Olympus FE-230

Manual Control Options
The Olympus FE-230 is explicitly a point-and-shoot camera. Consumers looking for partial or full manual controls should consider another camera. The only manual control included in the Olympus FE-230 is exposure compensation. Other settings such as ISO, White Balance presets, Custom mode, and Shutter Speed control photographers are used to seeing on lower-priced point-and-shoot models are entirely automatic on this model. The more expensive Olympus FE-250 offers control over ISO, but with the ridiculous inclusion of a High Sensitivity setting that maximizes at ISO 10000 and is plagued by more noise than a Merzbow concert.

Focus
Auto Focus (4.25)
The Olympus FE-230 comes with a CCD Contrast Detection iESP single-point Auto Focus system that struggles with both low light and fast moving subjects. It took the camera several seconds to settle on a focal length. Other camera manufacturers with auto focus focusing systems will at least provide their users with the ability to select between a variety of focal patterns and areas from three to nine points.

The FE-230 also comes with Macro and Super Macro shooting modes, located using the left arrow of the four-way control. The Macro mode enables users to capture subjects from 0.3 feet to infinity in wide angle and about 2.0 feet to infinity in telephoto. In Super Macro mode the camera has a focus range of 0.2 feet to infinity. It should be noted that zoom is disabled in Super Macro mode. So, for instance, when photographing a bee buzzing around a flower, the user will have to get within stinging distance to capture the image.

Overall, the FE-230's auto focus options are lackluster. Most of its competitors give the user more control.

Manual Focus (0.0)
The Olympus FE-230 has no control over manual focus, so users must rely on the camera's iESP single-point Auto Focus system. Manual focus of quality is hard to find with digital point-and-shoot cameras in this price range, but for slightly more money some models by manufacturers like Sony allow users to adjust the focal distance via a series of pre-determined lengths displayed in the menu system.

Metering (0.0)
The Olympus FE-230 uses an entirely automatic digital ESP Metering system. There is no manual control over metering when shooting with the FE-230. Manual metering control is possible with other point-and-shoot cameras in this price range, and can be found with cameras like the Canon PowerShot A560.

Exposure (7.0)

The Exposure Compensation setting is the only area users have manual control over when shooting with the Olympus FE-230. Users can access the Exposure Compensation display by pressing the up arrow of the camera's four-way control when the camera is in Auto, Scene, or Movie mode. The Exposure Compensation scale is displayed horizontally along the bottom of the LCD screen, with a live view display to allow users to see the effects of the adjustment. The Exposure Compensation scale for the FE-230 is +/-2 EV with 1/3 step increments adjusted using the left and right arrows of the four-way control.

White Balance (0.0)
The Olympus FE-230 offers no manual control over white balance. Users must solely rely on the Automatic white balance to get the colors right. As shown in the testing section, the FE-230's Auto white balance struggled to produce accurate results, especially in low light settings. White balance presets and manual controls are offered by a number of other manufacturers. If color accuracy is a primary concern, definitely consider another camera.

ISO (0.0)
The FE-230's ISO levels are completely automatic. The Automatic ISO range for this camera is ISO 50 to 1250. Manual control over ISO is standard in a number of cameras in this price range from manufacturers like Fujifilm, Sony, and Panasonic. Like white balance, if manual control is of any concern, this isn't the camera for you.

Shutter Speed (0.0)
Continuing down the list of fully automatic settings, the Olympus FE-230 provides an Automatic shutter range of four seconds to 1/2000th of a second. If manual control over shutter speed is needed, consider any number of options, including the slightly more expensive Canon PowerShot A570 IS with optical image stabilization.

Aperture (0.0)
The Olympus FE-230 does not allow manual control over aperture. It has an automatic aperture range of f/3.1 to f/5.9. With a maximum aperture of just f/3.1 the camera has to rely more heavily on high ISO levels or longer shutter speeds when shooting in low light situations, which makes for noise-polluted photos.