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ViewfinderA prominent featureof the C-2500L is its TTL optical viewfinder, thanks to the SLR (single-lensreflex) design. A dioptric adjustment dial on the side of the viewfinder makesit more user friendly for near- or far-sighted users. A central, circular autofocusmark helps you adjust your composition accordingly. Two LED lights (orange andgreen) just outside the viewfinder clue you in to the camera's status and letyou know things like when the image is in focus or if there's an error. (Oneminor note is that we found these LEDs very distracting when using the camerain flash mode in very low light conditions: When we pressed the shutter button,the LEDs glaring in the corner of our eyeball were bright enough to reduce ournight vision! An option to turn them off would be nice for such situations.)The viewfinder shows you about 95 percent of the actual image recorded, a percentagewhich seemed to vary with the image quality selection in our testing. Perhapsbecause of the superior capabilities of the TTL viewfinder, Olympus doesn'tprovide a viewfinder option using the LCD. (This has consistently been the caseon their SLR digicams in the past. Despite the accuracy of the TTL finder though,we'd still like to have the option of using the LCD as a viewfinder as well:There are some times when it simply isn't as convenient to squint through theviewfinder eyepiece.)While the LCDisn't available for use as a "live" viewfinder, it does provide extensiveexposure information if the "Rec Info" option is enabled on the Setupscreen. This display shows virtually every camera setting relevant to your exposure,including aperture, shutter speed, exposure level, ISO speed, white balancesetting, focus status, flash and capture mode, image-quality setting, memorycard mode (SmartMedia or CompactFlash), and shots remaining. (This is probablythe most complete status display we've seen yet on a digicam.)Although the rear LCD screen isn't used for a "live" viewfinder, itdoes optionally display the captured image briefly after each shot, and mayalso be used to view previously-captured photos. In playback mode, you can eitherview groups of four or nine images in "thumbnail" mode, a single imageat normal size (filling the LCD display), or zoom-in on an image, magnifyingit either 2x or 4x. We observed one quirk in the 4x zoomed playback mode though:In either zoomed playback mode, you can pan around the enlarged image by pressingthe +/- button on the camera's top, and then using the rear-panel rocker controlto move your viewing window around the image. In 2x mode, you can scroll tosee all of the image area, but in 4x mode, you're restricted to the region thatyou had zoomed in on in 2x mode: To see more of the image, you need to dropback down to 2x mode, scroll to center the region of interest, and then zoomback up to 4x mode. - An odd user-interface wrinkle, albeit one that can beworked around.OpticsThe C-2500L is equipped with an Olympus 9.2 to 28mm aspherical, all-glass lens(the equivalent of a 36 to 110mm lens on a 35mm camera). The aperture, user-controllablein Manual mode, has options of F/2.8 or F/5.6 in wide angle or F/3.9 and F/7.8in telephoto. (There are two physical aperture openings, which vary in theireffective size as the focal length of the zoom lens changes.) TTL autofocusranges from .02m (0.8 inches) to infinity and the effective range of the AFilluminator beneath the lens is from 60cm to 3m (2 to 9.8 feet). The lens featuresa 43mm thread for the addition of filters or the wide and macro conversion lensaccessories, further expanding the camera's optical capabilities.Given the C-2500L's exceptional capabilities in other areas, we're rather puzzledby Olympus' decision to provide only two lens aperture settings. This precludesa shutter-priority autoexposure mode, and also makes the camera somewhat lessflexible when used with a studio strobe system. Likewise, fine gradations ofcontrol over depth of field are lost as well. (Although to be honest, in ourown shooting, it seems we either want the absolute minimum depth of field orthe absolute maximum, rarely some value in between.) In actuality, while wepersonally bemoan the limited aperture control, several professional photographersthat we've corresponded with about the C-2500L didn't seem overly concernedby it. They felt that, as far as studio flash went, there were usually plentyof other ways to control the light beyond the camera's aperture. Likewise, itappeared that their feelings about depth of field somewhat matched our own.So: Only two apertures - A big deal' A non-issue' - We'll leave it for you todecide, as determined your own shooting patterns. Based