Olympus FE-230

Model Design/Appearance (6.75)
The Olympus FE-230’s design is clean and smooth and its petite frame won't protrude much from a back pocket. The camera body is primarily matte silver metal with polished metallic silver highlights. The external design, stripped of extraneous controls and features, will definitely appeal to the point-and-shoot photographer. The sleek design falters, however, when the quality of the construction is taken into consideration. The FE-230's beauty is more commendable than its brawniness. It's not likely to withstand a tumble down a hill or someone accidentally sitting on it. Other manufacturers, such as Sony with its Cyber-shot series, have designed cameras that are durable, have a sleek external interface, and, unlike the FE-230, seem capable of withstanding at least some mishandling and abuse.

Size/Portability (7.0)
This slender point-and-shoot digital camera is definitely pro-portability, and users will find they are able to slip the FE-230 into a purse, back pocket, or jacket pocket without any trouble. Dangling it from your wrist with the included wrist strap won't cause much discomfort and it can also be comfortably carried in-hand without strain or discomfort. The Olympus FE-230 measures 3.6 x 2.2 x 0.65 inches and weighs just 3.7 ounces without a battery or memory card. However, while the physical size and weight of the camera will not restrict portability, the quality of the construction may keep users from taking this camera on an outdoors adventure . With components that appear likely to break or crack, the FE-230 is a delicate digital contraption that suffers from the low-quality materials used in its design.

Handling Ability (5.0)
The petite Olympus FE-230 is slender, sleek, and slick. A small horizontal ridge on the front of the camera aids fingers of the right hand. It is otherwise devoid of grips that help the user firmly grip the camera. The small camera body helps ease any strain that may come shooting one-handed. That said, its small size makes it hard to really get a good and steady grip when shooting, and users may find their images are blurred due to the camera shake that inevitably results. I often found myself first trying to capture an image holding the camera in my right hand, only to find it necessary to recapture the shot using both hands with my elbows braced on a stable surface. If shooting in well-lit scenes this will be less of an issue, since the shutter speed will be a fraction of a second, but when shooting in low light the blur becomes unavoidable. Another possible handling problem involves the placement of the in-camera microphone near the often shifting and rustling fingers of the left hand.

Control Button/Dial Positioning/Size (7.25)
The controls for the Olympus FE-230 are minimal, and Olympus wisely took advantage of their stripped-down design and provided users with large, comfortably-sized buttons that are well-labeled and easy to use. However, the mode dial is a bit too close to the camera body, and the textured edge isn’t rough enough to provide the user with the ability to switch modes quickly and cleanly. Besides this setback, the external interface for the Olympus FE-230 is one of the better-executed parameters of this camera.

Menu (7.25)
The menu system for the Olympus FE-230 is a pared-down layout when compared to more expensive models in this series. Olympus engages a straightforward, icon-based layout with parameters listed for each sub-menu. The first page of the Shooting and Playback menus are composed of opaque blue displays with both icon and text content, while the Setup menu is laid out as a three-page list of options.

The Shooting menu for the Olympus FE-230 lacks the secondary shooting menu structure found with the pricier FE-250, which should prevent potential confusion novice users might get with such a feature. The Shooting menu is accessed by pressing the menu button on the bottom right back side while the camera is in any Shooting mode. The menu is a series of seven icons with overlaid text users navigate using the four-way navigational controls. To enter a sub-menu, press the OK button after highlighting the selected icon in the menu. Each sub-menu is short and easy to navigate.

Shooting Menu
Panorama	Engages the Panorama Shooting mode
Picture + Sound	On, Off
Reset	Yes, No
Image Quality	SHQ 3072 x 2304, HQ 3072 x 2304, SQ1 2048 x 1536, SQ2 640 x 480, 16:9 1920 x 1080
Setup	Enters the setup menu system
Scene	Sport, Indoor, Candle, Self Portrait, Sunset, Fireworks, Behind Glass, Cuisine, Documents, Auction, Under Water Wide 1, Under Water Wide 2, Under Watermmacro
Silent Mode	On, Off

The Playback menu system is identical in overall structure to the Shooting menu, with an icon and text menu interface and single topic sub-menu options.

Playback Menu
Slideshow	Press OK to begin viewing, to cancel viewing press OK again
Resize	640 x 480 or 320 x 240
Print order	Saves print data, number of prints, and date/time information
My Favorites	View favorite, set
Playback Menu	Protect image (On, Off), rotate image +/- 90 degrees or 0, microphone (adds four seconds of sound to still image)
Setup	Enters the setupmmenu system
DIS Edit	Yes, No
Erase	Selected image, All erase (Yes, No)
Silent Mode	On, Off

The Setup menu skips the icon and text interface found with the Playback and Shooting menu and immediately delves into a list-based structure users can scan page by page or by individual settings. Either way, moving through this menu is a pain-free procedure that, while quick, could be greatly improved if text were used for some of the less-obvious icons as descriptors for sub-menus. But with a bit of time users should become familiar with these icons. To enter the Setup menu, open the Playback or Shooting menu and select the Setup sub-menu using the OK button in the four-way control.

Setup Menu
Memory Format	Yes, No (Formats the internal memory or memory card)
Backup	Copies selected images from internal memory to memory card, non-destructive process
Language (icon-based in menu option)	English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Pixel Mapping	Start (adjusts the image processing function of the camera)
Alternate Powering Option (icon-based in menu option)	Yes, No
Monitor Brightness (icon-based in menu option)	Bright, Normal
Beep	Off, Low, High
Camera Warning Volume (icon-based in menu option)	Off, Low, High
Shutter Sound	Off, Low, High
Volume	Mute to loud with three intermediate volume levels (icon based)
Date/Time (icon-based in menu option)	Y/M/D, M/D/Y, D/M/Y, and time
Video Out	NTSC, PAL

Ease of Use (7.75)
The Olympus FE-230 is certainly easy to use, there’s no doubt about that. Its simplicity is a derivative of its lack of features. The menu system lacks the confusing mélange of sub-menus many other point-and-shoot cameras fall victim to - including, in part, the Olympus FE-250.

The external layout is all-around intuitive. It even includes a Shooting Guide mode, accessed using the mode dial, that gives users quick tips on improving photos and eliminates the need to consult the manual. Transferring images to a computer and printer was simple, and the installation and navigation of the included software program expedited image editing and organization for even the novice user. The zoom ring is an area that could be improved; it falls short when subtle adjustments to the zoom are necessary.
The FE-230 is perfectly suited for snap shooters who want to capture the occasional memory without consulting the instruction manual.