Olympus Camedia C-4000ZOOM review

I was also impressed with the flash exposures, which didn't produce over-lit results, common on lesser cameras. Fill-in flash was good too, displaying a nice balance with ambient light. The only issue I would raise is that the flash tended to produce a lot of red-eye.

There are a lot of creativity options too, such as shooting in black and white. Black and white shots are generally best done in-camera, as this saves storage space. Sepia effects can also be selected from the function mode. Further control is possible with sharpness, contrast and saturation adjustments hidden within the menus. Combining two images as a single image adds to the possibilities, so there's plenty for the 'artist'.

Power for the camera comes from two CR-V3 batteries, although four AA cells can also be used. The rear is dominated by a 1.8in TFT LCD, which worked well both indoors and outside. Image quality on the screen is fine, but viewing at the right angle is important. You can also magnify an image on the LCD or show thumbnails or numerous shots while in playback mode. To the right and above are controls for accessing most of the camera's features, and on the top is a dial for selecting operating modes. It all works together neatly and shouldn't take much getting used too. The optical finder has a diopter correction facility, but it doesn't show as much of the image as the LCD. Olympus also supplies some software in the form of Camedia Master 4.

The Olympus Camedia C-4000ZOOM is a logical evolution of the series. It performs well, providing you're prepared to use the more advanced shooting modes and highest resolutions, although the restricted lens range may not appeal to all. It doesn't necessarily have the Coolpix 4500's array of features, but its overall balance is superb. The C-4000 is one of the best 4-megapixel cameras we've seen and for £383 there's nothing better.

Author: John Clements