The monitor of the FE-300 is sharp,
and information superimposed on it is easily understood. Moreover,
the camera's Guide function is ideal for beginners or the
occasional user, as are the short descriptions of the modes
that appear on the monitor whenever a shooting mode is selected.
The menu system, on the other hand, suffers from a design
quirk that can occasionally make it time consuming to access.
First, the use of the Top Menu as a gateway to different sections
of the menu system turns out to act as a barrier to making
quick changes. Moreover, whenever a menu section is accessed,
and although it is possible to capture a photo with the menu
on screen, it is necessary to fully back out of the menu to
clear it from the monitor.
The Setup section of the menu is common to all modes and
appears in the same location in the Top Menu, whether the
camera is set to a capture mode or to the playback mode. The
section provides options for the basic configuration of the
FE-300:
Format: to format the internal memory or a memory
card.
Backup: serves to copy images stored in the internal
memory to an xD card.
Language: to select the interface language (English,
French, Spanish or Portuguese for the North American version).
The languages available depend on the region of the world
where the camera is purchased, and more languages can be
added using the software supplied with the camera.
Pixel Mapping: serves to check the proper functioning
of the CCD and the image processor. It is recommended for
use once a year.
Capture/Playback Buttons: On or Off.
Decides whether these buttons, located directly above the
monitor, can be used to turn On the camera.
Monitor Brightness: to adjust the monitor's backlight
(Bright or Normal).
Beep: serves to adjust the volume of the camera's
operation sound (Off, Low, High).
allows adjusting the volume of the camera's warning sounds
(Off, Low, High).
Shutter Sound: Serves to adjust the shutter
sound (Off, Low, High).
Volume: serves to adjust the volume of
the playback sound for audio associated to images, or movies.
Serves
to set the time and date on the FE-300, as well as the date
format.
Video Out: to choose the signal produced by the
FE-300, either NTSC or PAL so the camera can be connected
to almost any television world-wide.
Power Save: On or Off. When On, the camera
turns off the monitor after 10 seconds of inactivity.
Olympus supplies the FE-300 with a short printed manual.
The manual is basic, although it manages to cover all the
camera's functions. However, the manual only provides basic
instructions without any elaboration, and appears to be the
only source of information about the camera.
Software
One CD is supplied with the
FE-300 when purchased in North America. The CD contains Olympus
Master 2 (version 2.03) and Olympus Muvee TheatrePack
— Trial version.
Olympus Master 2 is primarily
an image browser and is designed to transfer photos and movies
automatically when the camera is connected to the computer.
It can also present images as a slide show, with or without
music; and be used to resize images for e-mailing and to print
images. The program is also designed to edit Olympus RAW images
and stitch panoramas. It also serves, when the camera is connected
to the computer, to update the camera's firmware or add languages
to the interface.
Images are presented in an index
view, and the size of the thumbnails is adjustable using a slider
at the lower right of the program's main window. Camera settings
for any image can also be shown in a column on the right side
of the main window.
With an image selected, clicking
the Edit button opens the photo in another window where it
can be adjusted or modified using the tools aligned to the
right of the image.
The image can be resized, cropped, have text inserted, and
be adjusted for brightness and contrast, colour balance, tone
curve, gamma, auto tone correction, hue and saturation, sharpness
or blur. In addition, the image can be converted to monochrome
(black and white) or sepia, and be corrected for distortion,
or red-eye.
At the bottom of the editing
window, the other images contained in the folder are presented
as a film strip, making it easy to select photos for editing.
The other program on the disc is a trial version of Olympus
Muvee TheatrePack, software that allows creating slide
shows with background music combined with effects and transitions
that can then be burned on CD or DVD. The program can be used
for 15 days, after which a license needs to be purchased.
Compare Prices for Olympus FE-300 12.0MP Digital Camera
Interface & Software
allows adjusting the volume of the camera's warning sounds
(Off, Low, High).
Serves
to set the time and date on the FE-300, as well as the date
format. 
