I made such a blunder!
If you EVER want to shoot indoors- GET ANOTHER CAMERA!
Outdoors or in VERY bright indoor lighting, this camera is WONDERFUL. (Well, it does have the "purple fringing" that others have mentioned, but otherwise its great.)
BUT you must remember two facts: The viewfinder is NOT an optical device. (It is an electronic display.) And it has a ten power optical Zoom. Think of it as a mid range telephoto lens.
So the result: You cannot get this camera to focus indoors. I could post a million examples. The auto focus DOESN'T work in indoor light (or any "less than sunshine" setting.)
And then becuase of the aforementioned electronic viewfinder display, manual focus is extremely difficult.
But even if you manage to get the focal distance right, that doesn't mean that you're out of the woods- because with this "long" lens- the depth of field is miniscule.
I just tried to take pictures at a concert (good range, bright stage lights) and I got a very sharp photo of a microphone.
Sadly, the singer is totally fuzzy...
Please, please, please don't make the mistake that I made. If you shoot indoors, get the same camera WITHOUT the 10x optical telephoto.
I have other complaints but ONLY buy this camera for OUTDOORS work (and in good lighting at that.)
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A Great Value
Tons of features for a great price. Benefits include tons of settings, great zoom capbility, software is easy to use. Drawbacks - lag time before the image is taken. Buy a back up set of rechargeable batteries as they are expended fairly quickly. Also, the 256K xD card is a necessity since once you start using this camera it is very hard to stop!
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Best Bang for the Buck
After 11 months of use, I like the camera better today than when I first purchased it. This thing takes great pictures. (especially after you learn how to use all the settings) At first I was disappointed with the low light focusing, but after doing some research it seems that most digital cameras suffer from the same problem. The solution with the C-750's low light focusing problem is LEARNING HOW TO USE THE MANUAL FOCUS feature, which is very easy to use.
PROS:
Great pics
Battery life is ok (always have charged spares)
10X zoom (be sure to use your tripod)
very easy to use
Great macro features
CONS:
I spend to much time taking pictues
Cost of accesories
Lack of image stabilization
1/1000 max shutter speed
This is a great all around camera. I use it daily. I would buy it again or atleast the newer versions.
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Dependable camera with one small problem
I bought this camera about 10 months ago and have been using it since then. This is a great camera, especially with the 10X optical zoom. All my friends have been surprised with the brilliant pictures that can be taken with its full optical zoom. It's got a solid feel to it and is very well constructed - quite unlike the many plastic cameras in the market today. I had even dropped the camera once from my pocket onto a concrete floor while sitting on a bench - a 2 feet drop. There was just a scratch on the mode dial but no other issues - I don't think too many electronic devices can live after a fall like that.
The one problem with the camera is low light focus (By low light I mean a standard size room with just one 60W bulb). It often fails to focus in such conditions especially in high zoom. The solution in low light could be:
a) Take photos in full wide angle
b) If that fails try switching to manual focus. Here you could first try keeping the focus fixed at infinity.
But this is a problem with most 10X zoom cameras out there. I guess it's because of the large number of individual elements within the lens that reduce the light reaching the sensors. Due to this you may want to rethink buying this camera if you have to do a lot of photography in low light or you want a simple and uncomplicated point and shoot camera.
I have read some people complaining about the shutter delay and how it's impossible to take pictures of moving subjects. The solution is quite simple - just hold the shutter button half pressed and then and shoot exactly when you want to. The only problem could be if the subject's distance from you is rapidly changing. Personally, I have never found problems taking action shots though.
Pros:
- Excellent array of features. More than most amateurs would want or even experiment with.
- Excellent 10X optical zoom.
- Outstanding image quality.
- Good battery life - about 150 photos with LCD on.
- Comes with a set of 4 good rechargeable batteries with charger.
- No software needed to connect the camera to a computer.
Cons:
- Low light focusing.
- Will loose all settings every time you remove the batteries for more that 2 mins.
- Kind of large - I could have done with a smaller camera that I can pocket.
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Another great Ultra Zoom from Olympus
I own the 750 and I own a 730 and a 700. All of them are excellent cameras and offer great optics. The 700 is still one of the only digital cameras out there allowing an ISO of 800 with an optical 10x zoom. The 730 accepts both the XD and the Smartmedia cards and the 750 offers a 4 MP capacity. I print 8x10 enlargements from all three cameras and they look great. With regard to some issues raised by other reviewers: the complete manual is included on the Camedia software disk in PDF format--it is worth the effort to print it out and read it. I have shut off all beeps and other noises on all of these cameras since I cannot stand any noise--instructions on how to do this are in the manual. With regard to shutter lag, I shoot a lot of hockey games and I almost always pre-focus by holding the shutter halfway down (using flash you see a green dot in the viewfinder) and then finish depressing the shutter when the picture is composed. If you are taking indoor sporting events, I heartily recommend external flash (get permission first). I use Olympus FL-40s but with the correct cable you can use cheaper flashes such as the Vivitar 283. Note: not all UZ models allow external flash--I do not recommend buying a digital camera without the ability to use external flash. Olympus pioneered the 10x optical zoom on a consumer digital camera and they are great lenses.
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Great Performance for the price!
