Olympus C-4040 ZoomOlympus introduces a top-of-the-line 4-megapixel model with noise reduction technology, optimum image enlargement, and newly designed interface<<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & InterfaceReview First Posted: 07/23/2001 |
Image Storage and Interface
The C-4040 Zoom
uses 3V (3.3V) SmartMedia memory cards and comes equipped with a 16MB card.
Currently, you can upgrade to card sizes as large as 128MB.
The C-4040 Zoom can store images in both uncompressed TIFF and compressed JPEG
file formats. The TIFF setting can be assigned to any one of five resolutions
through the camera's Mode Setup menu. JPEG compression levels include Super
High Quality (SHQ), High Quality (HQ), and Standard Quality (SQ1 & SQ2).
The myriad size options can be assigned to the camera's TIFF, SHQ, HQ, SQ1,
and SQ2 quality levels via the record setup menu, as shown in the table below.
(Green table cells indicate image size options that can be assigned to each
named quality setting. Whatever image size/quality options are assigned to the
five named quality settings can be quickly selected either by the "shortcut
button" (see the description of the user interface later) or via the record
setup menu.
Size Options |
(Interpolated) |
(Interpolated) |
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We appreciated the C-4040 Zoom's file naming protocol, which includes the month
and day at the beginning of the file name, and provides the option of numbering
images progressively from one card to the next, or of resetting the naming sequence
for each card. The Camedia allows you to write-protect individual images from
accidental erasure through the Playback menu. Entire SmartMedia cards can be
write-protected by placing a write-protection sticker over a specified spot
on the card. While individually protected images can still be erased by a card
format operation, cards that are write-protected with a sticker are also protected
against card formatting. Write-protect stickers can only be used once and must
be clean to be effective.
As just mentioned, the C-4040Zoom offers a huge range of resolution and image
compression settings, including two interpolated sizes. The table below shows
all the available size/quality options, the number of each that can be stored
on the included 16 MB memory card, and the amount of image compression employed
for each.
Resolution/Quality 16MB Card |
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Approx. Compression |
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Approx. Compression |
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Approx. Compression |
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3200 x 2400 (Interpolated) |
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2816 x 2112 (Interpolated) |
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The following table shows the maximum seconds of movie recording time (with
sound) for various size memory cards. These measurements represent the amount
of time that can be recorded by depressing the shutter button one time
and shooting continuously. The remaining available shooting time on the card
will be displayed on the LCD monitor or LED control panel following the recording:
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(15 frames/sec) |
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(15 frames/sec) |
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The C-4040 Zoom comes with interface software and cables for both Macintosh
and Windows computers. It employs a USB Auto-Connect interface for high-speed
computer connection. Like all of Olympus' most recent digicams, the C-4040 is
a USB "storage class" device. This means it can connect directly to
Mac OS Version 9.1 or later, or Windows Me or 2000 computers, without separate
driver software. Storage-class or Auto-Connect connections are generally faster
than device-class ones. We clocked the C-4040 at a transfer rate of 639 KBytes/second
on our G4 Mac. This is quite a bit faster than the average USB-connected camera
and comfortably at the top of the field for transfer speed. (We loved not having
to load special driver software!)
One
of the first things any new digicam owner will need is a larger memory card
for their camera: The cards shipped with the units by the manufacturers should
really be considered only "starter" cards, you'll definitely want a higher capacity
card immediately. - Probably at least a 32 megabyte card for a 1.3 or 2 megapixel
camera, 64 megabytes or more for a 3, 4, or 5 megapixel one. (The nice thing
about memory cards is you'll be able to use whatever you buy now with your next
camera too, whenever you upgrade.) To help you shop for a good deal on memory
cards that fit the C-4040, we've put together a little memory locater, with
links to our price-comparison engine: Just click on the "Memory Wizard" button
above to go to the Olympus memory finder, select your camera model , and click
the shopping cart icon next to the card size you're interested in. You'll see
a list of matching entries from the price-comparison database. Pick a vendor
& order away! (Pretty cool, huh?)
Lost Images? - Download this image-recovery program so you'll have it when
you need it...
Since we're talking about memory and image storage, this would be a good time
to mention the following: I get a ton of email from readers who've lost photos
due to a corrupted memory card. It's tragic when it happens, there are few things
more precious than photo memories. Corrupted memory cards can happen with any
card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. "Stuff happens,"
as they say. A surprising number of "lost" images can be recovered
with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though. Given the amount
of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph in all my digicam
reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by DataRescue SA. Read
our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now,
so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then
it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for
Windows or PhotoRescue for
Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the PDF
manual and quickstart
guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you need
it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when... PhotoRescue
is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital photos I've seen.
(Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of the product, but I'd highly
recommend the program even if we didn't.) OK, now back to our regularly
scheduled review...
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