Olympus Camedia C-220 ZOOM Digital Camera [2.0MP 3xOptical]

Amazon.co.uk Review

Olympus has squeezed a lot of good features into this 7.5x zoom digital camera, but still manages to keep the price attractive. Olympus has used the same design for its digital cameras for the last couple of years, so the Camedia C-220 Zoom doesn't appear that different from earlier models. It still looks like a compact 35mm camera, with a lens guard which also acts as a power switch.

Slide it open, though, and an Olympus auto-focus zoom lens telescopes out of the front. A miniature flash head also pops out of the top of the camera body. On the back of the camera is a 39mm LCD display, a diamond of control buttons to navigate on-screen menus and an optical viewfinder. The Camedia C-220 Zoom actually has two zooms; an optical magnification of 3x from the lens, augmented by a 2.5x digital zoom, resulting in 7.5x zoom overall. The zoom control comes from a little jog-switch next to the shutter release on the top of the camera.

The camera has a two-megapixel CCD array and can take pictures up to a resolution of 1,600 x 1,200, though you need to choose a lower resolution to store more than five of them on the 8 MB CompactFlash memory card supplied. It runs on two AA cells--alkaline are provided, but you could also use rechargeables. To get the images out of the camera, Olympus provides a USB lead and a copy of its Camedia Master 4 software. With Windows XP on your PC, the Camedia C-220 Zoom is recognised as a standard camera type and you can then also use the Camera and Scanner Wizard to import, view and print your pictures.

Picture quality is good, with natural, well-balanced colours and a high level of detail. Overall, this is a very good camera for its asking price, neat and with the image quality we've come to expect from Olympus. --Simon Williams

Customer Reviews:

Great camera.......2004-02-06

I bought this camera in July 2002 and have been very pleased with it. One reason I bought it was that it takes 2 x AA batteries, so you can purchase cheap rechargeables to keep as spares. I found that one set of charged 1700mAh batteries lasted for about 100 - 150 pictures, some with flash and plenty of use of the screen to check them afterwards. Another great thing is that the Smartmedia used is very cheap, so you can get a few 128Mb cards to fill up when going on holiday etc.

The quality of the camera is excellent too with good colour balance. I'm not sure how other cameras compare but I found taking night shots with the flash off turned out well, although a tripod is recommended as the exposure time is a lot longer.

All in all a great buy!

Simple and easy.......2004-01-15

This camera is a great piece of kit for the price. The pictures it produces are of good quality and the colours are captured very well. The 3X optical zoom really makes a difference, anymore you'd need a tripod to hold it steady. The only let down i've got is the time it takes the flash to charge - 7 seconds, but this is a minor problem and the camera is worth the money.

Great but..........2003-06-18

If tried alot of digital cameras, and even though it's not up their with the professional photography cameras, it's certainly near abouts. The camera allows upto 1600 x 1200 photos at Super High Quality, and also allows you to make Quik time movies up to 12 seconds, but without any sound.

Unlike some other cameras, aslong as you have unshakey hands, you can get some great quality photos.

The downsides are that you really need to buy a larger SmartMedia card to take more than 2 or 3 high quality snaps, buy a 64 or 128MB one. Also it tends to take up alot of battery power, so I suggest using lithium batteries for your holiday snaps and also maybee buying an adaptor.

But overall a great camera

Ease of Use.......2003-04-19

I you are moving from a 35mm compact then this is the camera. It connects to a PC via the USB and registers as a drive, drag and drop images to 'my pictures' in W2000 and you don't even need the supplied software, as good as it is. Ive used NiMh batteries and have not changed any yet, as i use the excellent optical view finder even with glasses. Set the camera to use SHQ hi res setting and buy a 128meg smartmedia, keep the supplied 8meg for panorama shots, and you will get prints at 6x4in that most people won't be able to tell from 35mm.

Excellent digital camera Olympus C220 zoom.......2002-10-23

I am taking my first steps into digital photography after using Nikon/Olympus/Pentax SLRs over the years. I wanted a zoom camera capable of good quality prints, but not too expensive. The C220Zoom fitted the bill. The camera is palm sized (though a carrycase might be advisable to stop the rear LCD being scratched). Instructions are clear and comprehensive.
Camera function modes are accessed by two buttons and a four way menu selector. The functions are easy to move through once you've read the manual.
The 8MB smartmedia card is enough for about 16 frames in HQ mode, so a larger card is advisable. There is a panorama function which is only available with the official Olympus smartmedia cards (or specially adapted others I am told), but the Olympus cards are horrendously expensive. If you don't need panorama all the time, then a generic smartmedia card will fit and be much cheaper (maybe keeping the 8MB card handy for when you need a panorama?).
Rechargeable batteries are a must with virtually any product like this, but mine came with standard batteries..
The camera USB was recognised by Windows XP and photos were accessible without any messing.
All in all, an excellent quality camera giving good images at a reasonable price.

