This new Olympus camera, the Camedia
C-7000 (called C-70 in Europe), offers a 7.1 megapixel
resolution and a 5X optical zoom.
The camera is relatively thin
and its finishing, a mix of metal and plastic in matching tones,
is flawless. On the front a thick rubber piece serves as a
grip with, to its right, a transparent red piece that covers
the self-timer lamp and and the IR receiver for the remote
control.
Three controls are located on
the top right, enclosed in a slightly darker, raised area: the power
switch on the left, and the 2-stage shutter release with
the zoom control lever around it.
Besides controlling the optical zoom, the control also serves in playback,
when pushed towards the side,
to display thumbnails ();
while when pulled to the side,
it magnifies an image ()
displayed on the monitor up to 5X.
The ridge facing the back of the
C-7000 is inclined at 45°, allowing it to support three buttons
on the right side of the camera which have a double function,
one in the recording modes and one in the playback mode. The
recording mode functions are indicated above each in black while
their playback function is shown below with coloured icons:
Displays a semi-transparent
screen offering Metering options on the left and Focus options
on the right of the screen:
Metering options:
ESP: is similar to a centre-weighted metering
pattern, and the centre point for the pattern
is relative to the focus point.
Spot:
meters the exposure at the focus point, wherever
it is in the frame.
Multi-Metering: meters the brightness of the
subject at up to eight different points in the
frame, each selected by the user and then combines
them to obtain the optimal exposure based on
the average brightness.
Focus options:
iESP: lets the camera automatically select
the focus point.
Spot: focuses exclusively on what is at the
centre of the frame.
Area: makes it possible to select a focus
point anywhere in the frame.
And when the C-7000 in playback
mode the same button serves to delete unwanted images,
either one at a time or all the images on the memory card.
The Self-timer and Remote
button is next, and serves to control the 12 second
self-timer on the first press while the second initializes
the optional Remote control. Last, a third press starts
a remote controlled self-timer.
With the C-7000 in playback
mode, the button allows selecting images that will be printed.
The number of prints to make of each image, or the date on
which the image was captured, and whether or not its file
name will be printed can also be decided. The Olympus C-7000
is compatible with PictBridge, making it possible
to print photos directly on PictBridge compliant printers,
by-passing any need for a computer.
The third button controls the Flash
modes, when the flash is popped-up, cycling through
Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Fill-in, Slow Synch with Red-eye
reduction on the first curtain, or Slow Synch with the
second curtain. (forced off is assumed when the pop-up
flash is left closed.)
And in playback the button serves
to Lock images, preventing an accidental erasure.
The Camedia C-7000 is equipped
with an optical viewfinder, but it lacks a diopter correction.
Two LEDs are positioned to the right of the exit pupil. The upper
one lights up in orange and indicates the flash mode (charging
or charged), while the lower one lights up green and indicates
focus.
To the left of the viewfinder, a button recessed into a concave area serves
to pop open the C-7000's flash.
All the other remaining external
controls of the C-7000 are lower on the back of the camera and
to the left of the 2 inch, 206,000 pixel LCD monitor.
The biggest is the Mode dial, easily turned with the right
thumb, and which offers 7 capture modes and the playback mode
():
Program: lets the camera
control the selection of shutter speed and aperture. All
other photographic parameters such as exposure compensation,
white balance and sensitivity can be controlled.
Aperture Priority: allows
selection of apertures from 2.8 through f8 while the zoom
is at the wide angle end, and f4.8 through f8 when the
zoom is at the maximum telephoto, while the camera matches
it to a shutter speed. All other parameters can be adjusted.
Shutter Priority: allows
selecting shutter speeds from 1/2000 down to 4 seconds
while the camera selects a corresponding aperture; and
all other parameters can be adjusted.
Manual: in addition
to providing complete control over both the aperture
and the shutter speed, all other parameters — with
the exception of exposure compensation — can be
set.
My Mode: this dial position
serves to access any of the 4 memory positions that can
be preprogrammed with sets of preferred camera settings.
accesses the C-7000's Scene
modes. Five Scene modes are available:
Portrait:
uses a large aperture to limit depth of field
and blur the background behind the subject.
Sports: optimizes
the shutter speed to freeze action.
Landscape + Portrait:
maximizes the depth of field so that both foreground and
background are in focus.
Landscape: as with the
mode above, the depth of field is maximized so that foreground
and background are sharp, but also boosts saturation for
blue and green tones.
Night Scene: requires
a tripod as the mode uses a slow shutter speed to
capture the photo.
Movie Mode: allows
recording video clips with sound. Four frame sizes are
available:
SHQ 640 x 480 pixels at 30 fps for a maximum
of 20 seconds per clip.
HQ 640 x 480 pixels at 15 fps, recording
lasts as long as there is space on the memory card.
SQ1 320 x 240 pixels at 30 fps, lasts as
long as there is space on the memory card.
SQ2 320 x 240 pixels at 15 fps, lasts as
long as there is space on the memory card.
If sound is not recorded, it is possible to use the
optical zoom. Otherwise, if turned on, the digital
zoom can be used. White balance is fixed at the first
frame, but exposure is dynamic. Focus is also normally
fixed at the first frame unless the AF mode is set
to continuous.
The 2-inch LCD monitor
of the C-7000 offers 206,000 pixels and is positioned on a raised
area, occupying more than half of the camera's back. It is possible
to vary the way information is displayed on the monitor, including
adding on a real-time histogram, and a composition grid. Worth
noting however, these various display modes are all selected
through the camera's menu, and not with an external button.
To the right of the LCD monitor, a cluster of buttons complete the external
controls of the C-7000 as follows:
In the capture modes, this
button locks the metered exposure parameters, making
it possible to recompose the shot without losing those
parameters. Moreover, the button can be re-programmed
to provide another function (see the Characteristics section
of the review for more information).
In Playback this button serves
to rotate an image on the display in 90° increments,
either to the right or to the left.
Is a fast shortcut access to
the Playback mode that avoids having to turn the mode dial
to the Playback position. Pressing lightly on the shutter
release returns the camera to the shooting mode, as does
pressing the Quick View button.
The 4-direction control, immediately
at right of the monitor, consists of four curved directional
buttons. They are used to navigate the menus, select aperture,
shutter speeds in the P/A/S/M modes, adjust the exposure compensation
and even move the focus point around the frame when the focus
mode is set to Area.
A round button at the centre of the 4 arrow provides 2 functions:
Pressed once quickly the
button calls up the menu that corresponds to the the
current Mode dial position, and serves to confirm selections.
In addition, holding the button pressed more than 1 second overlays
a manual focus distance scale on the left of the monitor, with
the option to switch to manual focus mode. In the manual focus
mode the focus is adjusted using the up/down arrows of the control
while the camera displays a magnified central portion of the frame
to help the process.
In use, the camera is comfortable to hold and the layout of the controls
is quickly familiar. Moreover, the C-7000 is fast — the camera
is ready to shoot in about 1 second — and reacts just as quickly
to its control.
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Ergonomics
side,
to display thumbnails (
);
while when pulled to the 
side,
it magnifies an image (
)
displayed on the monitor up to 5X.
):
