Cameras

Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom

At a Glance

Olympus C-750 UZ Digital Camera (Olympus-225390)

Tracey CapenPhotograph by: Rick RiznerOlympus C-750 Ultra ZoomA fraternal twin of the 3.2-megapixel C-740 that we reviewed a couple of months earlier, the $599 C-750 steps up the resolution to 4 megapixels and adds a few more features: a hot shoe for an external flash, audio recording in movie mode, and a wireless remote trigger. Otherwise, the two cameras match, spec for spec, right down to their best feature, the 10X optical zoom lens (38mm to 380mm, 35mm equivalent).

Like its lesser sibling, the C-750 offers a full complement of creative exposure controls, including six scene modes, aperture priority, shutter priority, a program mode, and full manual--nearly all of them easy to select from the large mode dial on top of the camera. The only complication is that switching between aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual requires a trip into the menus. Both cameras have Olympus's My Mode control--a useful way to save up to four custom sets of frequently used camera settings.

For the most part, our images created with the C-750 were pleasing. The outdoor setting for one of our test shots juxtaposes deep shadows between buildings and a bright sky; here the C-750 handled the high contrasts especially well, producing one of the nicest outdoor shots we recorded. The camera did a good job of reproducing small details within the shot. Flash shots of our mannequin model were less pleasing: The images had fine color shading but gave the neutral-gray background a light sand tint.

Most of our objections to the C-740 also apply to the C-750, including our usual knock on Olympus documentation. You get a Quickstart Guide and a multilanguage booklet that covers only the basics. The full manual is a CD-based Acrobat file. If you use flash for macro shots, you may want to take advantage of the C-750's hot shoe by connecting an auxiliary flash. The long lens on both the C-740 and the C-750 casts a shadow in close-up flash photos.Though not all of us are big fans of electronic eye-level viewfinders, they are necessary on cameras with long zoom lenses. Like most such viewfinders, the C-750's is not as sharp as an optical viewfinder, but it does have the advantage of displaying camera exposure settings along with the image you're shooting.

Considering the C-750's plethora of controls, it's relatively uncomplicated to use. Dedicated buttons let you quickly set the self timer, flash, and macro modes. Navigating the menus is painless: Shortcuts let you jump to frequently used controls, such as the resolution settings, and though the menus are several layers deep, you can click though them fairly quickly. The camera also has manual focus, though you'd be hard-pressed to find it unless you read the Acrobat-based reference manual. (Hint: Hold down the OK button for a few seconds.)

Advanced photographers who want a 10X optical zoom, will find the C-750 a better choice than the C-740--and well worth the extra hundred bucks.