Overview
The Olympus FE-350 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 4x optical zoom lens.
Why Buy The Olympus FE-350
The lens is a wide angle lens helping you to squeeze extra detail into wide shots such as landscapes and groups of people. The FE-350 is a simple, point and shoot model and also has a large 3 inch LCD screen.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
8
4x
3 inches
97.7 x 55.7 x 26.5 m
138g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
5cm
No
No
Lithium ion
xD
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
The FE-350 struggles here. There is a lack of definition in the photo, especially around lighter colour objects such as the boats. Part of this problem is down to the way the camera has a problem handling the sunny conditions. This has also caused many of the blue lines on the boats to take on a purple tinge.
For those of you who like vivid colours there is plenty of strength in the colours in this picture. The photo takes on a pixilated look. In places I can almost see the individual pixels. This is obviously not a good sign. There are also some purple lines visible on the edge of trees in larger prints.
Right! Just in case you hadn't noticed I am not very impressed with my test shots. With the lens zoomed right in I have managed to produce another fuzzy shot lacking in clarity.
With less colour and contrast in the shot the FE-350 is able to handle the scene better and produces a sharper shot than I was expecting. It is still some way from being perfect and the purple lines are back around the windows.
Portraits
At this point I am usually able to say despite struggling with the most distant shots this camera makes a much better effort closer in. Well the picture is better, but not by much. I am still not happy with the sharpness of the shot and it is too dark for me.
This is a better effort, although I find the lighting produced by the flash to be harsher than many cameras manage. There is also a loss of detail in the darker areas of the hair. In general I think the FE-350 struggles to cope with contrast.
This is the best photo out of all my test pictures taken with the FE-350. It has a far more natural look than the photo taken with flash.
Macro, Colours and Noise
The macro shot has a blue colour caste to it. It lacks the clarity of some of the better digital cameras.
To be honest I haven't really noticed the colours all that much as I have gone through my tests. I think that is mainly because I have been preoccupied by the problems I have encountered. Even so the colours have a natural feel to them in most cases.
Picture quality is o.k. at both ISO 400 and 640. The purple lines are back again and colours are starting to break up once you reach 640.
Summary
From time to time I come across a camera I simply do not get along with. The Olympus FE-350 has proven to be one of those cameras.
Style
At 26mm wide the FE-350 is compact, but it begins to become a squeeze for anything other than a good sized pocket. The camera is available in silver and black and has a fairly typical rectangular look.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
1.118 seconds
18.09 seconds
1.25 seconds
19.9 seconds
Ease of Use
Olympus may not be my favourite brand when it comes to menu style, but the FE-350 is straightforward enough.
Points I Like
Ease of use
Where it Could Improve
Picture quality - shutter lag times
Verdict
If you are looking for a camera that is slow to respond and takes a picture lacking in quality then this could be the camera for you. Otherwise I would suggest looking elsewhere.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Olympus FE-350 Review Olympus FE-350 Specification Olympus FE-350 Sample Images Olympus FE-350 Features
Review Date
June 2008
