Olympus returns to the 10x Ultrazoom

12th September - 2002
By Ian Burley

More on the C-730UZ... 10x zoom Olympus C-730UZ Official C-730UZ press release Olympus C-730UZ specifications

Update 10AM: Our original story was based on data that was nearly a month old. It seems the specifications have changed since then and we have just been supplied with revised information. All three pages of this news story were amended at 10AM.

The new  C-730UZ is second Olympus to feature xD memory card

After the popular 2 megapixel 10x zoom-equipped C-2100UZ and C-700UZ models launched a couple of years ago, Olympus has returned to the 10x zoom  with a much modified version of the Camedia 700 Ultra Zoom in the form of the 730 model.

Improvements include a 3.2 megapixel sensor, combined xD and SmartMedia memory card slot (following on from the newly announced C-5050Z), enhanced resolution electronic viewfinder, revamped autofocus system and updated control/settings user interface.

730 vs 720?

The C-730UZ should not be confused with the C-720UZ, also recently launched by Olympus, but only available from the Jessops photographic store chain in the UK. The C-730UZ is visibly similar to the C-720UZ and has a similar resolution CCD sensor, but the chips are actually different, the 720 having a 1/2.5 inch CCD and the C-730 sporting a slightly smaller 1/2.7 inch CCD. The 720’s zoom lens range has also been limited to 8x (equivalent to 40-320mm) compared to the 10x (38-380mm) range of the 730. Here is a summary of the main differences between the C-720UZ and the C-730UZ:

C-730 C-720 Optical Zoom 10x 8x Digital Zoom 1-3x 1-3x Electronic Viewfinder 190,000 pixels (pitch 0.4inch) 110,000 pixels (pitch 0.5inch) Media XD-Card, SM SM Noise reduction Yes No Histogram Yes No

We have had a brief play with a working pre-production C-730UZ. The new 180,000 pixel EVF is a big improvement over the older EVF of the C-700UZ and C-720 with the help of 60% more pixels.

One thing that is striking about the C-730UZ is how light (315g without batteries) and small it is considering the zoom range on offer. Unlike the discontinued C-2100UZ, the lens has no image stabilisation feature.  Subtractive noise reduction comes into play during exposures equal to or longer than one second.

Six selectable white balance settings are offered in addition to auto mode. Aperture and shutter priority manual modes are available in addition to full auto exposure mode and auto bracketing is also possible. There are also six typical scene modes to choose from and you can save your own combination of preferred settings using the My Mode feature. Macro mode gets you as close as 4cm.

Other features include 1.2 frames per second shooting in HQ mode for up to 11 frames (9.2 seconds sequence), sepia and mono effects modes, black and white board mode for photographing text and in-camera image editing and cropping. A panorma mode is included and it appears this is specific to the 16MB Olympus xD card supplied.

Movie mode captures between 48 and over 200 seconds worth of video depending on resolution with the standard 16MB xD memory card, but sound is not recorded. There is no hot shoe, but connection to Olympus’ own FL-40 unit is possible via a 5-pin flash cord.

The C-730UZ will make its public debut at Photokina in two weeks time and will ship in the UK from late October, with a suggested price of £499.

Olympus UK
Olympus PIX site

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