Solid, but clunky digital camera from Olympus

Author's Rating:

Pros: Stylish design and color, relatively inexpensive

Cons: Navigation and menus are clunky, no sound on video playback, images come out blurry

The Bottom Line: 
Not the easiest digital camera to use by any stretch and most other cameras will do what this does much better

Author's Review
I am not a professional digital photographer nor do I have all that much of an interest in taking pictures. I do like having the option of being able to take a digital photo at an event (like a birthday, wedding, etc.) and do so occasionally. I probably use a digital camera about 10 times a year, therefore I would not call it my hobby.

I received the Olympus FE-300 digital camera for my birthday in the summer of 2008. At the time, I really wanted a digital camera. I wanted to take some photos for my website and never had my own before. Immediately, I liked the design of the camera because of its silvery, shiny color (looks stylish) and also the size of it (it can fit in your pocket). I do recommend getting a case or pouch for any digital camera as they can be delicate and it will extend the life of it.

I had used a digital camera before getting the Olympus so I was not a beginner. I also do like technology and computers and am advanced (went to college to study computers), so I am quite savvy. Unfortunately, I do admit that this Olympus camera is very difficult to use. The operation is clunky and the navigation through the menus is tedious and poorly designed. It is not always clear what screen you are on or how to get where you need to go. It does come with a user manual so that did help a bit.

The problem is, the Olympus FE-300 is not for a casual digital photographer. The functions are advanced and raw: you need to know what you are doing to get the shot right. For example, for months the photos would come out blurry and I could not figure out why. Finally, I read in the manual that you have to hold down the shoot button halfway and let it focus before pushing it all the way down to take the picture. This is very clunky and irritating, especially since the shoot button is slippery and smooth to the touch.

As far as the picture quality, it is very good but not great. For a 12 megapixel camera, I was expecting more clearer and crisper images. Even after figuring out the shoot method, the images still come out slightly blurry. Now, it could be that I am not doing something right still, but at this point (over tww years of use) I should be able to figure it out.

The video capability of the camera is also not very user friendly. First of all, there is no sound when you playback a video on the camera itself. This is very frustrating because almost all new cameras come with this standard. And I know this is not a video camera, but this should be a given. The actual video quality itself is not terrible although the movies come out a little grainy on the computer screen.

It is very simple to copy, view, or delete images and videos on your computer (and from the camera itself). The problem is, the flash memory card it takes is the microSD so in order to copy the files to your computer, you need a microSD adapter so it will fit in the multimedia slot on your computer. This also produces and extra step to get to your photos or videos.

All in all, I would not recommend the Olympus FE-300 to anyone who shoots photos casually. This is an advanced camera with many advanced features on it and takes time to learn. I personally would go with a Canon or Kodak for an easier time with it as I have had much better luck on those models.