Olympus FE-230

Viewfinder (0.0)
To save space and manufacturing costs, the Olympus FE-230 lacks a viewfinder. While an optical viewfinder isn’t an especially helpful feature for situations where framing accuracy is necessary, it can help when the camera is low on batteries or when trying to capture images without the attention-grabbing light from the LCD.

LCD Screen (6.0)
Although the Olympus FE-230 doesn’t have a viewfinder, it does have a generously-sized LCD screen. This 2.5-inch color LCD is bright but underwhelming with just 115,000 pixels. This falls short of the mark when compared to higher-end point-and-shoots that have similarly-sized LCDs with up to 230,000 pixels. For instance, the FE-250, initially priced at $299.95, has a more impressive 2.5-inch monitor with 230,000 pixels.

Users have the ability to adjust the screen brightness in the Setup menu; there are Normal and Bright settings. Olympus' Bright Capture technology boosts the brightness of a low light scene on the LCD to allow the user to better see what they are capturing. Users have no control over the minimal amount of onscreen information displayed, and features such as a live histogram are not included on this stripped-down model.

Overall, the LCD is average for a point-and-shoot in this price range, but far from a standout. If a large, high-quality display tops your list of must-have features, consider investing a little more in another camera.


Flash (5.5)
The small, horizontal in-camera flash for the Olympus FE-230 is located to the left of the lens at the top of the camera. This position results in an uneven dispersion of flash that illuminates one side of the frame more than the other. This uneven lighting can lead to unflattering portraits and lost detail in the shadows of the non-lit portion of the scene. This is especially apparent when the flash fires at subjects in close range. Since the camera has a maximum aperture of f/3.1 and longer shutter speeds often result in blurred images, the FE-230 tends to fire off the flash to compensate for low light scenes. While often acceptable for environments such as clubs or at night, the flash will be obtrusive during a romantic dinner.

The flash range for the FE-230 is from 0.33 to 12.8 feet in wide-angle and 2.0 to 6.6 feet in telephoto, typical for an entry-level point-and-shoot. The flash has a full Auto mode that engages each time the camera is turned on, as well as three additional shooting options. The flash settings are accessed by pressing the right arrow on the four-way navigation control when the camera is set to capture still images. The flash options appear as a graphic overlaying a live view of the scene. They are: Flash Auto, Red-eye, Fill in, and Flash Off. While the Red-eye mode helped reduce the unappealing appearance of brilliant red eyes in portraits, it wasn’t able to eliminate the occurrence entirely. Fortunately, the red-eye correction tool in the software program performs accurately and without compromising image quality.

Zoom Lens (5.0)
The Olympus FE-230 is equipped with an Olympus brand 3x optical zoom lens with a focal length of 6.3 to 18.9mm, equivalent to 38 to 114mm on a 35mm camera. It is constructed of six lenses in five groups.

The lens telescopes in three segments away from the camera body when the camera is turned on. It retracts when not in use and then re-extends when power is restored. The lens is protected by an automatic lens cover set slightly in front of the lens surface. The FE-230 has an unimpressive maximum aperture of f/3.1 when shooting at full wide angle and f/5.9 in telephoto. With this maximum aperture the camera will have to rely on a long shutter speed in low light (which results in blurred images if hand-held) or on a noise-plagued high ISO setting.

The zoom level is adjusted with the zoom ring control surrounding the shutter button. The zoom ring on this camera allows for inferior control that results in the camera either shifting at breakneck speed from wide angle to telephoto or in halting jumps when attempting to slow the transition speed. With no Setup menu option to slow the zoom, users find themselves futzing with the zoom often.

In addition to the 3x optical zoom, the FE-230 comes with 4x digital zoom. A zoom indicator located vertically along the right side of the LCD screen transitions, after a slight pause, from white to red to indicate the shift from optical to digital zoom. Digital zoom should be avoided if possible and, if unavoidable, used quite sparingly. The higher the digital zoom level, the more compromised the image quality becomes.

While the FE-230's 3x optical zoom range is typical for budget point-and-shoots, its lens overall isn't one of the camera's stronger points. Its unimpressive maximum aperture and erratic movement through the zoom range are an inconvenience to the shooter.