ABC Products USB Cable Lead USB4 CBUSB4 for Olympus CB USB4 - Camera synchro cable 5 pin USB digital camera connector Camedia C-2 Zoom, C-50 Zoom, C-60, C-120, C-150, C-160, C-220 Zoom, C-300 Zoom, C-310 Zoom, C-350 Zoom, C-380, C-380 Zoom, C-390, C-400 Zoom, C-450 Zoom, C-460 Zoom, C-460 Zoom del Sol, C-520 Zoom, C-550 Zoom, C-720 Ultra Zoom, C-730 Ultra zoom, C-740 Ultra Zoom, C-750 Ultra Zoom, C-755 Ultra Zoom, C-760 Ultra Zoom, C-765 Ultra Zoom, C-770 Ultra Zoom, C-4000 Zoom, C-4100 Zoom, C-5000 Zoom, C-5050 Zoom, C-5060 Wide Zoom, C-7000 Zoom, C-8080 Zoom, D-380, D-390, D-395, D-520 Zoom, D-535 Zoom, D-540 Zoom, D-540, D-550, Zoom D-560 Zoom, D-565, D-580, FE-100, FE-270, X-1, X-2, X-200, X-250, X-300, X-400, Stylus 300, 300, 410, mju 10, mju 15, mju 20, mju 30, mju 40 PS, mju 300, mju 400, mju 410, Olympus Ferrari 2004 etc

Average customer rating:

ABC Products USB Cable Lead USB4 CBUSB4 for Olympus CB USB4 - Camera synchro cable 5 pin USB digital camera connector Camedia C-2 Zoom, C-50 Zoom, C-60, C-120, C-150, C-160, C-220 Zoom, C-300 Zoom, C-310 Zoom, C-350 Zoom, C-380, C-380 Zoom, C-390, C-400 Zoom, C-450 Zoom, C-460 Zoom, C-460 Zoom del Sol, C-520 Zoom, C-550 Zoom, C-720 Ultra Zoom, C-730 Ultra zoom, C-740 Ultra Zoom, C-750 Ultra Zoom, C-755 Ultra Zoom, C-760 Ultra Zoom, C-765 Ultra Zoom, C-770 Ultra Zoom, C-4000 Zoom, C-4100 Zoom, C-5000 Zoom, C-5050 Zoom, C-5060 Wide Zoom, C-7000 Zoom, C-8080 Zoom, D-380, D-390, D-395, D-520 Zoom, D-535 Zoom, D-540 Zoom, D-540, D-550, Zoom D-560 Zoom, D-565, D-580, FE-100, FE-270, X-1, X-2, X-200, X-250, X-300, X-400, Stylus 300, 300, 410, mju 10, mju 15, mju 20, mju 30, mju 40 PS, mju 300, mju 400, mju 410, Olympus Ferrari 2004 etc

Manufacturer: ABC Products
ProductGroup: Photography
Binding: Electronics

Olympus 1GB XD Type M Picture Card with Panorama Function

Product Features:

1 year warranty
Connect the listed Olympus Cameras to PC or MAC

ASIN: B000QRE29M

Olympus C-220 ZOOM Camedia Digital Camera [2MP 3xOptical]

Average customer rating:

Great
Style V Price
stumbled upon it like a lost treasure
Excellent camera - so portable too
Bargain!

Olympus C-220 ZOOM Camedia Digital Camera [2MP 3xOptical]

Manufacturer: Olympus
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

ASIN: B0000ULKEK

Amazon.co.uk Review

The camera has a two-megapixel CCD array and can take pictures up to a resolution of 1,600 x 1,200, though you need to choose a lower resolution to store more than five of them on the 8-MB SmartMedia memory card supplied. It runs on two AA cells--alkaline are provided, but you could also use rechargeables. To get the images out of the camera, Olympus provides a USB lead and a copy of its Camedia Master 4 software. With Windows XP on your PC, the Camedia C-220 Zoom is recognised as a standard camera type and you can then also use the Camera and Scanner Wizard to import, view and print your pictures.

Customer Reviews:

Great.......2005-06-15

I have owned the Olympus C-220 zoom for some time now, and I'm still as happy now as the day I bought it. The quality is brilliant, it looks fantastic, and is built to last (i should know i've dropped it enough times). It can make films (long or short depending on whether you decide to upgrade the memory) which sadly don't have sound, but who realy cares. If I was to say anything negative it would be it's size, when i bought it, it was an average size but now compeared to most it is fairly chunky. It comes with a handy carrying strap and fantastic software which lets you view and edit pictures with ease. It's a great bit of kit that is reliable, easy to use and great quality, if your looking for all of these then you can't go wrong.

