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Olympus Point and Shoot and Non-DSLR
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Olympus FE-300 Digital Camera Reviewby Karen M. CheungPublished on November 05, 2007
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (7.0) The control layout of the FE-300 is nearly identical to the rest of the current Olympus FE line, characterized by modest-sized geometric shapes in an overall uniform design. While aesthetically pleasing, the button control panel could be improved. The multi-selector employs a square four-way controller instead of the circular one commonly used by other manufacturers. The four-way controller is a single button piece, rather than four separate controls. Without those spaces in between the four directions, users with larger fingers might misstep and accidentally push the wrong button control for Exposure, Focus, Drive, or Flash. Some controls could also gain some size, particularly the record button and the playback button, which are disproportionately small when compared to the other controls. The mode dial is sufficiently sized and positioned by the right thumb for easy switching between shooting modes. The major drawback to the controls is the poor positioning of the shutter and zoom lever, which leaves a gap between the button and the edge of the camera body. Shutter buttons are traditionally flush with the edge so users won’t have to stretch their fingers to shoot. In addition, when users zoom in and out, they may find their fingers block the flash and assist lamp because the zoom lever is pushed too far toward the center. Olympus elected to prioritize form over function; the button controls weren’t thought out for usability. Even a few minor changes, such as increasing the playback button size or moving the shutter a centimeter over, would greatly improve the user shooting experience. Menu (7.0) Navigating though the menu system of the Olympus FE-300 is like trying to win all the gold coins in Super Mario Brothers – possible but at times irritating. While the menu system is attention-grabbing, with eye-popping colors and multiple routes, the menus – and there are many of them - are complete eye assaults on the shooter. There are simply too many choices and submenus to dig through. When users select the menu button, the screen draws up multiple choices in a cross-like layout: Image Quality at the top, Camera menu at the center, Setup on the right, Reset on the left, Scene on the bottom, and an oddly placed Silent mode in the right bottom corner. Image quality options are easy to navigate through, since the pixel resolution is spelled out for the user.
The Camera menu has some important controls, including white balance and focus settings. There are also white balance live previews so users can conveniently see the effect before applying it to shooting.
The Setup menu is simple, with limited Yes/No prompts for the standard set of volume, format, and timestamp functions.
There are additional Silent and Reset menus that really don’t require a separate menu category. The Silent mode and Reset could have just as easily been lumped with the Setup menu.
Going through the Olympus FE-300 menu system is like trying to navigate through a complicated maze. People don’t like to have to sort through menus within menus. While the Olympus does bring a certain novelty to the menu system, it lacks practicality. The menus will most likely have new users keeping the camera on default settings.
Ease of Use (7.0) For a camera that stands for “Fun & Easy,” the FE-300 leaves much to be desired. Portability is certainly its strength, but difficult handling, a slightly misplaced zoom/shutter button, and an ill-conceived menu system are particular cons with the Olympus camera. Have “fun” figuring it out.
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