Anyone used an Olympus FE-280?

[NJMike]

I'm thinking about getting a camera for Christmas and my local dive shop carries the Olympus FE-280.

I've done as much research on the internet as I could but it never takes the place of good, unbiased reviews. So if anyone has any, please reply.

One thing I am still trying to find info on is the shutter lag. The dive shop has another cheaper camera called Pixstream (I think) but a review indicated that the shutter lag was as long as 8 seconds sometimes.

I think that means that after pressing the button to take the picture, it takes 8 seconds before the shutter opens to take the picture.

That seems extreme and would take away alot of the fun of taking pictures.

So if anyone can help with general feedback or the shutter lag question in particulary, I'd be thankful!

 

[myrtlebeachbums]

Hey Mike,
My wife Julie just got me the FE-280 with the PT-038 housing from Amazon.com. I'm planning on doing a couple reef dives (my first!) just after Christmas in West Palm Beach, FL.

I know that won't let you know before Christmas how it is, but if you can wait I'll let you know and post some of the pics I've taken.

- Dave

 

[NJMike]

Dave, good for you! I'm up here in the NE...NJ...so I won't be able to take any pics till next summer (underwater).

I was planning on getting it for Christmas...and maybe there is one thing you could do for me...

It sounds like you have the camera now. If that's right, can you test the shutter lag? Just press the button and count "one thousand one, one thousand two"...until the picture is actually taken.

I know it won't be exact but would still be helpful. And yes, I would definitely like to see the pics from your trip!

Thanks.

 

[myrtlebeachbums]

It sounds like you have the camera now. If that's right, can you test the shutter lag? Just press the button and count "one thousand one, one thousand two"...until the picture is actually taken.

I don't actually have it in my hands yet. Julie ordered it for me last night, and I'm off to Chicago for the week. (I still say this trip is my boss getting some cruel revenge for having a damn yankee on his team.) Asssuming the camera is in I'm sure I'll be playing with it when I get back on Friday, and there's a decent chance I'll have it in the pool at the dive shop on Saturday.

I'll test that for you and will let you know.

 

[reeldive]

This is also one of the cameras I'm looking at so hope to here more from y'all

 

[RTRski]

As bad as shutter lag can really be for Point-and-shoots (I get a lot of fishbutt, too), I can't believe 8 seconds. My guess is that's the delay AFTER the shot for the camera to be ready for the next shot due to data storage, etc. 5-12 seconds isn't uncommon for that, especially for RAW storage.

 

[myrtlebeachbums]

Hey all.

Well, I got my FE-280 via Amazon. First the camera, then a few days later the memory card, and now I'm anxiously waiting for the underwater enclosure. I go for two reef dives in West Palm Beach two weeks from this Thursday. Every day it gets closer to that and I don't have the enclosure makes me worry a little more.

Anyway Mike - I tried what you asked. I turned the camera on, let it warm up, hit the button, and counted one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand, CLICK! I tried a few times and the results were my non-scientific 3 seconds each time.

Not quite instant, but not nearly the 8 seconds you were worried about.

Overall so far I like this camera. Battery life seems good. A 2 GB xD RAM card in it results in the camera telling me I can take 999 pictures. (I recommend a smaller card for that reason. If I ever take 999 pictures without unloading the camera it's time to rethink digital photography.)

If you're curious and want to see some boring family photos, here's two sets. PicasaWeb shrinks them down, but hopefully they'll give you the idea:

Picasa Web Albums - Dave - 2007-12-08 Da...

Picasa Web Albums - Dave - 2007-12-08 Co...

...and yes, I'm the guy in the green shirt with the sunglasses on in the second link.

From what limited time I've used the camera so far I'd say that yes, I'd buy one of these again if I had to. I cannot wait to use it underwater two weeks from now on my first reef dive, and I promise to post those pics as well.

 

[pickens_46929]

I've got the FE-230 and there is a shutter lag. It's not meant to be a professional model. Shutter lag varies based upon the memory card and the resolution. Setting the camera to maximum resolution and using a slow memory card will lead to 5 second or so lag times. Using the higher speed memory cards and a medium resolution will speed things up, maybe in half based upon some unscientific tests (the mississippi method)...

I've found that in situations where I need the speed, I flip the camera onto movie mode... take 20 or 30 seconds of movies and then take a frame from the clip. Not the best but works and I don't have to deal with the lag. Works great when you've got moving subjects like sea lions or whatever.

Dave

 

[Larry C]

Haven't used the FE series, but I have an Olympus SP-350. From what I've seen of the FE series, your biggest challenge will be the automatic nature of the camera. Even in bright light, I noticed on your parade pics that there is some blur in moving objects. Even with the Image Stabilizing feature, if your shutter is too slow, you are going to get blur. When you're underwater, in low light situations, the camera auto settings tend to increase aperture and slow the shutter. This results in pictures that aren't crisp and limited depth of field (the range of objects closer to and farther from the subject that are still in focus). When I first started with my SP, I left it in UW modes. A few shots would be good, but most were blurred and out of focus. The SP allows full control of shutter speed and aperture value. I think your FE is fully automatic. One partial solution would be using your program mode to up the ISO, allowing the camera to use faster shutter speeds than it would otherwise. In open water pictures though, the higher ISO tends to make the blue water areas look grainy. If you can alter shutter speed or aperture in Program mode, I would, but I don't think you can.

 

[NJMike]

All very interesting...

I'm not a photographer, nor do I understand all the photo jargon...but I'm trying. My first thought is that a 3 second shutter lag is just too much. If the subject is moving...a nice, colorful fish for example...he's not going to sit still waiting for the picture to take! And a fish can go a long ways in 3 seconds.

Dave, can't wait to see your pics from Palm Beach. Can you take some at the 3X zoom? I'd like to see some side by side comparisons...take a picture without zooming, then take the same pic with 3X zoom?

The other Dave...your comments about the resolution setting and memory card speed is noted...

Larry, your comments are very interesting and reflect a much better knowledge of photography than I have. I do not intend on take professional level pictures...I just want something to take home to remember the trip. I may print some or make one into a wallpaper or screen saver, etc. And I have a budget limit of about $300.

What about the SeaLife ReefMaster Mini? A camera with no zoom, 2M less pixels, but no housing is required and it's also compatible with a strobe?