One of two new UZ(Ultra
Zoom) cameras from Olympus that both feature 10X ED glass
zoom lenses, the C-770UZ and the C-765, with the C-770
offering some additional features over the C-765.
The C770 is compact, and finished in silver metal with a hint of gold.
Shutter Release, with
the Zoom Lever around it. As always with Olympus cameras,
the zoom control also serves to view thumbnails of captured images
(4, 9 or 16 per screen) when pushed to the Wide Angle side, or
magnify an image under review (up to 4X) with the Telephoto side.
The Mode Dial is positioned so as to overhang the back of the body
slightly, making it easier to turn with the thumb.
The Mode Dial provides 10 positions to
select the shooting modes, 7 situation-related modes including
Auto, and 4 advanced modes:
Auto: is the simplest of all shooting
modes. The camera handles all settings and the user needs
not make any manual adjustments.
Portrait: uses a wide aperture to
blur the background behind the subject slightly and is
most effective when the zoom is used.
Sports: Makes use of a fast shutter
speed to stop action.
Landscape-Portrait: enhances blues
and greens and uses an aperture that will maintain both
foreground and background in focus.
Landscape: enhances blues and greens
and uses a small aperture to maximize the depth of field.
Night Scene: designed for night photos.
Uses a low shutter speed (the camera should be stabilized
on a tripod).
Self Portrait: allows the camera
to be pointed back towards the photographer. The lens is
automatically set to the widest angle.
As noted above, beyond these situation-related shooting modes the C-770UZ
also provides advanced modes:
Program: the camera controls
aperture and shutter, but the user has access to all other
settings.
Aperture Priority: user
sets the aperture and the camera sets the shutter speed.
The C-770UZ offers apertures that starts at f2.8 at the wide
angle end, f3.7 at the telephoto end, both ranging to f8.
Shutter Priority: user
sets the shutter speed from 1/1000 sec. to 1 second while
the camera matches it to an aperture.
Manual Mode: full control
over all photographic settings of the C-770UZ, including
the entire aperture range and the full shutter speed range
which covers from 1/1000 to 15 seconds.
My Mode: allows saving
complete sets of preferred settings, including the shooting
mode. Four My Mode memories can be configured, so
as to be later recalled with the Mode Dial.
The other external controls of the C-770UZ are on the back
of the camera. One of these is a new design slider switch simply
referred to as the Power Switch in the camera manual.
The Power Switch serve to turn on the camera and place it in
Playback mode ,
or in the Still image mode ,
or in the Movie mode .
The movie mode also offers new capabilities for an Olympus camera, including
the addition of the MPEG4 format:
Movie Mode: offers
2 different file formats: MPEG4 and Motion-JPEG. MPEG4
captured video at 30 frames per second and at an image
size of 640 x 480 pixels. Motion-JPEG is captured at
15 frames per second and can be set to any of 3 different
frame sizes:
SHQ = 640 x 480 pixels
HQ = 320 x 240 pixels
SQ = 160 x 120 pixels
MPEG4
recordings are smoother than Motion-JPEG because of
the higher frame rate, but are more compressed which
tends to lower the image quality. Videos can be recorded
with or without sound with either format, but when
sound is being recorded the zoom is disabled during
the recording to avoid the zoom motor's sound from
being captured, but a digital zoom is available (2.5X).
When recorded, sound is played back through a comparatively
large speaker on the left side of the camera.
Directly above the Power Switch, the C-770UZ has a row of four buttons.
THe last button on the right is a manual release for the pop-up flash while
the other three are for:
By default, AEL (Auto
Exposure Lock) is to lock or memorize a metered exposure
of focus point if configured to serve for AF Lock. In addition,
it the buttons also serves as a Custom button that
can be assigned to any one of 26 other functions.
In Playback the AEL button
serves to Rotate an image displayed on the screen
by 90° increments.
Self Timer: 12
second delay; and Remote Control (included).
Single frame Delete in
Playback, or in the Quick View mode.
Flash Modes: Auto, Auto
with red-eye reduction, Forced on (Fill-in Flash), Slow
Sync (front or rear curtain, or front curtain with red-eye
reduction), Forced off is assumed when the flash is left
closed.
The C-770UZ is equipped with 2 flashes, a very unusual feature.
Which of the two flashes is used is determined completely by the
camera according to the zoom position. Form wide angle to approximately
the middle of the focal range the upper unit fires. While from there
to the telephoto end the lower flash is active.
In Playback, the button serves
to Protect (Lock) frames against accidental erasure.
Another group of buttons are positioned on the right of the 1.8 inch, 118,000
pixel LCD monitor. On the top left is the QUICK VIEW button
which puts the camera into Playback mode without having to change the position
of the switch above; and all the functions available in the standard Playback
mode are available in QUICK VIEW.
Next is the Arrow Pad,
a group of 4 buttons that form a circle. The Arrow Pad serves
as a directional control for menus, playback image selection,
and selecting a focus point. The OK/MENU button at the centre
of the Arrow Pad calls up the menu corresponding to the mode
in use (Playback, Still image, or Movie) and confirms some selections
in the menu. Moreover, if held in for more than a second in the
recording modes, it displays the Manual focus mode option.
The last button, ,
acts as a toggle switch between the electronic viewfinder (EVF)
and the monitor.
The EVF of the C-770UZ is a 0.44
inch LCD display with 240,000 pixels, and it includes
a diopter adjustment to the right of the exit pupil.
Just above it is a flash shoe that is compatible with Olympus' FL series flash
units and with some third-party flash units. While the Olympus flash units
are fully supported, the light emitted by third party units cannot be controlled
and the camera must be used in Manual mode.
The C-770UZ is a well-crafted camera and it has a good overall
ergonomic design. It offers a comfortable in-hand feel and
a comparatively large (1.8 inch) LCD monitor and a reasonably
sharp EVF. Similarly, most controls are positioned practically,
and are quite responsive. One control turned out to be a bit
impractical while carrying the camera: the Power Switch is
easily moved to the ON position as the camera rubs against
clothing while walking.
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Ergonomics
,
or in the Still image mode 
,
or in the Movie mode 
.
MPEG4
recordings are smoother than Motion-JPEG because of
the higher frame rate, but are more compressed which
tends to lower the image quality. Videos can be recorded
with or without sound with either format, but when
sound is being recorded the zoom is disabled during
the recording to avoid the zoom motor's sound from
being captured, but a digital zoom is available (2.5X).
When recorded, sound is played back through a comparatively
large speaker on the left side of the camera.
,
acts as a toggle switch between the electronic viewfinder (EVF)
and the monitor.
