NewsAugust 1999

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Olympus C-2000Z FAQ translated

After a slight slog I've translated the Japanese Olympus C-2000Z "before you buy" FAQ. There are some facts in here which may be of interest to prospective purchasers.

(I've only included the text of interest, some of this is just sales pitch and some is purely "how do I put in a battery" kind of stuff).

Q1: What are the differences between the C-2000Z and C-900Z ?

	C-2000Z	C-900Z
Recording method	TIFF, JPEG (DCF)	TIFF, JPEG (Exif)
Recording medium	2MB, 4MB, 8MB, 16MB, 32MB SmartMedia
CCD	1/2" 2.11 megapixels (2.0 megapixels used)	1/3" 1.3 megapixels (1.25 megapixels used)
Quality modes	1600x1200 uncompressed 1600x1200 SHQ 1600x1200 HQ 1024x768 Standard 640x480 Standard	1280 x 960 uncompressed 1280 x 960 SHQ 1280 x 960 HQ 640 x 480 Standard
White balance modes	Auto TTL / daylight / cloudy / tungsten / fluorescent
Lens	Olympus 3x (6.5 - 19.5mm) F2.0 - F2.8 six groups / eight elements. (equiv. 35 - 105mm)	Olympus 3x (5.4 - 16.2mm) F2.8 - F4.4 six groups / eight elements. (equiv. 35 - 105mm)
Digital zoom	1.6x or 2.5x	2x
Frames/sec	640 x 480 2fps up to 45 images 1600 x 1200 1fps up to 10 images	640 x 480 2fps up to 10 images
Exposure control	Auto with manual compensation (+/-2EV in 1/3EV steps) Aperture priority: F2.0 - F11.0 (wide) & F2.8 - F11.0 (tele) Shutter priority: 1/2s - 1/800s	Auto with manual compensation (+/-2EV in 1/2EV steps)
Shutter speeds	1/2s - 1/800s
Sensitivity	ISO 100 / 200 / 400	ISO 100 (boosts automatically to 200 with shutter speeds slower than 1/4s)
Metering method	TTL digital ESP and spot metering
Focus range	80cm (normal mode) and 20cm - 80cm (macro mode)
Finder	LCD & Optical viewfinder
LCD	1.8" TFT
Flash modes	Auto, anti red-eye, off, forced on
Burst mode	Yes	No
Manual focus	Two settings: 2.5m or infinity
External flash	Yes	No
Remote control	Yes	No
Battery saving mode	Yes	No

Q2: What are the main features of the C-2000Z ?

• High picture quality from the 1/2" 2.1 megapixel CCD
• Very fast large diameter F2.0 lens
• Shutter priority
• Aperture priority
• Variable sensitivty: ISO100 / 200 / 400
• White balance override
• Manual focus: 2.5m and Infinity
• Exposure compensation +/-2EV in 1/3EV steps
• Digital zoom of 2.5x and 1.6x
• External flash capability
• Burst mode
• Remotely controlable
• Slow sync flash
• Battery life saving

Q5: How do I use the aperture priority mode ?

Select the required aperture priority and the camera will select the correct shutter speed. Changing aperture can be useful for controlling depth of field. The shutter speed and exposure are displayed on the LCD, if they are blinking RED then a proper exposure cannot be obtained.

(Values of: F2.0, F2.2, F2.5, F2.8, F3.2, F3.6, F4.0, F4.5, F5.0, F5.6, F6.3, F7.0, F8.0, F9.0, F10, F11)

Q6: How do I use the shutter priority mode ?

Select the required shutter speed and the camera will select the correct aperture.

(Values of: 1/2s, 1/2.5s, 1/3s, 1/4s, 1/5s, 1/6s, 1/8s, 1/10s, 1/13s, 1/15s, 1/20s, 1/25s, 1/30s, 1/40s, 1/50s, 1/60s, 1/80s, 1/100s, 1/125s, 1/160s, 1/200s, 1/250s, 1/320s, 1/320s, 1/400s, 1/500s, 1/650s, 1/800s)

Q7: How do I use the sensitivty setting ?

Sensitivity can be selected from 100,200 or 400. In program mode the camera automatically improves sensitivity in dark places to prevent camera shake blurring.

Q24: What are the compression ratios for each quality mode ?

	C-2000Z	C-900Z
Non compressed	1:1	1:1
SHQ	6:1	8:1
HQ	11:1	16:1
1024x768 Standard	11:1	-
640 x 480 Standard	13:1	14:1

Q25/26: How many images (and what size) can be stored? (on an 8MB SmartMedia card)

	C-2000Z (MAX size)	C-900Z (MAX size)
Non compressed	1 (5.6MB)	2 (3.6MB)
SHQ	7 + (1000 K)	18 + (440 K)
HQ	15 + (500 K)	36 + (220 K)
1024x768 Standard	38 + (210 K)	-
640 x 480 Standard	122 + (66 K)	122 + (66 K)

Q27/28: What are the record / playback times for each quality mode? (LCD ON in record mode)

	C-2000Z Rec	C-2000Z Play	C-900Z Rec	C-900Z Play
Non compressed	43s	35s	35s	45s
SHQ	6s	5s	7s	8s
HQ	4s	3s	6s	7s
1024x768 Standard	2s	2s	-	-
640 x 480 Standard	2s	1.5s	3s	4s

Q35: Can the C-2000Z output be displayed on a TV?

Yes, however the LCD must be turned off while outputting to a TV, the cable is supplied.

Q44: What communication methods are supported ?

The communication method is RS232C, it does not support USB or IrDA.

Q53: Can the C-2000Z take conversion lens?

The conversion lens can be "put up" through option lens adapter CLA-1.

My apologies for any grammar mistakes in this text as it was translated from the Japanese web page.

You can buy the C-2000Z online from Outpost.Com: Olympus C-2000Z