Style V Price.......2004-08-04

I've sold this camera many, many times before, but not at this price which even I find amazing. If your looking for an easy to use camera to produce snaps for business or home then look no further, this camera will do that.

There are a couple of reasons not to buy this camera but that will depend on what type of consumer you are. If you are the type that wants a camera to look stylish and like you've just brought the latest model, this camera won't do that, it looks a little out dated. Also, although there is no immediate cause for concern, the memory cards it uses, (Smartmedia), are now considered discontinued as cameras which take them, (Fuji and Olympus most notably), aren't produced anymore, they have moved to 'xd' cards. So if a few years down the line you may want another memory card, they may not be quite as easy to get, BUT you are alright at the moment. I for one could look past its looks for the price, and you may simply want to get to grips with digital before upgrading in two or three years, therefore ignore these negative remarks!!!

If your the consumer that is thinking about 'going digital' yourself, or know someone that is, this camera is a bargin, it will give you or the person you buy it for all the delights of getting instant feedback of your pictures and good results.

stumbled upon it like a lost treasure.......2004-08-02

bought this about 1 month ago and have been overjoyed by the results I have recieved. I logged on to Amazon to simply check what people were saying about other cameras under £100 that were for sale on Amazon and also from a major high street catalogue store.
I had a list and was checking them off when I accidentaly scrolled too far down and found this little beauty. Upon reading I could not believe the spec. It was a 2 million pixel camera, had a digital zoom, had an lcd screen and came with software exactly the same spec as most of the othr sub £100 cameras HOWEVER this baby has a 3X optical zoom. That was the clincher and I snapped one up that day.
I have taken over 400 pictures now and I would say 99% have benefited from the optical zoom.
This is the part where I tell you the downsides of the camera well I don't have any. I suppose it does look a bit dated now but that does not bother me. In short £70 for an Olympus camera with a 3x optical zoom--you'd be barking not to!!

To sum up then.
Good points.
1. £70
2. Olympus-they make cameras and not car stereos as well as cameras or games consoles as well as cameras and dvd players.They make cameras full stop.
3. Smartmedia cards are dirt cheap at the moment therefore it is easy to maintain.
4. Optical zoom. I cannot underestimate the benefits of this.
5. Very easy to use. My 9 year old takes it out when she goes hiking and comes back with cool shots.
6. Did I mention it had an optical zoom.

Bad bits.
1. Does look a bit old.
? that's all folks

Excellent camera - so portable too.......2004-07-31

Bought this camera for daughters 18th to take to University.
Very portable - so she takes it with her!

Very easy to use on defaults, very good pics.
Resolution just fine for everyday sharp photos, good size for sending back to bill-paying parents!
Downloading taken care automatically by Windows XP without any software.

Comes with Camedia 4 - which creates albums for you - or provides the PC to Camera link for Win 98 SE systems (eg Uni Laptops)
USB interface - so drivers are needed and are on the CD.

Menu system much improved over earlier Olympus models - as easy to use as any other brand.

Note: this camera comes with a 16Mb Smartmedia card (not 8mb as in older reviews) - but you need to order a decent 128 mb card at the same time - or you'll run out of memory in minutes!
Two if you're going abroad on holiday.

They are about £20 on Amazon and are much easier to use than the newer XD cards on the latest Olympus - which Win XP does not recognise without the latest Olympus drivers - as we found out last weekend when a friend visited.

This camera is in the summer catalogue of a giant high street catalogue store for £127 - so it's a bargain.
CjW

Bargain!.......2004-07-30

If you're thinking of spending £200 on a digital camera - don't! - buy this one and use the rest of the money to buy some spare memory cards. The camera is very compact, simple to use with an excellent 3X zoom lens, and start-up time is quite fast - less than 4 seconds from opening the lens cover. Picture quality in SHQ mode is almost unbelievable for a 2M Pixel camera - images are sharp, with natural colours and compare favourably with many 3+ M Pixel cameras. At this quality the supplied 16M card will store only 9 images but a 128M card costing around £20 will hold 91 pictures. The camera runs on ordinary AA or rechargeable AA batteries - cheap and available everywhere.
Disadvantages? - it is a bit plasticky, the autofocus is a bit slow in low-light conditions, and the smart media cards are old technology now (it can take 8 or 9 seconds to save a high quality picture), but for this money who cares?
I bought the camera, soft case, two 128M cards, card reader, rechargeable batteries(2 sets) and charger for under £140 - a bargain. You are unlikely to see value like this for some time, newer models at this price come with digital zoom only and you would need an 18M Pixel sensor to equal this camera's resolution at 3X magnification !

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