I was originally attracted to the FE-280 because it was A) an Olympus (I've had great success with Olympus digicams before) B) it was small so I could take it anywhere and C) because I tried it in store, and the macro mode was amazing (hard to find on ultra-compacts). I bought it as a supplement to my excellent Olympus C-765, which although is old, still works great. It just was too bulky to take to parties and such. That being said that main purpose of this camera was to take pictures of friends and family and the occasional snapshot of a nice flower or scene along the waY. Considering that this was a point-and-shoot, I expected it to take pictures of people at parties with the flash with minimal problems, and bought it because it could take "that" shot of the flower next to the road on the way to the party. Well I took it to my first party last night, and boy was I disappointed. First off, the camera had to hunt and hunt for the proper focus in medium to low indoor lighting, and then there was a large amount of shutter lag even after it focused. And on top of that I would say about 6 out of 10 of my photos came out blurry. A huge disappointment. I thought maybe it was the AF mode, so I tried each of the three (Spot, iESP, and Face Detection), none of which could produce any better results. Which is really a shame because this camera takes such great pictures in outdoor conditions.

So now that you have heard the bad let me go onto the good.
This camera is unbelievably small and beautiful-I bought it in red (not available on Amazon) and it always catches attention. The screen is bright, and not glossy so it can easily be seen outdoors. And as mentioned before, the supermacro mode is incredible and outdoor performance is outstanding with accurate colors and sharp details. Also the face detection system works well sizing the boxes and detecting the faces, but for some reason can't focus them. The camera powers up quickly, and the menu system is better than most digital cameras these days, but I still prefer Olympus's old menu system. Also, this is a little thing that makes a huge difference: when you go to change the exposure there is a live preview of 4 exposure steps at a time so you can see what changing the exposure will do to the picture before you take it, so you don't have to keep comparing photos. I would really like to see a feature like this on other cameras.

So all of this being said, this camera is incredibly capable at doing things that more advanced cameras do (despite there being very few manual controls), but fails at the most basic task of taking pictures of people-its main function! So I am returning it and probably going to go with the Sony DSC-W80. What a shame, Olympus used to be able to make a camera that took great pictures-no matter the circumstances. Small size is great, but not if it compromises image quality like this!

PS - The "Dual Image Stabilization" is really quite the scam - It leads you to believe that you are getting both digital (ISO boost and high shutter speed) and optical (such as gyro-counteracted lens/CCD shift) stabilization, but really you are just getting the two (hence dual) digital modes, so all you wind up getting is an unusable, grainy photo. Digital image stabilization sometimes called DSP or similar, is a waste. Optical (lens shift or CCD shift) are the only kinds of stabilization that are worthwhile.

Well, my camera works great! :-)

Before I started, I decided to quickly read the owner's manual, as I wanted to make sure that I could get some immediate, good results before I left on my vacation to Canada! (I didn't want to leave with my new toy, not knowing how to use it. )

Over the past several weeks:

- I've snapped sunrises, sunset photos, both in low-light condition and the quality has been great! Nothing to complain about. It's just a simple, point 'n shoot camera that works well!

- During my trip, I took over 300 photos. Not one of them came out blurry, even through some of them (like the picture of the sheep -- see the photo gallery) were taken in a hurry from a slow moving vehicle. I had one chance, and only a couple of seconds to snap the picture -- and I think it came out well!

- This camera captures the vivid colors in the photo. I've taken family photos and it seems to always focus upon their faces, and not upon the background wall, etc, which is a nice feature.

- I've snapped close up pictures of flowers and other items. No problem there either.

Seriously, I love my camera. No, it's not the Rolex of digital cameras, nor is it one of those "pricey" DSLRs -- but for me, it's just a simple, point 'n shoot camera that takes wonderful photos. In fact, I never told my family that I had purchased a new camera, but it didn't take them long to figure it out, as they quickly noticed that the quality of my photos vastly improved.

Just reporting my experience with my camera! Hope this helps.

I just bought an FE-280 to replace another FE-280 that I've been using in Iraq for a very long time. Because I've had so much success with my previous camera, it was an easy decision to replace it with a new one. The only reason my old camera failed was because I use it every day in an incedibly dusty environment, and it finally just choked on dust.

This camera has served me very well over the past year, and the only complaint that I can think of is that the power button is far to close to the shutter button. I use my camera often at night and it's very easy to press the wrong button, turn off the camera, and miss the shot...and we don't get alot of chances at a second attmept at a shot here in Iraq.

This is a great camera. It's very light, takes great quality pictures, has a very easy menu to navigate through and set up your preferences, and many other features. I especially like the very big screen on the back because I usually take my pictures while I'm moving, and a big screen makes it much easier to ensure that you're geting what you intend to get.

You'll be happy with this camera. I am.

I have always been a fan of Olympus cameras and this has continued with the purchase of this camera. The size is convenient for traveling since it could fit in your pocket. It also has an appealing style and is easy to use.

