Olympus Reviews

I have owned three of these "machines" and each time, they stop working after lessthatn a week for no reason. I wish I could post no stars.

Don't But it.

Never buy it.

You're beter off throwing your money out the window.

I own this unit. I attempted to purchase earphones from Olympus but after phoning them 5 times, and getting put on hold each time, I gave up. I was never able to speak to a live person.
The unit itself does not have enough audible power with batteriess or by AC connection. I do not recommend this unit.

I don't understand the three one-star reviews on this product. I remember purchasing this recorder in probably Sep, Oct, or Nov, 2001 and have been pretty happy with it. I've played around with it a few times here and there, and overall it's not too bad. The microcassette tapes are pretty inexpensive; like $4.99 I believe for 3 microcassettes. The speaker is loud enough to hear the playback most of the time, and the microphone is at a convenient spot on the top of the recorder.

THe VCVA Voice Activated recording works almost every time. You just set it to that setting, And it'll record when it starts to hear voice. As for the options you get on this thing, you get 1.2x speed and 2.4x. The 1.2x is the regular speed in which you get a fair amount of time on the tape, and 2.4x is just twice as fast which takes up twice as much tape. The three modes are: F. Play (Fast Play; makes the play probably 1.25x faster), OFF, and VCVA. Right next to that is the 3V DC port. I've never had to use it because I think after nearly three years I've never replaced the battery but once.

You also get a red LED light when recording which is somewhat bright. There's also a pause button, which may come in handy for playback. The only drawbacks I have is that the MIC/EAR (microphone/headphone) jack is for some reason too small for the 1/8" jacks. So I've never been able to use that feature, which doesn't really put a downer on my spirits because the internal microphone is perfectly fine. The other drawback is that about a year ago the cover for the microcassette tape fell off--but I put it back in place and it stays on all right, however it falls off at certain angles.

I haven't had any experience with customer support, because I never needed it. This recorder is fine as a toy, but for a serious business person they would want something like the Olympus VN-3600 Digital Voice Recorder. It's one of the more fancy voice recorders, having 6 hours available to record, but in my opinion looks worth its price tag. The best part about digital is that it isn't analog, so you can put it onto the computer via USB.

Price Paid:
39.99 $USD

Recommended:
As a play-around toy, but not as a serious business recording tool.

I bought this package because I needed the battery and the case. The remote control and tripod were nice extras but I don't really need them. If you also only need the battery and case, I highly recommend against this package. Why? The case shipped was the wrong case for the camera. It is useless for an ultra-compact camera, the thing will just shake around in there. The Olympus I-Zoom is an extremely compact camera. The case shipped could fit 2 or 3 of these cameras, it is simply HUGE in comparison to the size of the camera. Bottom line, they shipped a case for a compact 35mm camera, which are of course much bigger. Interestingly, the box claims that it includes a case for an ultra compact camera, which it does not. I asked Olympus about this and they confirmed this: "The carrying case for the I-Zoom 75 is a SNUG FITTING velvet like material case."

I like it because it is cheap, and works like magic. Instead of buying an expensive camera, buy this and a cheap-o-camera, put it together,and...it's like magic, you know!

I bought this camera 2 years ago because of its compact size, APS features and the Olympus reputation. It does take good photos, and has almost every auto feature one could ask for. However my camera has experienced very poor reliablity and excessive use of batteries, compared to other autofocus cameras I have owned (Canon Elph, Pentax IQZoom, Canon Telemax). Without much hard handling or outdoor use, it has been serviced twice (defective lens cover/on-off switch, and shutter button failed). The red-eye feature results in excessive flash lamp discharge, and makes it hard to pose subjects, and uses batteries faster. Olympus factory service for each non-warranty incident is $$. Needeless to say, I didn't have it repaired the second time.

