Bright ideas
With the exception of the amount of time it takes to write high-resolution uncompressed TIFF files--which is really no surprise--the battery-powered (using either AA or the two included long-lasting, nonrechargeable CR-V3 lithium cells) C-4040 Zoom compares favorably performance-wise to other cameras in this class, with no noticeable shutter lag. It also offers good, though not exceptional, image quality.
Because it sports a fast--or, as Olympus calls it, Super Bright--f-1.8 lens, the C-4040 Zoom can take usable pictures under a wide variety of lighting conditions. Its images are never fantastic, but they are sharp, fairly color-accurate, and free of curvature from lens distortion, with good detail in the shadow areas. You'll see a bit of noise if you scrutinize your shots, but you won't find egregious levels of it, and you'll find purple fringing only in pictures with strong contrasts or backlighting.
The camera does have a tendency to slightly overexpose images, with blown-out highlights and blooming that causes the bright areas to bleed into dark ones. During testing, we ended up shooting many of our photos underexposed by one stop to compensate. Another gripe: the flash produces harsh light and hot spots.
What You'll Pay
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