In camera shopping, I was looking for a small camera that could easily fit into a small pack when sightseeing. Our other camera was a 5 MP Sony Mavica, and while it's still a great camera, it is big and bulky, and we were looking for something smaller.

On the advice of someone who said the two brands with the best picture quality were Canon and Olympus, I bought the Olympus FE-280. I have to agree with the other poor review about the ability of this camera to focus on people. I could take a picture of my son's stuffed animal with such amazing clarity that I could tell whether or not the dog had shed on the sofa, but when taking pictures of people, my 4 year old, 5 MP Sony Mavica could take a picture with better focus every single time. Details of people taken with the Olympus were fuzzy at best. As a mom, I was looking to take pictures of my kids - if I can't accomplish that, then I've wasted my money. I returned the Olympus and bought a Canon SD850.

Any picture that didn't involve a person turned out fairly well. The camera was very small, and if you are looking for a portable camera to use primarily for scenery, this may be a good fit for you. However, if you plan on taking lots of pictures of friends and family, this probably isn't the camera for you.

I got this one on a trip to replace the Olympus 770SW after smashing that one (700 foot drop) by accident.

Needless to say the 770SW took FAR better photos even after being smashed(I'm serious) than the FE280 ever did.

After fiddling around with it for an eternity I figured out it wasn't me and that this thing has serious issues. Taking still pictures outside in bright light results in a best-case 50% of the photos not being blurry garbage.

I bought this for my wife because of the ease of operation. It is so easy a child that can read can use it!!! Great pictures and nice small, light camera

Just purchased my camera yesterday...My last camera just died, and I needed to get something quick with Christmas right around the corner. Normally I would look at Sony or Canon, but with Christmas so close everything has been way picked over, plus I didn't want get something expensive because my canon is being repaired...anyway, I love this camera, so easy to use,it takes great video too! I got a package deal from circuit city. That came with the camera,a really nice case, and a chip that hold over 250 pics. all for 180.00. For the price, it is a great deal! I love it just as much as my canon,if not more. Plus I love the red color.

I got this camera for Christmas and was immediately impressed by its small size and how easy it was to use. It's a very intuitive camera, with lots of great settings for taking pictures behind glass, detecting faces in a shot, and eliminating red eye.
However, after using it for 24 hours, I have decided to return it. The shutter speed is unimpressive, particularly when it is trying to focus a picture. Furthermore, the "review time" of a picture is a mandatory 3 seconds, so it is impossible to take several photos in rapid succession because the image is displayed for 3 seconds after it is taken. Another annoying feature is the display while scrolling through pictures I've taken; the display shows a lot of useless information including resolution and time of day taken. You can eliminate this information for each picture by pressing okay while viewing it, but if you scroll to the next photo or zoom in and out, it appears again. This is something I didn't think would bother me, but has become incredibly annoying.
Overall, if you're looking for something small, cute, and intuitive, I'd recommend it, but if you're looking for something to take fast pictures, look elsewhere.

got this camera for christmas real easy to operate nice camera and small

We purchased our Olympus Stylus FE-280 just before leaving on a Cruise to Central America and Mexico. The camera performed wonderfully with excellent pictures and videos. It performed well beyond my greatest expectations and the picture features all add to the effectiveness of the camera. The battery recharge lasted through an entire day without difficulty and 1 GM card (extra) was more than enough for 420 pictures plus 30 short film clips. The video feature is excellent with ability to capture excellent sound and pictures in addition to the high quality photos the camera is able to provide. We love our pictures and especially the camera. The ease of use is wonderful for quick filming. For the price it cannot be beat!

I got this camera because I have an older Olympus that takes excellent photos. I was terribly disappointed in the photo quality. Night photos in regular room light are poorly exposed and about half are blurry. The flash is too close to the lens, which may be part of the problem. The small size is handy, which is about all I can say about it. I am returning it. Thankfully it was purchased at a store without a restocking fee.

We bought 2 of the FE-280s; one for us and one as a gift for a non-camera user. This was perfect for the new user who learned to take pictures and video in no time. We already have another Olympus digital SLR and this camera takes comparitive quality shots. Our other camera is large and this one is good for times where a big camera is inconveninet. The shutter speed is a little slower, as is to be expected in a small camera, but we loved the video camera feature. We just returned from a vacation where it was used extensively and we are very happy with the results.

The camera was awesome. It works great. My boyfriend is in the Marines and it is easy for him to carry with him and takes videos and pictures just fine.

The camera look great, small for 8MP. But the shutter speed too slow, slow enought to miss important moment. 5 out of the 10 pictures come out not satisfied. I bought this camera for one of the kids for Christmas and Casio S880 (also 8MP) for another Kid. The Casio cost more, but way much better.

