Olympus Reviews

I agree very much with Mr. Lassiter's comments. I would just like to add a little info. about using this lens with the Olympus C-2100UZ, because I found the scant information that is available a little ambiguous.
Yes, you can use it with a C-2100UZ. You dont need a CLA-1 adapter, but you do need to shell out for a 49-55mm step-up ring as the one supplied is 43-55mm.
Hope this helps.

I didn't "do the homework" on this lens before buying it, and even though it 'only' drops the focal length by .8, I'm kind of glad I went ahead and tried it versus some of the other alternatives.

In my research after-the-fact, I've seen many say that it's difficult to significantly shorten the focal length without accepting image quality that ranges from poor to just plain awful.

The good news:

Image quality to MY untrained eye seems identical to that provided by that of the camera's onboard lens alone.

The bad news:

Everyone familiar with the lens noted the obvious issues of viewfinder and flash blockage. There's no way to mount anything this big without dealing with those issues.

Other observations:

It's a lens that's aesthetically pleasing to handle and the user certainly gets a sense of the quality of workmanship that went into the lens.

Value observations:

It's not the kind of lens you'd recommend as one of the first purchases on a tight budget. I had at first thought of returning it because of the modest (35->28) improvement offered, but as I evaluated the results and read about other lenses, I decided that a near flawless .8 was probably worth more than shorter focal lengths with obvious problems.

The lens also came with the Oly 43-55mm step up ring, which I needed to buy anyway for the B-300 I'm also getting from B&H, currently on back order.

The Net: I'm keeping the lens. If your camera has an even longer "shortest focal length" then you'll likely appreciate the lens and use it more often.

And a final curiosity:

Indoors, mounted on tripod with a fixed aiming point, the 3040Z would routinely fire the flash with the built in lens, and would NOT use the flash with the wide-angle mounted.

This came as a surprise, since I'd read that adding lenses usually results in LOSS of light to the camera. If anything I might have guessed the opposite result flash wise, even though the lens is advertised as working 'without reducing aperture'.

The 0.8x may not sound like much, but it is significant. I find myself using this teleconverter more often than not, especially for indoors. Unlike the 1.45x and 3.0x teleconverters, you can actually use most of the main lense zoom adjustment with this teleconverter lense still on the camera (the 1.45x and 3.0x teleconverter will give you a vignette effect unless you are at maximum zoom).

As the picure shows, the buisness end of this lens is a lot wider than the built in lense on the E10 or E20N. It will block the built-in flash to some extent, and this will be more pronounced on close work. I have the FL40 external flash and it has worked beautifully in concert with the WCON-08B. The FL40 has been replace by the FL50 which I assume is at least on the same par.

My only gripe with the WCON-08B is the cheap lense cap that comes with it. It is sort of rubber and fits on over the lense barrel rather than clipping to the filter threads on the inside of the barrel. It is not tight enough to stay on.

Olympus really did good with the atached lens for the E-10: fast, distortion-free, low-dispersion glass makes for great pictures. They do a pretty good job with this .8x wide-angle converter -- but just one gripe (later).

This converter is made for the E-10, and screws into the permanently-attached lens. It's another inpressive chunk of glass (like the attached lens, and the tele converters), using fully-coated low-dispersion elements to keep it fast and distortion-free. It looks heavier than it is, and it really doesn't unblance the camera with the converter attached.

So, my one gripe? This is a .8x converter, meaning that the E-10 lens's widest angle (35mm equiv) is converted to 28mm equivalent. This is not Earth-shattering; in fact, it's quite unimpressive. I wonder, since there are third-party manufacturers who make 62mm .7x and .6x converters, why Olympus didn't think this one a little further through and make a truly "wide angle" converter.

Still, 28mm is wider than 35mm, and it's a very good value for the quality you get in this converter. I recommend adding it to your stable of stuff for your E-10 [but I do hope Olympus is listening/reading, and thinking about coming out with a wider-angle converter].

I believe this lens is made specifically for the Camedia E-10. It's threads have a 62mm diameter that attaches to the E-10 without an adapter. This is really an impressive piece of glass for the money - and it's fully coated. So large, it hardly reduces the speed of the base lens, and yet not so heavy that it disturbs the overall balance of the camera while it's on. I've used many extension lenses with other cameras and this rates among the best. Most extenders are really not worth bothering with because of the distortions they add. Using this extender with the E-10 is like using a 28mm lens on a 35mm format camera.

Oly comes through, again!

I must admit this was the first voice recoder I had ever purchased and with the features and price I thought I could not have found a better bargain. What I got was a tiny well designed pseudofunctional device. I read a few reviews but figured when the people had said the camera wasn't too bad was an understatement, but then again I had high expectations (don't make this mistake). The pictures even at a short distance showed up relatively fuzzy. In high quality mode the W-10 reproduced recordings exceptionally well, however unless you don't leave your computer or a pc to continually download the files you only get about 47 minutes worth, the reason I got the thing in the first place was so I could record my professors whose lectures were consecutive, making it impossible to use that mode. The Standard mode gives fair sound reproduction with a slight hiss, overall its bearable, howeveryou only are allowed 68 minutes not enough time to complete one lecture for my T,R classes (75 minutes for non college readers). Low quality mode, I'll just say I used it once and that was enough of that setting. Also the recoder saves files from modes lesser than high in a different wave level so you can't put them on cds unless you change the format which i dont have time to figure out. In conclusion, if you don't require a lengthy recording then this is a pretty good buy, I have to also admit that just because I complain of the quality of the pictures the camera option would be nice on rare occasions, also the pc interface is a no-brainer. Hope this helps someone looking for a something better not to be unhappy with their purchase!

