I don’t know how you use your digital camera, but mine is always in my backpack. Well, sometimes it’s on the center console of my SUV as I’m cruising scenic highways or tackling the rocks and mud and snow of Oregon’s backroads. In fact, just last week the C-3030 Zoom, the new 3.3-megapixel camera from Olympus, was with me as I hiked six miles for help after getting stuck in the Mt. Hood National Forest. I was too preoccupied-and ashamed-to get a picture of my poor Subaru Forester mired in the snow, but I did get some great scenery shots along the way!
The lightweight 11-ounce C-3030 is the most compact of the megapixel cameras I’ve used recently, which makes it convenient for one-handed operation. It’s a good thing, as there is really no place to put your left hand without getting your fingers on the lens, the viewfinder, or the otherwise easy-to-see1.8-inch LCD screen.
It shoots, it scores
For a camera with such a small “handprint” the C-3030’s controls are well placed. The shutter button is comfortable and the Monitor and Menu buttons — the most frequently used — fall naturally under the thumb. The zoom toggle encompasses the shutter button — an arrangement I have long liked about my Epson PhotoPC 850Z (a 2.1-megapixel camera). Unfortunately, Epson’s new 3.3-megapixel camera, the PhotoPC 3000Z has followed the Nikon CoolPix 990’s lead and moved the zoom controls to two separate buttons on the back of the camera. I applaud Olympus for keeping it easy.
Do it yourself If you take the time to set the exposure manually you can achieve some beautiful results with the Olympus C-3030 Zoom
This article was last modified on January 6, 2023
This article was first published on May 5, 2000
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