Olympus C-480 Review

The Olympus C-480 is an easy to use digital camera that is aimed primarily at anyone who is looking for a standard point and shoot digital camera. You can use the camera in fully automatic mode where all you have to do is line up the shot, press the shutter button and let the camera make all the key decisions relating to the exposure settings. The C-480 will cope with all the usual types of photos that a social photographer typically takes, such as holiday photos, pictures at parties and social gatherings, plus shots for the family album.

This is a four megapixel model with a three times optical zoom lens.

Overall the image quality is roughly inline with what you would expect from this type of camera in this price range. As with the majority of consumer orientated digital cameras the C-480 performs much better outdoors when the light is good than it does indoors.

Running through the outdoor shots that make up my tests the most impressive feature is the deep colours the camera manages to produce. It also does a good job in terms of exposing the darker areas of each shot. What this means is that this camera manages to show a good level of detail in each shot, whereas from time to time some cameras are unable to bring out any detail at all in darker areas such as in trees and bushes.

One concern with the outdoor pictures is that there is a minor level of purple fringing that shows up around the edges of lighter objects. Although this problem is noticeable in a number of cameras it is usually associated with digital cameras with very long zoom lenses rather than ones like this with a shorter zoom.

I like the skin tones produced in the outdoor portrait although it is worth commenting on a loss of detail where the neck meets the top of the clothes. The colour test produces a very strong result and this is an area where the C-480 performs very well compared to other similar digital cameras.

Indoors neither the portrait shot nor the shot of the bottles taken in very low light come out very sharp. This is definitely a camera that is much better outside than in.

The macro shot is quite acceptable and you should be able to produce close up shots with this model suitable for use on auction websites.

Shutter lag is the time it takes to take each picture. A constant criticism of digital cameras is the delay in between clicking the shutter button, the picture being taken and also the camera being ready to take the next picture. From a pure shutter lag view the C-480 took a picture and recorded it in 1.72 seconds. This is a relatively new test, so I feel a degree of caution is called for, but I have to say early indications are that this is a very slow time.

In terms of recycling times I was able to take five pictures in the space of 13.04 seconds. That works out at a rate of 2.68 seconds per picture. I am not claiming that this is the most scientific tests, but it should give you an indication of the recycling speed of the camera. This is a slow time. My test is carried out indoors under standard conditions and it is possible that you would see better results outside.

The three times optical zoom lens has an equivalent focal length of 38 - 114mm lens in 35mm format. This is backed up by a four times digital zoom function. For close up shots there is a super macro mode that lets you get in as close as 2cms from the subject.

For lining up a shot there is a 1.8" LCD screen. There is no viewfinder. The LCD screen is also used for reviewing photos you have already taken and accessing the menu system.

To help you take the best possible shot in a variety of different conditions there is a wide range of pre programmed scene modes. These are Portrait, Self Portrait, Night Scene, Night and Portrait, Landscape, Landscape with Portrait, Sport, Beach, Snow, Cuisine, Indoor, Firework, Sunset, Candle, Behind Glass and Available light Portrait. This is a very comprehensive listing and should cover just about every type of photo you would like to take.

Olympus supplies all the necessary software and cables to connect the C-480 to a computer and a PictBridge compatible printer. Please note you cannot connect the camera to a television set.

For taking pictures in low light the built in flash system has a maximum range of 3.7m. This drops down to just over two meters when the optical zoom lens is being used. The flash can be set to automatic where the camera decides whether or not it is required, always on, always off and red eye reduction for portraits.

For when you would like to appear in the picture there is a self timer mechanism. After you have taken a photo you can resize it or turn it into a black and white photo or add a sepia tinge to it.

Short movies can be recorded. They are only limited in duration by the capacity of the memory card. The maximum resolution is 32-x240 and the maximum recording speed is thirty frames per second.

Metering is Digital ESP metering. Exposure compensation is available (+/- 2 EV in ½ EV steps), as is white balance (Sunlight, overcast, tungsten light, fluorescent light).

Sensitivity ranges from 50 to 320 and shutter speeds from 4 to 1/2000 seconds. These is also a burst mode that lets you shoot up to seven pictures at a rate of 1.3 frames per second.

There is also a panorama assist function to help you take panoramic photographs.

Ease of use is one of the strong points of the Olympus C-480. All the key controls can be found on the back of the camera and there is no need to refer back to the menu system very often. It shouldn't take you long to get to know the controls and you will soon be able to control features such as zoom, flash, macro and the self timer as well as being able to set the shooting mode and delete unwanted photos.

You can pick up an Olympus C-480 for around £120. This compares to around £120 for a Nikon Coolpix 4600, £135 for a Sony DSC S40 and £125 for a Fuji Finepix A345.

The C-480 is a fairly typical rectangular shape with a shiny, silver finish. With a length of over 100cms it is slightly longer than many other models. With dimensions of 106 x 56 x 36mm and weighing 140g you should find it easy enough to carry around with you.

Power is provided by two AA batteries. This is the most convenient type of battery for a digital camera as spares are easy to find and a set of rechargeable batteries also offers relatively good value.

The C-480 does not come with a memory card, but has 14mb of internal memory. This will soon become full if you are taking four megapixel shots or shooting movies. In fact if you shoot at the highest quality available you can only take four shots before the memory becomes full. Therefore I would recommend a high capacity memory card to go with your camera. Be careful which type you buy as the C-480 is only compatible with xD Picture cards. In fact if you are planning to use the panoramic function then Olympus will only guarantee that the camera works with their own brand of card. Click here to save money on xD cards.

Easy to use
Produces good colours
Low price for a four megapixel camera

No connection to a television
Not so good indoors
Purple fringing evident on some outdoor shots
Limited internal memory
Long shutter lag

I must admit that the C-480 has its limitations. Weighed against that is the fact that it relatively cheap for a four megapixel camera. Like just about every one of its competitors in this price bracket this camera struggles indoors, but produces decent shots if you are out and about, taking pictures in good light. Like many other cheaper models it also suffers from a sizeable shutter lag and you could find yourself missing that all important picture.

Olympus C-480 Front View

Olympus C-480 Back View

Olympus C-480 Top View

Sample Menus

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Olympus C-480