Olympus C-960 Zoom review

Gallery

Verdict:

Review Date: 1 Jun 2001

Price when reviewed: (£293)

Reviewed By: Rod Lawton

Our Rating 5 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

Slick, practical, foolproof and fast.

The 960-Zoom is a snapper's delight, with potential for keener photographers too.

Image quality

The C-960 and the FinePix 2400 have similar designs and price tags. But while the FinePix has a 2-megapixel CCD, the Olympus offers only 1.3 million pixels. The difference is obvious in the test images. Viewed on-screen, images from the Olympus have as much 'bite', but are around 35% smaller. Colour rendition is spot-on, and exposure good, though the FinePix 2400 and Toshiba PDR-M60 are better. That said, the Olympus easily outstrips the other 1.3-megapixel camera, the HP, for image quality. It's a great performer, but there are similarly-priced cameras with more clout.

Features

The sliding lens cover and idiot-proof operation make the Olympus seem one for happy snappers, but its beginner-friendly exterior hides a few surprises.

The 3x optical zoom is good and fast, and as well as centre-weighted exposure metering, you can opt to measure light in a small, central area only. Exposure compensation, white balance controls, macro and multiple flash modes (including red-eye and slow-synchro) make this camera handy for creative snappers too.

Overall

Can you make do with 1.3, rather than 2, megapixels? If you can, and don't mind paying a 2-megapixel price, the Olympus is a gem. It looks like the FinePix 2400 but handles a lot better, and image quality is very good (for the resolution). A brilliant 'coat pocket' camera for all occasions.

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