The FE-300 (X-830 in Europe)
occupies the lead position in the Olympus
FE camera series, offering a 12-megapixel
resolution and a 2.5-inch, 230,000
pixel LCD monitor that serves to frame shots and
review them.
Thin, — 22.1 mm (0.9 in.)
— very compact, and completely covered in metal, the
FE-300 has a brushed finish in front, with a pearl finish
on the back and sides that is accented by chrome sections.
Three controls are grouped on the narrow top right side of
the camera. On the left is the Main Power Switch, and
to its right the Shutter Release and the Zoom Control,
which is a ring around the shutter release.
The shutter release is a two-stage
release that focuses the lens, establishes and locks exposure
parameters when pressed to the halfway point, and then captures
the image when pressed all the way.
In the capture modes, the zoom control moves the zoom from
wide angle to telephoto and vice versa in just under 3 seconds.
With the FE-300 in playback mode, the control displays 4,
9, 16, and finally 25 thumbnails when pressed repeatedly towards
the
side, or zooms into a photo up to 12X when pulled to the
side.
More controls are positioned
on the back of the camera, starting with two that are directly
above the top right of the monitor, both of which can be set
to turn On — not Off — the camera
if so desired, using an option in the Setup menu:
Serves to return to the
capture mode when the camera is in playback.
Starts the Playback
mode. When set to turn On the camera, the camera
starts directly in the Playback mode and does not deploy
the lens.
The next control is the Mode
Dial. The mode dial has 8 positions,
6 for still images, 1
for movie, and 1
that is a Guide:
Auto mode
takes charge off all capture parameters, leaving the user
in charge of selecting the image size, while still providing
an access to the Setup menu.
Program mode
lets the camera set the aperture and the shutter speed,
but offers the greatest amount of user control over the
camera that is available with the FE-300.
The Digital Image Stabilization
(DIS) mode captures the image using as high a shutter
speed as possible to avoid camera shake affecting the
image. To this end, the camera can increase sensitivity
up to 1600 ISO.
Portrait mode gives
preference to a large aperture to blur the background,
an effect that is more pronounced when the zoom is used.
Landscape mode mode
gives preference to infinity focus, and appears to enhance
greens and blues.
The SCN position is
the access to the FE-300's 12 Scene modes. The
selection of the specific mode is made by selecting the
SCENE menu, which presents each mode using a typical photo,
replaced after a couple of seconds by a short text description
of the mode's use.
One mode in the group stands out: Smile Shot mode. In this
mode, the camera captures three photos when it detects
— supposedly — that the subject is smiling.
The images are recorded at a size of 2048 x 1536 pixels
using SQ1 settings. Worth noting, in numerous tests
the mode captured unsmiling faces as readily as smiling
ones...
The GUIDE mode
presents typical situations in a text format. Selecting
one of these as the one that describes the shooting situation,
for example brightening a subject, offers two further
choices: adjust exposure compensation, or use the flash
to fill in shadows.
Movie mode
serves to capture movies with or without sound
at any one of three frame sizes:
640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per
second.
320 x 240 pixels at 15 frames per
second.
160 x 120 pixels at 15 frames per
second.
If sound is recorded with the movie, the optical zoom
is disabled at the first frame, remaining at the focal
length it was set to for the duration of the recording,
but the digital zoom is available. While when sound
is not captured, the optical and digital zooms are available.
Otherwise, during recording, focus, white balance and
exposure are adjusted as the recording progresses. The
recording length is only limited by the available memory
space.
The next control is the 4-direction
Arrow Pad with the OK button
at its centre that serves to confirm selections. While the
Arrow Pad serves to scroll through the menus and review images
in playback, each of its direction also serves as a direct
access to a function:
The right arrow controls
the Flash mode: Auto, Red-eye Reduction (achieved
with pre-flashes), Forced On, or Forced Off.
The down arrow controls
the Self-Timer, offering a 10-second delay before
the shutter is released.
And the left arrow
serves to select either of the two macro modes the FE-300
offers:
Off: is the normal focus mode,
from 60 cm to infinity.
Macro mode allows the camera to focus on
a subject that is 30 cm (11.8 in.) when the zoom is
at the wide angle end, and 50 cm (19.7 inches) at
the telephoto end.
Super Macro mode locks the zoom at the wide
angle end, and allows the camera to focus on a subject
that is 10 cm (3.9 inches) from the front element
of the lens.
The up arrow controls
the Exposure Compensation. When exposure compensation
is selected, the camera displays a screen that is divided
into 4 frames, each of which contains the current subject
with varying levels of exposure compensation. The right
and left arrows allow navigating to see the entire compensation
range of ±2 EV in 1/3 EV increments.
In addition, when the FE-300
is connected to a PictBridge compliant
printer, the up arrow serves to print photos.
Two more buttons, below the Arrow Pad, complete the external
controls on the camera. The button on the left has only one
function, it serves to:
Display the camera menu
that corresponds to the mode in use. (See the Characteristics
section of the review for more detail about the options
contained in the various menus).
While the button on the right has two different functions,
depending on the camera's mode:
In the shooting modes, the
button controls the Brightness of the
monitor, increasing it when pressed, and returning to
the previous brightness level after 10 seconds of inactivity.
In the Playback mode, the
button servers to Delete an unwanted image.
To date, the Olympus FE-300 is probably the smallest and
most easily carried 12-megapixel compact camera we have seen.
The design is nearly free of any protuberances when the camera
is turned off, and although it has a metallic shell, the camera
is very light.
The controls are generally well thought-out and easily
manipulated. Only the menu system, which requires fully backing
out of a menu to clear it off the monitor, could
be more practical.
Worth noting, however, configuring the
and
buttons to turn on the camera can make it difficult to handle
it without accidentally turning it on.
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Introduction
side, or zooms into a photo up to 12X when pulled to the 
side. 
