had 40 prints made at CVS about 10 days ago. They are processed in the same developing chemicals as are prints derived from film. Thus the input varies, film vs. digital, but the output is identical – at least according to the tech at the store. As an experiment, have a few digital pictures printed on the Kodak machine in the store. This past Sunday they had a coupon in the paper for 5 free prints (@CVS) – I guess to wet your appetite. I’ll be interested in your comments.
I should add that the machine in the store allows one to crop, change brightness, and perform other unsophisticated maneuvers.
Ken
Jodi,
Glad you clarified that. Had no idea what a XD card was. Glad to see that another major manufacturer is using them. I’ve been down Sony’s road too often. So handy that my TV has a Memory Stick slot! Not!
Bob
Ken, i was afraid of this. I had posted a long while ago and wrote too much but the power went out just as i was posting my reply. I see it never made it here. We had a bad electric type storm thingy going on. I should have known better. Anyways, try again…I noticed the overload of the new kodak imaging booths commercials on TV lately. I think it would be safe to try it out. I suspect it can’t be much different than the bundled software that comes with the Kodak digitals for enhancing images….basic but good enough for most enthusiasts. As long as we are starting with a good digital image of course. Then, there are lots of point n shooters out there that really don’t know what a ‘good’ pic is. They are happy if the head isn’t cut off…ya know ? So, I’d be one to give it a try considering Kodak’s reputation…if i didn’t have a printer I mean.
Rob, i would bet that most TV’s will end up with multi memory card readers…eventually. One can only hope XD
Jodi, I have two Sony TV’s – neither has a memory card reader.
Of course, the newer one was purchased in 1986….and the older one about 1982….darn things refuse to die!
🙂
Hi Chuck 🙂
82 and 86 ? Ya, you are stuck with them 😉
who needs a tv that reads cards anyways….well, ‘need’ is the key word…then there is ‘want’ 😉
I guess i don’t want one. If i had one I’m not even sure i would use it. Then again, could come in handy for business type stuff. hmmmm, yup.
Jodi: Nothing much to watch anyway….now that Tech TV has disappeared from our cable lineup. Bummer…
How the heck did that happen ? Dump the cable and get the Dish 🙂 lots of tech TV here. Bed time night night kiss kiss
Chuck,
TechTV merged, or was taken over by, G4 — a channel oriented to gaming.
On DirecTV, they put it ( now called G4techTV) in the same slot formerly occupied by TechTV.
Byron
Byron, that was supposed to happen on Time Warner Cable also, but the station hasn’t reappeared. Maybe there’s hope….thanks!
Jodi,
If they had put in a multi reader I wouldn’t mind so much but with Sony it’s "my way or the highway". They do make great TV’s, though.
I’d rather burn a slide show to CD and play it on the DVD. Risk a $1.50 instead of $60 worth of xD.
Chuck,
My old Sony XBR lasted so long (from about 1990, I think) that when it finally died last summer it would have cost too much to repair. Have another small one from the mid 80’s still going strong.
Bob
PS: After 2 days of trying as much as I can figure out (and solving the problem of duplicate file names when shot on the same day) the 740 is a keeper for me. So far no purple fringe even at 10x against a sky background (drove me nuts with the 550 at any zoom). In good light I’m even getting crisp hand helds at 10x.
Thanks for helping. There are a lot more bells and whistles on this one so I’m sure I’ll be asking more.
Bob – I have the 750 and am very happy with it. There is a deal on the 755 now at Costco for just under $400 and it is a 4.0 MP camera. Certainly worth the price! I have three cameras – a 3.0, a 4.0, and a 5.0 MP. The
4.0 MP gives you greater latitude in cropping and tweaking prints than the
3.0 MP. I would definitely go for the 4.0 MP at this price if you have access to a Costco store in your area. You can go to their web site as well. This is available until 6/13. The Costco deal would get you into the same basic camera you are evaluating, but with 4.0 MP. I just looked at the 765 as well. Smaller and with a larger LCD screen. They made it smaller by going to their proprietary battery. Our 5.0 MP camera (Olympus C50) is a great little pocketable camera that uses the small battery. The downside is that you may not be able to find a replacement when traveling, and the 740, 750, and 755 can use four AA cells which are available everywhere in the world. We have two of the small batteries and keep them charged and with us while on trips. I should probably buy a third one just in case one malfunctions.
wrote in message
The new Olympus C-740 arrived this afternoon. So far I’m happy with
identical comparison shots with the D-550 (both shot at auto settings). Neither produces any curvature of straight subjects horizontally or vertically. The 740’s color is much more accurate according to my Wife who is the artist in this family. 10X zoom (once I found spot focus) is crisp and, so far, without the annoying blue/purple fringes. Macro (I haven’t tried Super Macro which gets down to the 2 or less inch range yet) at about 5 inches is very sharp. I know that I should probably go for more megapixels but since 8×10 is all that I’ll ever print and I got an extra 6% at 3.2 I couldn’t justify the extra dollars.
The 740 uses xD cards only. Any negatives on that storage format?
I have 6 more days during which I can return the camera without penalty.
Any further tests that I should try?
As usual all thoughts greatly appreciated.
Bob
Robert_F_Carruth wrote:
PS: After 2 days of trying as much as I can figure out (and solving the problem of duplicate file names when shot on the same day) the 740 is a keeper for me. So far no purple fringe even at 10x against a sky background (drove me nuts with the 550 at any zoom). In good light I’m even getting crisp hand helds at 10x.
Thanks for helping. There are a lot more bells and whistles on this one so I’m sure I’ll be asking more.
I see purple fringe when the scene is overexposed, but it is not a big deal.
There is an option in the camera to NOT reset filenumbers.
However, what I do is rename the folder. 05_30 becomes 05_30a.
Ed
Ed,
I’ve had a lot of trouble in the past with that purple fringe when I’ve replaced a bad sky (fog or sea mist in Maine) so I’m really happy with the 740.
I couldn’t believe that the default was not to reset file numbers. Since I use Camedia Master (Olympus’s own software) to upload and organize files into different folders it was a real pain. I guess they were trying to protect us from hitting the 9,989,001 picture limit that would force buying a new card. That’s 2734 shots per day for 10 years. More than I’ll use in my lifetime.
Thanks,
Bob
