Olympus C-2100 Ultra Zoom

Best digital all in one, friends continually comment onsharpness of results bought 6 years ago and have never regretted a minute.

I am writing this review in 2008 and I don`t know why everyone is obsessed with MEGAPIXELS schmizels! This camera takes great photo`s, in fact it is hard to take a bad photo with this camera. At the end of the day your family/friends will look at your photo`s maybe on a computer screen, or in a framed 6" x 4", or even a 10" x 8" and say That`s GREAT! Just accept the compliments like I have. I don`t give a damn about mega pixels!

Here endeth the last lesson. Excellent ability to take fantastic pictures even at telephoto or in low light, without need for a tripod. Let`s face it this camera has developed a cult following, and is affectionately called the "UZI" and everyone that has had this camera is sad that they can`t buy another.................. R.i.C.

I was upgrading from my first digital camera, a Fuji MX1500, and I wanted something a bit more camera-like. I do a lot of airshow photography here in the UK, and a good long lens was ultra-important, so the Olympus C-2100 Ultra Zoom fits the bill perfectly. It was originaly priced at 799.99 GBP (!!!), a ridiculous price, but I got mine online 2 years ago for 299.99 GBP, a much more palatable figure. About 9 months of ownership saw it having a trip back to the retailer for a power supply repair, but it was returned very quickly, and has performed faultlessly since. I am amazed at the picture quality, and the adjustments available in-camera put many a "real" SLR to shame. Pity the add-on flash is as expensive as the camera itself, and the need to buy a bracket as well is a bit of a downer, but as far as the camera itself is concerned, no problems at all. I can be found quite often just holding it and looking at it. Sad or what! I used to develop and print my own stuff, and I can say that I have much more fun messing around with Photoshop than I did with chemicals. It`s a shame they don`t make them now, but life (and technology) move on apace. When the time comes, I`ll go for another Olympus, as long as it still has a good long lens. Size DOES matter!

I was scouting around for a camera to replace my DC280 and the Olympus C2100 digital camera was my first venture into SLR territory. This was also potentially my third digital camera buy so I wanted it to last me at least five years before I had to change to another.

Some criterias which were important in helping me make my decision on the camera:

1) I wanted a fully featured digital SLR camera.

2) A large zoom (over 7x) was important.

3) Night shooting capability was important.

4) Pricing should not exceed 550 GB Pounds.

5) Prints at 4x5" size were important.

My original options were, on the lower end, the 10x zoom Olympus C700UZ, or the Canon ISPRO 90 on the upper end. Pricing wise, the C2100UZ seemed to fit perfectly for its compromise on zoom and image quality and functionality. The shopowner also had a short discusssion with me and told me that I should consider the C2100UZ and highlighted its strengths during night shooting and long distance shots.

After reading numerous reviews on the Internet on these few cameras, I decided to go for one of the last few C2100UZ's in stock from the shop (Suppliers no longer ship this camera to their retailers here in Singapore) for close to 500 GB Pounds. This included a 32MB Smartmedia card and a camera bag.

The output on the camera was what I generally expected. Crisp day shots and very good quality pictures with Image Stabilization turned on. The night shots were also good with a tripod. Bearing in mind that I have no prior SLR experience, the output should be said to be exceeding expectations.

Camera accessories are easy to find here and I had no problem getting another 2.7x telephoto lens + step down ring to attach it on the C2100UZ's 49mm rings on the front of the lens. (10x optical x 2.7x optical x 2.7x digital = 73 times total zoom!)

All in all, this is a camera that will last you a long time if it's specifications fall within your needs. 3-5 years for me will mean it will give me a run for my money spent.

Some people complain about the Olympus C2100 digital camera only having 2 magapixels-it still produces amazing pictures.

I could hardly believe it. Just in time for Christmas the Olympus C2100uz digital camera dropped in price and I got one for under £350. It's a digital camera that looks and feels like a serious camera and gives serious results. The lens is wonderful, not just for zoom range but for the quality of the image.

Automatic metering and focusing is usually spot on, but you can also change everything you could want to. It has features only top-end SLR's have - even second curtain flash synch.

I'd love to try this camera with an external flash, but have you seen the price of the FL-40?

This olympus c2100 was a replacement digital camera from Compusa for a casio QV that I destroyed. It has proven to be a far superior camera in everyway. I used the Casio to test location shots prior to using my Nikon N80 film camera and the Nikon IV ED film scanner for the finished shots. This camera has the features and image quality to nearly make my film camera redundant. I am very impressed with the control I have over ISO setting, the speed of the lens (f2.8) and the zoom capability.

The Olympus C2100 digital camera is very easy to operate for a variety of conditions and situations, everything from sports to portrait photography. This camera will replace my bulky, heavy and expensive Mamiya 645 system. No more emulsion photography. Digital is the wave of photo world. As of this review, I shelled out $499.00 USD, well below the initial offering of $999.00 USD... excellent buy!

The camera has been used for wedding assignments and portrait settings. And, I use Photoshop 5.5 to enhance the images. No more processing charges!

I purchased this digital camera to replace a Sony Mavica. The Mavica was nothing but a toy compared to the Olympus C2100. This camera's photos are crystal clear, the camera is both easy to use and possesses features generally only found on an SLR. The only downside that I've found is that it's a battery hog. Always get a second set of batteries and keep 'em charged!

My second digital camera, replacing an ageing Sony Mavica. This camera is an amazing tool. Not only has it replaced the Mavica, it has also rendered all my SLR equipment totally redundant! Almost everything the discerning semi-serious photographer could want, is right there in one quite compact digital camera.

The rate that it eats batteries is slightly concerning. Rechargeables are a must. An F11 maximum aperture would have been more well received than the F8 you get, and its a crime that a camera of this quality does not have a minimum 3meg resolution!

Those are fairly minor gripes though, as the Olympus C2100 is a fantastic piece of kit, producing equally fantastic pictures. Big thumbs up for the Camedia software as well. Even a bad picture can be made respectable with just a few choice menu selections.

Top quality digital camera!