Olympus C-4040 Zoom

Digital cameras are hot stuff at the moment. The latest from Olympus is the C-4040 Zoom and, while it's more expensive than the C-700 Ultra Zoom that grabbed the Best on Test award in our group test, it's also a much more capable camera.

Digital cameras have a tendency to look like Star Trek props but, thankfully, the C-4040's understated styling doesn't scream: "Steal me! I'm expensive!" The black case is made from sturdy plastic and is slightly textured to give a firm, comfortable grip. At 400g, it's not too heavy and can easily be used with just one hand.

Anyone familiar with a 35mm SLR camera will get to grips with the C-4040 in minutes. Everyone else will have to read the manual, as there are more bells and whistles than a steam train enthusiasts' convention. The camera can still be used by point-and-clickers but there are semi- and fully-manual modes for more confident snappers.

A large dial on top of the camera body flips between the various modes and there's a rocker switch on the shutter release button for controlling the 3x optical zoom. The camera back has both a 1.75in TFT screen and an optical viewfinder, plus a sprinkling of buttons for tweaking the camera's various settings. It all looks very complicated but the menu system is clearly designed and intuitive to use.

Of course this all counts for naught if the photos aren't up to snuff, but the C-4040 more than matches expectations. Its 2272 x 1704 maximum resolution delivers crisp images with bags of detail but only one will fit on the supplied 16Mb SmartMedia card in uncompressed TIFF mode. Using compressed JPEG mode gives five maximum resolution images with no discernible loss of quality.

At £800, the C-4040 isn't a cheap camera but then it isn't a camera for dabblers. Amateur photographers looking to go digital will love it but even they may be put off by the price.

Contact: Olympus
0800 072 0070
www.olympus.co.uk.

ALSO CONSIDER: Olympus C-700 Ultra Zoom. A 10x zoom lens is the icing on the cake of this great all-rounder. £600.

See also:

Toshiba PDR-M61

Toshiba thought this digital camera would be cheap, easy to use and give good results. It doesn't quite make it.  07 Dec 2001

JVC Miniature GR-DVP3

Quite simply the sexiest digital video camera on the market.  13 Nov 2001

Kiiro Pocket Camera CJ-100

An ultra-portable digital stills camera that doubles as a webcam.  29 Oct 2001

Olympus 4.1megapixel camera

A higher-resolution CCD in this Camedia C-4040 Zoom has a lot going for it.  17 Oct 2001

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