Olympus FE-140 digital camera review
Design |
| This isn’t the most attractive camera on the market – but then looks aren’t everything – Charles must have seen something more that the packaging to like Camilla for so long. Olympus have tried really hard to make the FE-140 as attractive as they possibly can but not triumphed. The silver exterior has a slight wave affect to give it a more unusual look about it. The Olympus logo is stamped firmly at the front to the right of the lens which is surrounded by a sort of every-decreasing circle effect. Just above the lens sits the flash. Twist the camera around and you’ve got a great 2.5 inch LCD screen that makes viewing very easy, which is just as well as there’s no view finder on the FE-140. To the right of the screen you’ve got the navigation tool which is four arrows, pointing the ways you’d expect arrows to point, and a dial for the different modes the camera operates in. At the top of the camera you can find the power and zoom function. But remember, you need to get past the package and see what’s inside this camera. |
| Features |
| Right, this is where we start rubbing your hands with glee. Here is where the Olympus FE-140’s true colours start to shine. In this box you’ve got a 6 megapixel resolution camera that records great detail, recording all your memorable shots in good quality images. The 3x Zoom lens (equivalent to 38-114mm on a 35mm camera) is easy to use and even allows you to go up close to objects when using the Super Macro mode. This Super Macro mode is for those close up shots and allows you to get as near as 5cm away from the object. But please don’t zoom in to your granny’s wrinkles, it’s not nice. The one button, one function approach, means the camera's operations are quickly and directly accessed making this a really uncomplicated camera for even the youngest of children or the total technophobe. And it’s simple to use because it comes with an easy GUI (graphical user interface) making the photographers life much simpler when operating the 20 scene modes assist (including sports, sunset, and night scene). And what this means to the end user is that it doesn’t matter who you are photographing, whether it’s a beautiful landscape or your cute nephew, the camera automatically adjusts the best setting. And if you happen to be down the beach you don’t have to worry if little Johnny runs off with the camera because it’s waterproofing to three meters – that’s a nifty idea isn’t it, and it makes it ideal for the grownup who wants to use it for outdoor sports like snorkelling in the Bahamas. Like so many other cameras these days the FE-140 also has a movie recording function. There’s a built-in 22MB of internal memory, and an xD-Picture Card slot bumping up your storage capacity. And the camera works on two normal AA batteries. |
| Performance |
| The camera is fantastic for anyone who doesn’t want anything too complicated in their life. It is simple to use, the one button function allows you to go through all the different functions easily, and if the different modes get to complicated for you, just stick to one and let the camera do the hard work for you. The screen is big and bright so you can see everything you want to shoot, even in bright sunlight. And the batteries last a fairly long time – although we’d suggest taking a couple spare with you just in case. The fact you can add an xD card means you have endless capacity for storing pictures and allows you to use the movie function more too. |
| What's In The Box? |
| Olympus FE140 Digital Camera, strap, USB cable, video camble, two AA batteries, Olympus Master software. |
| Overall Opinion |
| If you want a digital camera that you can start shooting with straight away you won’t find anything better than the 6 mega pixel Olympus FE-140. It’s good quality, easy to operate and looks good. What is best about it is it works on a one button promise – one button for nearly all its functions. |
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By Babita Wakelin
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Pros + Easy to use, + large LCD screen, + decent weight, + good picture quality. |
Cons - Not the best looking camera |
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Battery Life 8/10
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Picture Quality 8/10
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Setup Simplicity 10/10
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Build Quality 8/10
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Ease of Use 10/10
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Overall Rating 
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By Babita Wakelin
17/7/2006 at 11:56:56am
17/7/2006 at 11:56:56am
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