When I first bought my Olympus iZoom 75 I thought it was a great little camera. It's light, sleek, weather resistant, aesthetically appealing, plastic but apparently well made, has quick flash recycling, and has a faster than average lens for this camera type (f4.7). Unfortunately I soon became disenchanted for the following reasons: 1) Slow opening and setting-up time 2) Quasi-manual open and close 3) Slow zoom action 4) Non-ergonomic function buttons (except "shoot" and zoom buttons) 5) Worst of all; that trademark "strobing" flash, which makes true candid shots almost impossible, draws unwelcome attention and slows down functioning. I ended up giving this camera to a friend.(Who likes it) Considering the many fine features of this camera, and Olympus' impressive track record over the years, it's especially disappointing that they didn't think this one through a bit more carefully. This could have been a really great little camera.

This is and excellent camera. I highly recommend it for people you like to take pictures. You get sharp clear pictures

The Olympus iZoom 2000 looks great- sleek, small, light and silver. Judging by the price I thought this would be a good camera, and small enough to take anywhere. Unfortunately I found out the hard way that this camera is by no means perfect. Every picture I have taken with this camera came out grainy and low quality, much worse than my cheaper Minolta Freedom camera I had before. Also, the viewfinder is tiny when you look through it so you can hardly see what you're taking a picture of... I asked a few other people about this, so it's not just me. It's also confusing to control the flash, etc. This camera is NOT WORTH IT, go for a higher quality Olympus or a Canon Elph if you want a compact camera that takes quality pictures. Dont waste your money on this one!

I luv the looks & compactness. But the pixs were grainy and very dissapointing.

I shot pixs on a clear & bright day on the beach and it looked like it was unfocused.

OVerall build quality is good. Easy instruction and ease of APS. But I expected more picture quality. It makes me long for 35mm.

The 2 stars are for looks only!

I've had this camera for 1 year and very pleased with the pictures it takes. Two vacations, a brand new baby girl and the expensive 35mm camera is collecting dust. Side by side with the elph, 35mm Olympus and 35mm Cannon this camera's pictures compare. It's so small and light you have to take it with you. Much lighter than the elph and easy to use. Two negatives, the buttons are small and the zoom is noisy.

Although all the gadgets were a little overwhelming at first their instruction manual is very helpful and helped me not only with the camera but a little general photography. It would have been nice to get some batteries with it but if that's the only gripe I've got I'm pretty impressed.

That "inner voice" told me that this was the camera I wanted. I checked it out in the stores. I liked the way it looked, I liked the way it felt. The fact that it was a 35mm SLR, and a good zoom was a must.
I checked prices on this camera EVERYWHERE. You will not find a better deal on this camera than here at Amazon.com!
So the incredible price sealed the deal.
It is so easy to use. It has an automatic feature that does it all for you, right down to the focus. Or all the settings for a professional.
BUT! I got my first pictures back today, and WOW!!!! The color is brilliant, the images sharp! We took pictures at the zoo, and they look like they came out of a magazine!
The only drawback is the size. It's a little heavy and bulky, but preserving my precious children's faces in such a quality photo.... I don't mind! I couldn't reccomend a better camera

This camera is wonderful. I've shot two weddings for friends and now that I have a one year old running around - I'm taking pictures almost every day. People are impressed when they see me whip this camera out of the bag - but even more impressed when they see the pictures I've taken. Everything is crisp and clear and the colors are brilliant. I wish I could show you some examples to prove the ability of this camera. You don't have to be a pro to take great pictures. I highly recommend investing your money in this camera if you want something durable, something with quality and something that really takes great shots and is easy to use. GO FOR IT!

This camera is NOT a true SLR camera, as Olympus implies in the camera's description. In fact, many web sites list it under their Point-and-Shoot models. Nevertheless, this camera is an excellent compromise between big, expensive SLR cameras and smaller, easy to use Point-and-Shoot cameras.

