Olympus Stylus FE-280 8MP Digital Camera with Dual Image Stabilized 3x Optical Zoom (Silver)
Olympus Stylus FE-280 8MP Digital Camera with Dual Image Stabilized 3x Optical Zoom (Silver)
This Super-Slim All-Metal Body Design Digital Camera is slightly over a 1/2″ thick. If you want a compact digital camera that offers easy-to-use features, amazing image quality and a slim go-anywhere design then the FE-280 is for you. Digital Image Stabilization Mode with 21 Shooting Modes gets high-quality results in all shooting situations. Using a live, multi-frame window on the LCD, you can preview the effects of various settings and select and capture the perfect one before you shoot. The precision-crafted Olympus lens delivers sharper, clearer images and brings you 3x closer to the action without taking a step. Use Perfect Fix to instantly correct your shots. With the touch of a button, lighten shadows, remove red-eye and eliminate blur, so your less-than-perfect shots can still turn out just as you planned. Initially developed for the professional Digital SLR, the FE-280’s TruePic III Image Processor delivers superior images with true-to-life color, sharper detail and less noise. 2.5 (6.4cm) LCD with Backlight Boost Button 230K provides easy composing, shooting and sharing of your images Self-timer - 12 Seconds Shutter Speed - 1/2000 second -1/2 second (up to 4 sec. in Night Scene mode) Scene Modes - Portrait, Landscape, Night & Portrait, Sport, Indoor, Candle, Self Portrait, Sunset, Fireworks, Cuisine, Behind Glass, Documents, Auction, Smile Shot, Underwater Wide 1, Underwater Wide 2, Underwater Macro and Movie System Requirements - Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS X v10.3 or later with USB port Dimensions - Width 3.6 x Height 2.2 x Depth 0.65 (91.8×55.7×16.5mm) Weight - 3.8 ounces (108 grams)
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Stars This thing stopped working after one year.
For some reason electronic gifts that I bought Christmas of ‘07 decided to stop working exactly one year later. This camera is one of them. It just went haywire. That’s the only way to describe it. It won’t focus. It now goes through some crazy ritual when it turns on; opening and shutting the lens cover. I know Olympus is supposed to be a good brand, but this was my first Olympus purchase and I am turned off of the brand completely now.
5 Stars Good Camera, here’s why
For reasons that would be useless and boring to this post, I’ve had five digital cameras in the last five years (Panasonic, Pentax, Panasonic, Olympus, Panasonic). I’ve also tinkered with family versions of Sony, Kodak, and Fuji cameras.
Panasonic cameras are the best. Period. There is no point in me posting about them, because everyone else has. And I have one with a large Leica lense, and I use it regularly for low-light situations.
But if you want a really great, tiny camera, think Olympus.
For a small, super-portable camera, the FE-280 has met all my expectations. Yes, it has a tiny, very tiny, lense. That means indoor shots will not be that great. But otherwise, the pics outdoors are fantastic. Even indoor shots have some depth. If you want crazy-good photos, get a Panasonic with a large Leica lense.
Best Advice if you have an FE-280:
* Use the Sports Mode for everything.
* Use the Indoor Mode for everything else in low light.
* Video is very good in the second setting. The low setting is horrible.
Forget the other fancy settings, except maybe the “behind the glass.” That one was pretty cool for our daughters, especially with the monkeys at the zoo.
For those thinking the camera hasn’t worked for you, here may be a few reasons that possible buyers might consider:
* Are you using the camera wrong?
* Have you tested it with the different settings?
* Did you expected to get a tiny pocket camera with big-lense capabilities?
For the meager price, you get much more than anyone can ask. My pics are almost always flawless, and you can’t beat the portability.
It is darned tiny.
Try it.
2 Stars Olympus FE280 - Not recommended
I got this camera as a gift. My 1st digital camera, I was still attached to film! I was reluctant to make the switch because I though I’ll loose that “photographer eye” by clicking in every direction I wanted and not have the danger to run out of film. But I kinda of changed my mind after using a digital camera and seeing the fairly good printed copies. After using my Olympus FE 280 for a couple of month I do recognize the value of point and shoot digitals when it comes to: you simply put it in your pocket, you can see the frame right after and check if you got it right, and after all some pics do come out ok. But when I want more elaborated photos I still carry my Canon EOS 500 and set of lenses (which now I’m considering substituting for digital).
But still the Olympus FE 280 is not the best option out there and for 320 bucks (what?) you can get better camera.
Cons: eternal lag time, very bad in low light conditions (focus take forever and even so many pics came out blurry), not the best lens , in less than 1 year the focus in macro/super macro function stopped working
Pros: great pocket size, fairly good pics during the day, easy to use menu and buttons, ok software, great battery life
5 Stars Great Gift
I purchased two of these for Christmas Gifts. They loved them and the camara is so compact they carry it every where. Great Photos and a great price.
2 Stars Liked it when it worked
I got this camera right before Christmas and it worked for about a week or two and then it broke. The shutter/zoom button broke and then you either couldn’t take a picture or couldn’t zoom in or out. I tried returning or exchanging it and was unable to. Now I’m trying (unsuccessfully) to deal with the Olympus warranty.
Filed under: Olympus Digital Cameras