This takes some Phabulous Photos!!! (Olympus FE-340)

Member Name: xjemloux

Product:	Olympus FE-340
Date:	15/07/09 (61 review reads)
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I'll be honest I knew nothing about photography and cameras - and to be brutally honest I probably still don't now but a few months back I decided I wanted a digital camera to be able to take half decent photos of my twin boys as I was always snap happy with a crappy disposable camera. One thing I was told to look out for by friends and family was the MP - Megapixels - I was told the higher the number the better quality of the picture but I wouldn't need one too high as I was no professional photographer. Well I've had the camera a good few months now and feel I am worthy enough to write a basic yet honest review about my experience with it.

I read about loads of digital cameras and couldn't for the life of me decide which one to buy until I seen this one the Olympus FE-340 reduced to £60 online at the time and it was 8mp - I read nothing more about it and emptied my bank account for it.

I so far absolutely LOVE this camera - I don't know all of the features it has but what I have used has landed me some fabulous photos of my sons and provided me with many photographic memories so clear and precise.

The camera itself is fairly small, although slightly chunky it is not as bulky as some cameras I've seen. I have found it light, compact and extremely convenient. It has a large screen at the back, a few buttons which are pretty self explanatory without even reading through the instructions booklet and a handy dial too. Not only is it an 8mp camera it also has a 5x optical zoom. Now by self explanatory I mean each button or dial has a small but easily recognisable picture on it or writing even so you know what the button 'stands for'. The screen although I said is large it is just the right size and it shows your pictures clearly and bright - I love the screen as it lets me see the quality of my photos after I've taken them so I can delete them if need be.

It is simple to switch on with a button at the top telling you it's the power button - a perfect example of being self explanatory.

Next to this you have a circular dial with a small tab that you can either push left or right. This dial allows for quick and convenient zooming in and out when taking a photo - it saves you having to keep pressing a button to zoom in when you need too instead all you need to do is give a gentle and quick glide of this tab to whichever side you like and the camera instantly zooms in our out until you stop putting pressure on it. To take an actual photo all I need to do is press the button above this gliding tab - this for me is easy to use and allows quick actions when need be.

Above the screen - which is where you can see images or videos - there are two buttons one with a red camera next to it and the other with a square with an arrow inside. These buttons are what enables you to switch from your camera when taking a photo to your photos that you have already taken.

There is a dial on the right of the screen which allows you to change the settings and styles of your pictures depending on where you are, the light you are in, if you are taking a photo of scenery of if you are taking a photo of people. I hardly use these but have had a quick look through - for the more advanced photographers you can change your scenes, these include;

Night and Portrait - For when you are taking a photo of something and an illuminated background in an evening or night or dimmed lighting.
Night Scene - For taking a photo in the nights or evenings.
Sports - To use when taking a photo of something fast moving or something in action without blurring.
Indoor - This can be used when taking a photo of something/somebody including a background indoors.
Candle - For taking photos under candlelight
Self Portrait - This allows you to take photos of yourself while holding the camera.
Sunset - For taking photos of the sunset or sunrise.
Fireworks - This is for taking photos of fireworks at night.
Behind Glass - If you want to take a photo through glass then this is the option you can chooe.
Cuisine - For still life photography.
Documents - To take photos of documents

I tend not to use any of these really as I feel they are meant for people more confident and advanced in their photography - so long as I knew how to use the flash that was all that mattered to me and the flash can be turned on/off or left on auto accordingly so I am happy with that. I tend to leave the dial on Auto and have found that the quality of my images have been brilliant so I am more than pleased.

If buying online you can purchase this camera in other colours including black and metallic pink - but the silver was enough for me.

Overall I have loved this camera - I wanted something basic and easy to use which would produce 'decent' photos as well as having that stylish look! Well I am a woman and we don't want much now do we!

It met every one of my needs and wants perfectly.

It is stylish, compact and looks far from cheap having a silver alluminium body it didnt even feel cheap or gimmicky either. It is simple and easy for me to use - the buttons and dials are laid out in a way that everything is within fingers reach whilst taking a photo.

Another bonus for me was the fact that it came with a Li-on battery - so I can recharge the battery myself - I personally believe this is cheaper and more convenient in the long run. The battery seems to last me quite a while too once charged and I don't charge it for a specific amount of time either - I take quite alot of photos and play around quite a bit so this has impressed me.

I liked the fact it was rather discreet when taking photos - it didnt have some loud, brash noise to attract everybodies attention so if I wanted to take a photo on the sly I could lol! After taking a photo the screen quickly refreshes so if I am trying to take a few photos within a short space of time I can do so without having to become frustrated and impatient waiting for my screen to load and be ready for me to take another photo. Deleting the photos is easy too and I can delete unwanted or disliked photos within seconds leaving more room on my memory card.

To be honest there are more features on the camera than what I need and I havnt used them all but the ones I have used have left me with some fabulous photos. I find the camera focuses really well and quickly too which is a bonus - I was worried that the camera would be slow at zooming and focusing stopping me from taking some real stunning photos.

I did purchase a one gig memory card when I bought the camera so I don't know how many photos the camera alone can hold - with this memory card though it can hold 500 photos which I have found more than enough so far as it is so simple for me to delete unwanted pictures or transfer them straight to my computer using the USB lead provided.

I have only used the video recently and I am pleased with how clear the videos come out and the audio too - it is clear and so far impressive. I am given 30minutes for a video recording but I only tend to record for a few minutes. It is again easy to switch to video and then back to camera again.

I don't know much about cameras but I would reccomend this one to anybody who is just joining the digital camera world or does not know much about photography. It is quite basic and easy to use yet takes some lovely photos and the image quality has been better than expected. I think it is roughly £100 to buy now online and I personally feel it is definitely worth the money for somebody just starting off like I was.

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