The camera does have true SLR features not found on lesser Point-and-Shoot models. The view-finder is TTL (through-the-lens), so you can get an accurate preview of your photograph. The pop-up, bi-directional, color-correcting flash unit does a great job lighting your photos without the harsh shadows inherent in most small flash units. The flash also does a fairly good job reducing red-eye, but does NOT eliminate the problem. Using the "Red-Eye Reduction" flash mode helps significantly, but causes the flash to pre-fire for a couple of seconds before the shutter releases, so while it's highly effective with posed portrait photography, it's totally impractical for spontaneous photographs.

One of the most unique features of this camera is the 52mm threaded lens, which allows you to use all of the various filters available for SLR lenses. In fact, I HIGHLY recommend immediately purchasing a 52mm UV filter, which can be attached to front of the lens permanently to protect the lens itself. The UV filter also significantly improves photos taken outdoors. (Note: I also recommend shelling out a few extra dollars to buy a multi-coated UV filter instead of the cheap uncoated filters. The anti-reflective coating on a Hoya or Heliopan filter allows over 40% more light through to the lens compared to uncoated filters).

If you already own an SLR and have invested in larger filters, you can purchase a 52mm-58mm step-up ring for less than $15. The step-up ring is very thin, and is barely noticeable (although you can't use Olympus's fancy flip-up lens cover with the step-up ring). This option alone makes the Olympus IS-5 a great back-up camera for SLR owners.

The primary reason I contend that this camera is not a true SLR is simply because it doesn't offer the same flexibility as a Canon or Nikon SLR camera body. For example, you can't use interchangeable lenses with the Olympus IS-5, so you're stuck with the 28-140mm focal length. Furthermore, and perhaps more significantly, the camera doesn't have a "hotshoe", so you can't add a separate flash unit (like a Canon SpeedLite) or a multi-flash set-up to extend the range of your flash capability or increase your options when it comes to lighting.

In summary, the Olympus IS-5 is an excellent camera with a very high-quality lens, and would be a great choice for the vast majority of people who simply want an easy-to-use camera for everyday photos but don't want to settle for the lesser optics and flash units found on more compact Point-and-Shoot cameras. It is also a great back-up camera for more serious photographers who may already own an SLR and lens filters.

Although I've only had this camera for 6 weeks, I LOVE it! It's easy to use and the picture quality is quite good.
I purchased this camera after two months of research into all makes and models. I chose this one mainly for the extra zoom and date imprinting feature. I'm still learning to utilize all the features, but I'm VERY happy with it so far.

As one reviewer wrote, I reluctantly gravitated toward an autofocus SLR because my eyesight (even at 30) isn't perfect, and the one thing missing from the shots taken with my traditional Pentax SLR is "focus." An autofocus camera fixes that problem for me. But I want some options as well, to allow for some creativity amidst all the automation. From the moment I got the IS-20 QD out of the box and put in the batteries, it has been a dream to own. I finished off the first roll within an hour, and the pictures, even from the 1-hour shop at the drugstore, were outstanding. I'm not commenting on my picture-taking; I give all credit to the Olympus. Everything from portraits to landscapes to action (it stopped a spinning backyard windmill in its tracks) came out great. I know that I am sacrificing some of the freedom that one would get with a traditional SLR, but for my money (and my experience) I waste much less film by avoiding experimentation, and I can concentrate on the subject matter of my shots. I recommend this camera for both novice photography buffs, and for those who just want a fantastic hassle-free high-end camera.

I purchased this camera for my 11-yr old daughter to use in a summer photography gifted & talented art class that required the kids to bring an SLR camera (I got a reconditioned model really cheap). What a find!! I bought it because it seemed much easier to use than a standard SLR (which befuddle me), but I didn't expect that the pictures or adjustability would be that great - I was terribly wrong. There was no discernable difference between my daughter's photos and the photos from the kids (most older & more seasoned in photography) who used a standard SLR - except she said that she got to take more pictures because she wasn't always messing with her camera. Her photos included color, black & white, landscapes, close-ups, and many "trick" shots with long exposures and light effects - everything the other kids did with their cameras. He teacher even recommended that she enter a couple of her photos in a local contest!

