By Ian Burley
2nd September - 2001
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Olympus has today taken the wraps off its new Camedia C-40Z, and claims it’s the world’s smallest 4 megapixel digital camera. Its dimensions are 87 (w) x 68.5 (h) x 43.5 (d) mm, weighing 190g without batteries.
Having seen a pre-production prototype (the C-40Z doesn’t ship in the UK until late October) we can confirm it’s small, but not as small as, say, Nikon’s new Coolpix 775 - though that’s only a 2MP camera. The £699.99 (inc.VAT) C-40Z sports a 2.8x optical zoom, maximum aperture f/2.8-4.8, supplemented by a 2.5x digital zoom, giving a theoretical 7x range overall.
Much shared with C-4040Z
Much of the C-40Z specification, apart from the lens, is shared with the recently released C-4040Z. This means it has the same 1/1.8 inch 4.13MP CCD image sensor with a maximum native picture resolution of 2272x1704 pixels (3.87MP).
Again, like the 4040Z, the C-40Z has an interpolated picture size option of 7.68MP or 3200x2400 pixels. Pixel mapping to avoid ‘dead’ or ‘hot’ pixel syndrome is featured again, as is the same night time noise reduction system employed in the C-4040Z and Sony’s new Cyber-Shot DSC-707. Olympus has also stuck with SmartMedia memory cards and swappable non-rechargeable lithium batteries or AA rechargeables.
Ease of use priority
While the C-4040Z is aimed at enthusiasts or photographers who probably prefer tight control over the exposure system, the C-40Z is targeted at users looking for simplicity in operation. This means there are plenty of easily accessible scene mode programs.
The C-40 continues Olympus long tradition of ‘capsule’ cameras started with the XA film compact film camera series in the late 70s and the classic Mu of the 80s onwards. In other words the lens is protected once it has recessed itself, by a sliding door that doubles as a hand grip when it is open.
Design oddity
A very odd aspect of the C-40’s design that is more apparent when you see the camera in the hand than in the PR shots is the off-axis position of the lens elements in relation to the barrel. As is becoming increasingly common, the shape of the C-40Z, which is unconstrained by the need to find space for a film canister and a take-up spool, is almost square in frontal aspect.
The C-40Z will be spearheading Olympus’ forthcoming Christmas market blitz. There is more to come from Olympus before then, though - so watch this space...
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