New Olympus 770 Camera (1 Viewer)

Has anyone had any advance looks or hands-on of Olympus' new digital camera in the UltraZoom line due out on the market April 2004?

Olympus C-770 Movie, with MPEG-4
10x Optical Zoom, 4 MegaPixel

PMA 2004: In a 'by popular demand' move Olympus today revealed its very interesting still camera / video camera cross-over product the C-770 Movie. Just like the C-765 UZ the C-770 has a four megapixel CCD sensor and ten times optical zoom lens. Most interesting however is that Olympus has implemented the MPEG-4 video compression codec for movie recording, this means smaller higher quality video files at high resolution and frame rate. The C-770 Movie records VGA (640 x 480) MPEG-4 video at 30 fps at a data rate of approximately 300 KB/sec.

Press Release (Olympus UK):

Forget Your Camcorder:
Use the Olympus C-770 Movie instead


If you don’t have room to take both your camera and your camcorder on holiday this year, then the Olympus C-770 Movie is the answer to your problem. The 4 million pixel digital camera not only allows extremely versatile shooting with a powerful 10x optical zoom, it also records full-screen quality MPEG4 movies with sound. Available from April 2004, RRP will be £499.99 [inc VAT]. For stockist information call 0800 072 0070 or go to www.olympus.co.uk.

This camera is the perfect holiday companion for the seasoned traveller; the compact C-770 Movie doesn’t simply take superb digital shots, it also boasts a full-screen movie recording capability of 30 frames per second in MPEG4 quality - one of the most advanced of any existing digital cameras to date. The extraordinary picture quality also allows full television screen presentations.

The new flagship in the Olympus Ultra Zoom range features a bright (f2.8 – 3.7) 10x optical zoom lens which comprises eleven elements arranged in seven groups. In addition, it includes two aspherical lenses to reduce distortion, plus an ED element which helps to minimise chromatic aberration, an effect that often occurs when shooting in the tele-setting. In combination with a 4 million pixel CCD, this high precision optical system ensures pictures of superb quality, even when printed in larger sizes.

This model also offers a broad range of shooting modes including Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Full Manual settings, allowing you to create your own individual images. The camera’s range of scene programs (Portrait, Self Portrait, Night Scene, Sports, Landscape and Landscape with Portrait) proves extremely convenient when there is less time for manual adjustments.

Because the C-770 Movie complies with the PictBridge standard, direct printing can be carried out with compatible printers, eliminating the need for a PC. However, the USB 2.0 AutoConnect interface, means that pictures and movies can be downloaded quickly and easily to the computer.


Two software packages are included for handling the files

CAMEDIA Master 4.2SE software allows easy optimising, editing and managing of the image files
Ulead VideoStudio7 SE Basic to edit and watch the MPEG4 movies on your computer.
The C-770 Movie – main features

4.0 million pixels
10x optical zoom with ED lens (equiv. 38 – 380mm on 35mm camera), f2.8/3.7
Full-screen (640 x 480 pixels) MPEG4 movie recording at 30 fps with sound
Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Full Manual modes
Hot shoe for flash gun
6 scene programs (Portrait, Self Portrait, Night Scene, Sports, Landscape and Landscape with Portrait)
Optimised electronic viewfinder for precise framing
All activated settings are displayed in the electronic viewfinder, allowing you to keep your eye on the subject at all times
Supplied with 128MB xD-Picture Card
PictBridge compatible
USB 2.0
1.8” LCD with multi-language menu
CAMEDIA Master 4.2SE plus Ulead VideoStudio7 SE Basic are provided with the camera
Olympus C-770 Movie specifications


Sensor • 1/2.5" Type CCD
• 4.0 million effective pixels
Image sizes • 2288 x 1712
• 2288 x 1512 (3:2)
• 2048 x 1536
• 1600 x 1200
• 1280 x 960
• 1024 x 768
• 640 x 480
• 3200 x 2400 (interpolated)
File formats • TIFF
• JPEG (EXIF 2.2)
• MPEG-4
Movie clips • 640 x 480, 30 fps
• 320 x 240, 30 fps
• MPEG-4 Codec format
• Limited only by storage (streaming)
• With audio
Lens • 10x optical zoom
• 38 - 380 mm equiv.
• F2.8 - F3.7
• 11 elements in 7 groups, 2aspherical elements, ED lens
Digital zoom Up to 3x
Auto focus • TTL contrast detect
• ESP AF
• AF area selectable
Manual focus Yes
Focus range • Normal: W 0.6 m - Infinity, T 2.0 m - Infinity
• Macro: W 7 - 60 cm, T 1.2 - 2.0 m
• Super macro: 3 cm
Shooting modes • Program AE
• Aperture priority AE
• Shutter priority AE
• Manual
• Scene
Scene modes • Portrait
• Sports
• Night scene
• Landscape
Metering • Digital ESP
• Spot
• Multi-spot
Sensitivity equiv. • Auto (ISO 50 - 400)
• ISO 50
• ISO 100
• ISO 200
• ISO 400
Exposure compen. • -2.0 to +2.0 EV
• 0.3 EV steps
Shutter speed 16 - 1/1000 sec
Exposure bracketing • Up to 5 images
• 0.3, 0.7 or 1.0 EV steps
White balance • Auto
• Daylight
• Overcast
• Tungsten
• Fluorescent 1 2 3
• Manual one-touch
WB adjustment -7 to +7
Image parameters • Sharpness (-5 to +5)
• Contrast (-5 to +5)
• Saturation (-5 to +5)
Image processing • TruePic Turbo
• Pixel mapping
• Noise reduction
User memories 4 memories
Histogram • Shooting mode
• Playback mode
Viewfinder • Electronic viewfinder (EVF)
• 240,000 pixels
LCD monitor • 1.8" TFT LCD
• 114,000 pixels
Self-timer 10 sec
Flash • Pop-up (electronic release)
• Modes: Auto, Red-eye reduction, Fill-In, Slow sync, Off
• Range: Wide 4.5 m, Tele 3.5 m
Sequence shooting • 2.7 fps
• 12 images (HQ mode)
Direct print PictBridge compatible
Connectivity • USB 2.0
• A/V out
• DC-IN
Power • Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
• Charger supplied
• Optional AC adapter
Storage • xD-Picture Card
• 16 MB card supplied
Dimensions 105 x 60 x 69 mm
Weight (no batt) 280 g

BirdWatcher

Sounds promising but still no Image Stabiliser which would have made the difference to me. I wonder why only 4 MP when so many other brands are pushing 5 and 6 MP? No AA batteries either. 16 Mb card won't go very far with 4 MP camera. 2" LCD would be easier to view.

Everything else sounds decent and the lens should be good quality.

Certainly another one to consider but it doesn't sound like it stands out from the rest of the pack for my usage.

Thanks for pointing it out though. I'll keep an eye on the reviews.

I think the better video quality is the main upgrade from similar models

I think I'll stay with my 750UZ. It would be nice though. as Ian points out, if future models have an image stabiliser.

I went out and bought a C-750 (before they aren't available anymore) because Olympus came out with this C-770. I was waitingfor a 5MP model, but to me the 770 is a step in the wrong direction - still 4MP, and as already mentioned, no AA battery. Just to save a few ounces and make it smaller. No thanks!