The "one step" buttons for landscapes, close-ups, long exposure, and short exposure produce excellent results, and the automatic speed setting with the manual f-step option is very nice as well - no charts or graphs needed to figure it all out.

My husband and I have always been interested in photography, but we never wanted to deal with the complicated SLR lenses, F-stop/speed settings, etc., but we were so impressed with the IS20 that we just purchased another one for our own use, and intend on doing a little hobby SLR photography ourselves! The IS20 actually makes photography fun! I've taken the best photos of my life in the past few days, and I'm excited to continue.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND for the beginning or even intermediate SLR user.

I was looking for an entry level SLR and decided to try the Olympus IS 20 at the advice of a friend who works as a semi-professional photographer. After shopping around and comparing the Olympus to other brands such as Nikon and Cannon, I found that Olympus does not necessarily enjoy the reputation found in other brands. Still, I decided to get the IS 20 based on the functions it offered and the great price on Amazon. Since I have owned the IS 20 I have shot over 20 rolls of film including 200, 400 and 800 speeds. The camera is very user friendly and my photos are excellent. The last roll of film that I shot with 800 contained photos of Seattle taken from the incoming Bainbridge ferry at sunset. When I picked up the photos from processing, several members of the staff were waiting for me to compliment me on the outstanding colors and detail in my photos. They were convinced that I am a seasoned photographer with a superior understanding of manual cameras and photography in general; even though I only have a basic understanding! This camera is everything that I hoped it would be and I would highly recommend it for beginners. Also, if you buy this camera, there is a teleconverter lens available at the Oympus Emporium website (but in limited quanties.)

I unfortunately paid a lot of money for this terrible camera. It was a huge disappointment. We missed many wonderful shots of our new son because the zoom on this camera just doesn't translate to the prints. Everything was off center. I was majorly disappointed in this camera,,,I thought Olympus was a quality name and boy was I wrong. I went back to using an old canon snappy and get pics that are 500 times better. Steer clear of this one. I also had the same on / off issues that another reviewer had. this camera is just plain awful.

I purchaced one of these cameras in Indiana for a cross country trip. It worked from Indiana to South Dakota. I replaced it in Tacoma, Washington, then continued home to Alaska. I replaced it again in Alaska. The camera will turn on and off by itself. I have changed batteries with no luck. I e-mailed Olympus and asked if any one else had a problem. I was told no, all of there cameras worked fine. They offered to repair if I sent to California, but that was a big hassle. Camera now collects dust and is not worthy of the garage sale pile. I will not buy another Olympus product and would suggest you do not either.

This was the first camera I bought and boy was i dissappointed, I threw it away after my first set of prints. It's the worst camera ever, even the instant cameras give better results. I expected much more from a brand like Olympus. Anyway my advice is stay away from this camera.

Geez, if there is a half-star rating here, i could have selected that one, giving this camera 1 star is too much i think... The pictures are all [bad]! no picture came out good at all... everything was blurred and every shot was so bright, everybody was white. No part of the pictures are in clear focus. Would return this camera right away. Olympus disappointed me on this one... I love olympus camera, had three 35mm Olympus cameras and they were all great. that's not the case when I switched to APS camera by Olympus.

I don't know if the Newpic Zoom 90 is better than this one. I called olympus and they said the I Zoom 3000 is better than the Newpic Zoom 90, because it is newer. I can't find any online store now that sells newpic 90 brand new, if there is, it is way too much expensive, but its reviews were cool.

This camera is NOT RECOMMENDED! stay away.

I think that this is a terrible camera. Even though it is very stylish, it takes bad pictures. Even if you have bright lighting the pictures look dark. I would not suggest buying this camera.

Even at the age of 12, I think this camera would be great for kids, because its easy to reload film into and it's not hard to work with. I think it's a pretty cool camera, because there is color to it instead of the plain old normal gray and black. You don't have to worry about you're kids breaking a hundred dollar camera the first time they you use it. I would give this product a five star rating.