Pro: A wonderful tiny device I tend to carry with me everywhere. Con: I cannot see the photos til I get home!
Solution: Olympus(or someone) should create software so the w-10 could send images to a pda (palm or PC Pocket OS).

This is an incredible value for a Digital Voice Recorder. It has 1hr. of recording capacity at the highest resolution setting. Over 10 hours of battery life. Voice Activated. All software, cables, earphone piece, and case are included. It's incredibly slim. Easy to manage. And it'll take pictures (not the highest quality but definately am added bonus). What more could you really want?? I am a very satisfied customer.

This is a supa little recording device. Very compact and easy to use. I agree that the LP mode is rather crap, but it does work for emergency long recordings (if you were say kidnapped and held in a small box and needed to record what the criminals were saying). The HQ mode is cool tho, offering 22mins of hi-quality recording time.

I mainly use it for recording ideas for tunes that I have whilst away from my Mac, so 22 mins is easily long enough. Much better than trying to remember a tune in you head until you get home.

I recommend this voice recorder. The size is excellent. I carry it everywhere in my pocket and use it everyday at least once. Haven't had to change the batteries yet after 3 months of use. It's easy to use, easy to organize your recordings and will keep track of when you recorded them (date and time). It doubles as a pocket clock for those without a wristwatch.

You can even keep it by your bedside and use it at night if you have to make a note. The REC button is easy to locate and there's a small red light for when it's recording. The voice detection feature works well, too (it stops recording during periods of silence). You can turn on distinctive beeps in the menu, which could work pretty well for the visually impaired.

The reason I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 stars is because it claims 90 minutes of recording time at LP, when SP (33 min) and HQ (15 min?) are the only modes that produce voice recordings you can actually understand. If you think you need more than 30 minutes, go for the model with more recording time.

I've had this recorder for almost a year. I've dropped it, gotten it wet, and it's still ticking! Never had any problems with it; it's been a huge asset in my record keeping. I HIGHLY recommend this recorder!!!

I bought the L400 and 500 recorders, and am disapointed in the sound quality with both. The 500 had a real "tinny" sound, and unsuitable for dictation. The 400 has a loud motor whine on playback (which doesn't happen if I play the same tape back on a Sony recorder), and a similar tinny sound. Olympus recorders seem to be well constructed, compact, and great gadgets. But, the sound quality is inferior, and causes me not to recommend them until Olympus makes this better. My various Sony recorders are so far superior in sound quality that Olympus should be ashamed. Is my experience unique?

I ordered this from Amazon, who had the best price on the internet or otherwise. When I received it, I spent several days thinking I might send it back. It has its problems and is a little "too" small for me. However, I've worked through the problems and gotten used to the device and it is pretty good.

First, the problems. Someone with real small hands will appreciate it. Others with bigger hands might find it too small. Those used to holding a microcassette recorder a certain way (using the thumb to work the controls for example) will have to get used to the small size. The controls on this device are electronic buttons instead of manual push buttons. But I have to shift the device up in my hands to access all the buttons with my thumb. In addition, only the rewind function works while the tape is playing. That is, you can't fast forward without stopping the tape first. Further, they didn't add a separate fast forward button, but you hit the rewind button twice to go forward. I don't really like this feature. Finally, the voice activation doesn't work too well. At least not for me.

Now, the good news. You can turn the access to the buttons off, so if it is in your pocket, it won't go off prematurely, and it won't accidentally pop the tape open since the eject slide is on the bottom of the unit. The speaker sounds pretty good and recording quality is about the best I've seen from the total of 4 recorders I've had. All in all, I have started to like it, but I would have made it a little bigger and gone for controls more like traditional recorders.

Update: I have used this recorder almost every day (at least 3-4 days a week) for about a year and a half. Everything above still stands, but there are other things, some good some bad. First, the bad (or, perhaps, not so good): you MUST use good quality tapes in the machine. I used whatever tapes my firm had, some cheap tapes that probably are good for 2 or 3 erases even in a cheap machine. This caused the unit to act up -- and you would hear 6 beeps when trying to play, record, or even rewind. I thought the unit was defective and called customer service, who told me to send it in. Finally, I realized that the problem didn't happen when I use Maxell, Sony, or TDK (high quality tapes). Second issue, you can't start talking immediately after hitting record. I didn't realize this unitl recently when my secretary was always missing the first words of sentences. I wondered why until I was rewinding one day and found out that there is a quick delay before recording. It is constant, but lasts for less than or about a second.

Now, the good news: this thing still produces the best sounding stuff. Olympus clearly makes the best analog recorders. Although I think the unit could be a little better, you do end up getting used to the small size (if that was ever a problem) and the controls. I haven't gone back to the voice activation feature to see if I was the problem, but one day I will. Good luck, and after 1.5 years, I would buy this again.

I bought this as a replacement for a previous Olympus pearlcorder for my father-in-law and he loves it. The Olympus microcassette recorders blow all those cheap recorders in the retail stores. Olympus can pick up your voice easily and play back loudly. The bonus is that the L400 is so small, it's cool. If my father-in-law can use it easily, then anyone can!