This camera has great zoom! I never even have to use digital zoom. For batteries, I find that it works best to have 2 sets of rechargable Energizer AA's instead of normal AA's. Don't buy this camera if you want something compact!! The camera is somewhat heavy and bulky mostly because of the 10x optical zoom. It has a variety of modes and settings. 4 mp is perfect for a user who wants clear photos at a pretty low cost. This camera would be even more handy with a 2 or 3x telephoto lens (adapter tube required). I use a 128 mb memory card holding:
TIFF: 11 pics.
SHQ: 46 pics.
HQ: 130 pics.
SQ1: 399 pics.
SQ2: 1330 pics.
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Poor customer service.
I think the quality of the pictures were great if they were taken outside. I was a little disappointed by the customer service that I received. We paid about $500 for this camera about two years ago and the battery casing broke on it. The tension of the batteries broke a little plastic piece on the battery door. I thought that this would be replaced with no cost, but they charged me $130 to fix this cheap plastic piece. They obviously had problems with this before because it was a totally different reenforced piece of plastic. I thought that Olympus would stand by their product and fix this for free. This piece broke after having the camera for about 6 months and it was always in its camera case.
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Great Photos and Great Zoom!!!
I love this camera, my second digital. I own several film cameras which are now collecting dust on a shelf. I really love the 10x zoom which allows me, a mom of four, to sit anywhere in the audience, no matter what lousy seat I get, and get great photos of MY kid in the recital. I also like that I can get the architectural details, and other things that are too far away to get close to. I usually leave it on Auto. It's just easier. I've played around with the settings, but haven't taken the time to truly learn everything. My pictures are great. I do very limited computer editing when I get a dark picture once in a while. It's a very versatile solid camera. I did have a problem with it however. The delete key stopped working. I sent it into Olympus for repairs and it took two tries and $160 repair bill to fix it. It's working fine now. Another reviewer mentioned the so-so battery life. This is an issue. I have two sets of batteries. When one runs out, I have a backup set in my bag. Also, I found that you should use the Olympus brand XD cards with it. The Fugi brand have a few quirks and if you edit on the card (deleting, cropping etc.) you can corrupt your files. This is what I was told anyway. I also bought a card reader, so I don't have to drain my camera batteries to download my pictures. This camera has a lot of features I still haven't explored and learned to use. I would have given it a five, but for the issues I mentioned above. I hope this helps your buying decision.
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great camera
I looked at reviews on several cameras within this price range and found that this olympus had wonderful reviews...and now I know why. It is a great camera, easy to use and I got it for the digital zoom which turned out to be better than I could imagine...
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Olympus C-750 4MP Digital Camera w/ 10x Optical Zoom
This camera gives great clear pictures it also has a hotshoe for adding external flash attachments and add on lenses.
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Love it!
This camera has been my best friend for a long time. :) I use it all the time. It has a billion features that I never use, but the ones that I use are amazing. I love the photo quality (I get compliments all the time!). The flash and zoom are out of this world. I definitely recommend purchasing this camera.
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A great camera with excellent image quality, hard to replace
I had this since 2003, I agree with jemaerca's detail assessment. Owing to its size, I was looking for a smaller replacement camera and failed miserably. I purchased several Olympus and Canon for the size (w/bigger LCD) but all have terrible/noisy image quality. Currently still searching.
I decided to write this because the C-750 produces pictures easily comparable to my wife's 2 other 8M+ digital SLRs with expansive add-on lens. She was amazed at C-750's image quality when she was testing/comparing her Canon EOS 30D + $1K+ lens. Although our family owns several digital cameras, the C-750 remains the one that takes the most pictures (indoor/outdoor, vacation,...) in our family today.
It's too bad that Olympus does not extend this product line, its SP-550uz is bigger/heavier and we don't need another digital SLR. It would be ideal if the C-750 is half its size with a bigger LCD.
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I can't find another like this
I am trying to find a smaller and lighter camera to replace my C-750uz because my wife says it weighs too much. And, as she likes to carry it everywhere we go, I decided to take a look on the new models. But there are features in the c-750 that I can't find in any other camera of its category.
No other camera, even the newest from Olympus, has a remote control like the c-750.
And there's no other in its category that has that awesome 10x optical zoom.
The only two reasons I have to replace it are its big size and its small display. And, of course, the complaint of my beloved wife.
I would also like something with SD instead of XD, but that is not a big issue.
I think I will end up buying another camera without selling my C-750.
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Olympus C-750 4MP Digital Camera w/ 10x Optical Zoom
An awesome camera for the money.
Flash isn't very powerful but as long as you're not taking pictures in the dark, you'll be very satisfied. I've owned this camera for well over a year now and it's been nothing but reliable.
Definitely a solid buy.
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this is a great point and shoot camera
I have had this camera for years and I am buying a back-up because I also put this camera in an underwater housing. This camera takes great pictures. I have been selling pictures taken with this camera and the first response is, "you must have a really good camera".
Cons, it is a bit big and you can't just put it in your pocket and go.
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No Other better camera
I am owning this camera since 2005. Recently I bought "Canon S5 IS" having a very good market reputation but C-750 picture quality is lot better than my new camera.
The only problem with this camera is high start up time and small LCD. It would have been one of the best non-SLR camera if Olympus had continued the model with a bigger LCD screen , higher Mega Pixels and manual focus capability.
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