Olympus C-360

Using Olympus' familiar sliding lens cap design, the C-360 looks much like the other entry-level cameras in the Camedia range. Buttons are few and far between and it shouldn't take you too long to feel at home with it.

The 3.3megapixel CCD is pretty much what we expected at this price, however the 3x optical zoom seems a little dated - many similar models house at least a 4x zoom.

During testing, we got some reasonable shots from the C-360. It managed to calculate the correct exposure even in tricky lighting conditions and colours were well saturated. Our resolution tests proved it to be about average at capturing fine detail, but if you're really after a high level of detail you'll need to spend a fair bit more.

The C-360 offers a few manual features for those wanting more control over their photography. You get to adjust white balance and exposure compensation along with a spot metering mode, but ISO settings and shutter speeds are automatic only. For beginners, the five scene modes on offer allow you to get the best from the C-360 with the minimum of fuss.

The movie mode is a useful addition and includes audio, but the maximum resolution of just 320 x 240 at 15 frames per second holds it back somewhat.

Olympus has included a 16MB XD Picture Card with the Camedia C-360, which is capable of holding just six photos when shooting at the highest quality.

On the whole, the C-360 is a solid effort from Olympus and would suit newcomers to digital photography, but there's really nothing that makes it stand out from the mass of 3megapixel models currently on the market.

Contact: Olympus 0800 072 0070
www.olympus.co.uk

Specifications:

• 3.2megapixels
• 2,048 x 1,536 max resolution
• 16MB XD Picture Card
• 3x optical zoom
• 35-105mm (35mm equivalent)
• 1-1/1,000sec shutter speed
• F3.1-5.2/F8
• ISO 80-400
• 7cm super macro
• < LI>15fps 320 x 240 video
• 108 x 16.5 x 57.5 x 16.5 (w x d x h)
• 165g