I am giving this a neutral review just before I ship this off for repairs.
The camera worked fine, and got a lot of use for the two and a half months that we have had it. It has a one year warranty - thank goodness!
My son used the video feature extensively and found it to be perfect for filming his ping pong ball movies (variation of beer pong, but without the beer). Our daughter took numerous pictures of herself, our pets and her friends. Today my son used it for a while then turned it on only to see that the LCD screen looked like a combination of a spider web and bulls-eye-like broken glass with some interesting iridescent lines for good measure. Quite a pretty design - unfortunately when I called Olympus, I was told that this is a common repair concern - that the LCD was "bleeding internally" and that most likely somehow the lens mechanism had gotten off track as a result as well. I will follow up once I receive the camera back from Olympus. If you are considering several cameras, however, you may want to be aware of this looming problem.
Good Luck whatever you decide! Maybe it's not a good choice for young videographers and photographers....

I own two other Olympuses, an E-volt 500 and a C-3000. Both are simple to use and take excellent photos. I wanted a super compact camera, and since I know Olympus cameras, they seemed the obvious choice. At first I was put off by some of the reviews, but decided to take a chance. Especially since I found this model at Radio Shack for a mere $139.95!! After just a month I have found none of the problems reported by other users. I suspect others simply weren't familiar with the controls, or purchased faulty cameras. For what the camera is for, I give it top marks. It's extremely small, in fact so tiny I'm afraid I'm going to drop it. The complaint that it doesn't take good pictures indoors just doesn't fly. It is possible to change the ISO as well as the exposure, and I have gotten fine pictures both outdoors at night and in a dark, fire lit room. The complaint that it shoots slowly is also user error. By holding the shutter button down halfway, you set the focus and exposure. Then when you push it the rest of the way it takes the image almost instantly. So people need to learn how to use their cameras. I found the user manual simple to read and understand. The USB cable is a bit tricky to insert into the camera, but certainly not worth mentioning, or knocking the camera for. I found it to transfer images to the computer at least as fast as my other two cameras. So I really like this unit. It has all the features you could want in a camera so portable, in fact I was surprised. I like the large size of the display, and the ability to brighten it. A feature I haven't even used yet. I also like the Panorama setting that allows images to be stitched into a 360 degree Quicktime VR movie. Very cool for places where you want to capture the atmosphere of a large area, or even your backyard. The video quality is good. My only complaint with the entire camera is the 10 second limit of video in 640x480 mode. And it even has a speaker to play back video and sound clips. So again, my bottom line is that this is an excellent camera, especially when you can buy it for $140. Absolutely simple to use and fun! Even my 5 year old can take good pictures with it. I also wouldn't worry about the quality or durability as one reviewer suggested. I believe it actually feels sturdy, especially compared to other brands. I dropped my C-3000 on to cement from 5 feet, and besides the scrapes on the corner it didn't affect it's operation at all. So don't be put off by the reviewers that couldn't take a good picture or who were annoyed by the image info displayed on the LCD. All of those things can be adjusted for, if you read the owners manual and learn how to use the camera's settings. Olympus makes outstanding cameras that continue to be HIGHLY underrated.

This Camera is great for everyday use. It has great stability so that pictures do not blur easily and takes sharp crisp pictures. I would def. recommend this camera for any first time user. Its a great product.

I purchased two of these for Christmas Gifts. They loved them and the camara is so compact they carry it every where. Great Photos and a great price.

I got this camera right before Christmas and it worked for about a week or two and then it broke. The shutter/zoom button broke and then you either couldn't take a picture or couldn't zoom in or out. I tried returning or exchanging it and was unable to. Now I'm trying (unsuccessfully) to deal with the Olympus warranty.

For reasons that would be useless and boring to this post, I've had five digital cameras in the last five years (Panasonic, Pentax, Panasonic, Olympus, Panasonic). I've also tinkered with family versions of Sony, Kodak, and Fuji cameras.

Panasonic cameras are the best. Period. There is no point in me posting about them, because everyone else has. And I have one with a large Leica lense, and I use it regularly for low-light situations.

But if you want a really great, tiny camera, think Olympus.

For a small, super-portable camera, the FE-280 has met all my expectations. Yes, it has a tiny, very tiny, lense. That means indoor shots will not be that great. But otherwise, the pics outdoors are fantastic. Even indoor shots have some depth. If you want crazy-good photos, get a Panasonic with a large Leica lense.

Best Advice if you have an FE-280:

* Use the Sports Mode for everything.
* Use the Indoor Mode for everything else in low light.
* Video is very good in the second setting. The low setting is horrible.

Forget the other fancy settings, except maybe the "behind the glass." That one was pretty cool for our daughters, especially with the monkeys at the zoo.

For those thinking the camera hasn't worked for you, here may be a few reasons that possible buyers might consider:

* Are you using the camera wrong?
* Have you tested it with the different settings?
* Did you expected to get a tiny pocket camera with big-lense capabilities?

For the meager price, you get much more than anyone can ask. My pics are almost always flawless, and you can't beat the portability.

It is darned tiny.

Try it.