Olympus C-765 Review

Overall Rating

Great zoom lens
Compact size
Lots of features

Manual on CD
Custom battery pack
No camera case

I've had the UZ C-765 for about a month now and have shot about 200 pics. Hopefully this is long enough to give a reasonable first impression of the cameras performance (after the initial out-the-box "wow" factor has worn off!). This is my second digital, the first being an ageing Fuji Finepix 1.3 MP. After happily using this camera for about three years, I wanted something with an optical zoom and a bit more flexibility. I'd been looking at a C750 for the past six months, but when the new, smaller C765 was released in May, I decided to plump for that instead.

Size-wise, the UZ isn't bad at all. The lens is the only thing which makes it bulky, but it's OK for a 10x zoom. Build quality is fine and the camera has a solid feel to it. The Olympus menu system takes some getting use to, especially if you're used to a Fuji. At first it all seems a bit counter intuitive, but with practice it becomes second nature. Part of the problem is this camera has a bewildering array of features - it takes some serious reading time with the manual to get the most out of this camera. You can adjust various menu shortcuts and set-up four "my-modes" for commonly used functions. Unfortunately, the main manual is only supplied as a PDF on CD, but if this is to keep costs down, I can forgive this.

One thing which didn't appeal to me about the 765 was the L-ion battery pack, replacing the AA's used to power the old 750. If you're low on juice, you can always buy AA's wherever you are in the world - not so easy with a custom battery pack. A genuine Olympus battery lists at £30. However, Battery Universe on the net will sell you two third party packs for around £27. Budget for at least one extra battery - depending on zoom use & no. Of cold power-ups, 60 to 100 shots per battery seems to be realistic. I was surprised that the battery is only a measly 1090mAH, although as an advantage it only takes 2 hrs to charge.

Another item you'll definitely need is a memory card - the 16MB supplied is limiting to say the least. I'd prefer it if manufacturers stopped including these useless small memory cards and provided something more useful instead, like a camera case perhaps? Digital Depot will sell you a 128MB card for about £30. Make sure it's an Olympus card otherwise the panorama function will not work. One minor grumble is that there are just too many image formats to choose from, with no clear explanation for beginners on the pros and cons. I've settled on HQ 2288 x 1712, which can store 130 pics on 128MB. The jpeg compression is heavier than on my old Fuji, but it's hard to tell from the end results. Instead of lots of picture modes, I'd prefer to select an image size, then a jpeg compression level for that resolution (like "low", "normal", "high"). The TIFF format is quite impressive though (as are the file sizes!!!).

On to the lens - the optical zoom is something else! Forget any negative reviews about the UZ not having an image stabiliser. In reasonable daylight conditions sharp shots are possible, even without a tripod. Admittedly, you will need a tripod in low light. The autofocus can get confused sometimes with low light / high zoom shots, but there is a manual focus option. Surprisingly, the EVF is fairly good - even on bright days you can still see images clearly. Handy because, let's be honest, LCD screens on all cameras are no use whatsoever on a sunny day.
I can't do justice to all the features on this camera here, but it allows full control to tinker with shutter speed and aperature if required. Shutter lag isn't bad, but the AF can take some time to get a lock, depending on the subject. The two Macro modes are excellent, with a minimum distance of about 3cm. I was also impressed by the panorama feature, which I initially thought would be a gimmick. One feature I particularly like is the histogram display - really useful for composing shots. The download software is simple and straightforward. I was up and running without reading any instructions and with the minimum of fuss.

Colour wise, pictures so far have been impressive. My only criticism is that on really sunny, cloudless days (not too many yet!), zoom shots can be a little over-exposed. Thankfully, there are plenty of white balance, AEL, metering etc. Adjustments which can be made to compensate for this. Another nice feature is the AV out, allowing pictures to be reviewed on TV. This could be really handy on holiday, to see what to keep and what to cut after each day -it's not always easy to tell on the small LCD.

All in all, a great camera, at a bargain price of less than £250 on the net. Highly recommended, if like me you've had a basic digital for a while and want to move on. Beginners may struggle at first, but the "Auto" setting is fairly idiot proof & provides good results. Don't expect to master this camera on the first night you get it!

Members' Comments onFreddy Benson's Review

• jandagordon on 5th Dec 2005

  A good review, and I am now off to buy a C-765 for my son's Christmas present. The price is now down to a very reasonable £165 on the web, but the underwater housing which I will be buying at the same time is an outrageous £152 - virtually as much as the camera!
  One note regarding batteries. It's true that the Li-10 battery runs down within a few hours, but a spare compatible brand is now less than £10 on the web, and takes only an hour or so to charge - I use one with my mju-410 which I also love. Makes the camera much less bulky than with AA batteries.