November 25, 2009         Your source for the most comprehensive and informative digital camera reviews
    
Digital Camera Home > Digital Camera Reviews > Olympus Digital Cameras > Olympus C-3020 Zoom

Olympus C-3020 Zoom

A bargain-priced, full featured 3 megapixel model from Olympus!

<<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>>

Page 10:Image Storage & Interface

Review First Posted: 2/16/2002



MSRP $599 US
Click to Buy Now at EPC-Online!


Image Storage and Interface
The C-3020 saves its images and movies on SmartMedia cards, and a 16MB card comes with the camera. Accessory cards are available separately with capacities as large as 128MB. Though you can use any third-party SmartMedia memory cards with the C-3020, the camera's Panorama shooting mode is only available when an Olympus brand card is inserted. SmartMedia cards can be write-protected by placing a small sticker in the designated area on the card, and a set of stickers is included with each memory card. Stickers can only be used once, as they must be clean to be effective. You can write-protect individual images on the card via the Protect button on the back of the camera. Write-protection of individual images prevents them from being manipulated or erased (except through card formatting, which erases the entire card).

Five image sizes are available for still images, including 2,048 x 1,536; 1,600 x 1,200; 1,280 x 960; 1,024 x 768, and 640 x 480 pixels. Files can be saved as uncompressed TIFFs or as JPEGs with high or normal compression ratios. Movie files are saved as Motion JPEGs, at a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels.

The table below outlines the approximate number of images that can be stored to a 16MB SmartMedia card, as well as their approximate compression levels.

Image Capacity vs
Resolution/Quality
16MB Memory Card
Hi
Fine
Normal
Full
Resolution
2,048x1,536
Images
(Avg size)
1
9MB
8
2MB
21
762KB
Approx.
Compression
1:1 5:1 12:1
High
Resolution
1,600x1,200
Images
(Avg size)
2 8MB 12
1.3MB
32
500KB
Approx.
Compression
1:1 4:1 12:1
Standard Resolution
1,280x960
Images
(Avg size)
4 4MB
21
762KB
49
327KB
Approx.
Compression
1:1
5:1
11:1
Low
Resolution
1,024x768
Images
(Avg size)
6 2.5MB
26
615KB
76
211KB
Approx.
Compression
1:1
4:1
11:1
Lowest
Resolution
640x480
Images
(Avg size)
N/A
66
242KB
165
97KB
Approx.
Compression
N/A
4:1
9.5:1

 

The C-3020 comes with a USB cable for connecting to a computer, and a software CD contains drivers and interface software for downloading images. Download time for a 9.5MB file took 21.9 seconds, at a transfer rate of about 432KB per second. This is on the fast side of average among USB-connected cameras I've tested.


Reader Comments! --> Visit our discussion forum for the Olympus C-3020 Zoom!



<<Camera Modes & Menus | Video, Power, Software>>

Purchase memory card for Olympus Camedia C-3020 Zoom digital camera
Free Photo Lessons

Check out the Free Photo School program for lessons and tips on improving your photographs!

Simple pro lighting and use tips let you snap stunning photos. Check out our free Photo School area!