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General discussion

olympus cameras (opinions)

by xXdimecatXx Dec 25, 2009 5:36AM PST

i just bought one for christmas. the xD card seems sort of inconvenient. i got the fe-4000 for $100 so i can't complain but it doesn't seem like it is going to be very reliable.

are there any cameras out there for around 100 that will get the job done?

does olympus have a good rep? i've looked for reviews on youtube and the internet and there aren't really any. i've just heard xD cards suck.

what are your opinions on olympus cameras????

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Olympus Cameras

by snapshot2 Forum moderator Dec 25, 2009 6:45AM PST

The professional reviewers seldom review "entry level" cameras.

I have one camera that uses xD memory cards and don't find them a problem. The largest complaint by reviewers is that they are slow compared to the SD memory cards.

That means you will not find a camera that uses xD cards, that will produce HD video.
If Olympus did what Sony did, they could have a faster xD card.
Sony hired SanDisk to show them how to build a fast memory-stick.

The FE-4000 can use the SD micro memory card by using an Olympic adapter MASD-1).

Entry level cameras usually do well, but do not have as many features.
Plus you have a company that supports the product, should you need warranty, repairs, etc.

They are far better than those Chinese cameras that sell for about the same price.
Just try to get support for one of those.

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I like Olympus, so far.

by fihart Dec 25, 2009 6:59PM PST

I'd go along with the XD card issue -- I don't know why these firms back loser formats when it's obvious that SD is the way to go.Olympus have adopted SD for their higher bracket models of course or the pros wouldn't touch them.

But I have to say I'm happy with the very old Olympus models I've bought secondhand for peanuts which have proved totally reliable. The FE120 may not give the best image in its class but it works well in night scenes. The D395 is way better than a contemporary Kodak that cost about the same price when new. I admit these are both junk by today's standards but I think they say something for Olympus durability.

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