on our own thoughts,and the feedback we've had from the pros we've spoken with, we'd say it'll bea non-issue for the majority of users. (The bottom line for us: It bothers thecontrol freak in us, but probably wouldn't make a difference in our own shooting:Faced with competing cameras equal in other respects, we'd definitely choosethe one with a full range of aperture control. In most cases though, it wouldn'tbe a deciding factor on its own.)Macro focusingwith the C-2500L requires a little explanation as well. The camera has two autofocusmacro modes: Standard Macro works across the full focal length range of thezoom lens, and provides focusing between 1 and 2 feet (30 and 60 cm). SuperMacro provides focusing from 0.8 inches to 2 feet (2 to 60 cm), but only atthe lens' widest-angle focal length. The minimum field of view in Standard Macromode is 3.5 x 4.4 inches, about mid-range for high-end digicams. The SuperMacromode is literally microscopic, with a minimum coverage area of only 1.48 x 1.85inches. We're not sure why Olympus chose to provide two different macro settings:It could be that one trade off of the SuperMacro mode is increased barrel distortion,something that you can avoid by working in normal Macro with the zoom set towardsits telephoto end. Overall though, we're glad they included the Super Macrooption: We're big fans of ultra-macro photography, and we suspect it opens arange of specialized scientific, forensic, and medical applications for thecamera as well.Auxiliary LensesOlympus has always offered high-quality auxiliary lenses for their digicams,but with the C-2500L, are presenting them much more prominently, as part ofa complete "system." Many of us in the digicam world are familiarwith the inexpensive add-on lenses sold by third parties for use with digitalcameras. While these work adequately for many purposes, they generally aren'tof high optical quality. The Olympus auxiliary lenses on the other hand arepretty serious pieces of optical hardware, with multiple optical-glass elements,anti-flare coatings, etc. Naturally, they're priced accordingly, more in the$100+ category than the $10+ one.With the C-2500L, we had a chance to work with both the 0.85x wide-angle and1.45x telephoto auxiliary lenses. The wide angle unit extends the wide angleend of the zoom range from the equivalent of a 36mm lens on a 35mm camera tothe equivalent of a 30.6 mm one. This definitely represents a useful increasein angular coverage, but we'd like to see even more: Given that this lens workswell across a range of zoom settings, it would be nice to have the equivalentof a 24mm or so at the widest setting. The wide-angle adapter is a fairly largehunk of glass, to the point that some caution needs to be exerted when attachingit to the camera. (See our comments on the filter threads below.)The 1.45x telephoto auxiliary lens is a good deal smaller than the wide angleunit, making it somewhat easier to mount. It comes with a thread adapter tomate with the camera's filter threads, but also has spring-loaded threaded clipsthat attach it to the adapter unit. This makes it quite quick to attach or remove,once the adapter ring is on the camera. The 1.45x magnification factor meansthat the telephoto end of the C-2500L's lens is extended to an equivalent focallength of 159 mm. Unlike the wide angle lens though, the telephoto adapter canonly be used near the telephoto end of the 2500's zoom range. At shorter focallengths, it vignettes quite a bit. This is probably OK, since the whole pointof adding a tele adapter is to get beyond the range of the built-in lens. Onthe other hand, it would be useful to have a wider zoom range with the adapterin place, to help with framing.The Filter ThreadsWe mentioned that the mass of the auxiliary lenses meant some caution was neededin attaching them to the camera. The reason for this is that the filter threadson the C-2500L's lens seem to be made from a softer plastic, and as such aresomewhat susceptible to cross-threading. We didn't find this to be a particularissue when attaching a lightweight filter or adapter ring to the camera. Ifattempted to attach the combined wide angle lens-plus-adapter assembly to thecamera though, the mass of the large lens made fine alignment very finicky.We'd strongly recommend that users develop the habit (as we did) of attachingthe adapter ring to the camera first, then screwing the lens onto the adapterring.ExposureThe C-2500 features excellent exposure control with three different meteringmodes available (Manual, Aperture Priority and Program). These modes are selectablevia the mode dial on the back of the camera. Program mode lets the camera doall the work and leaves you to free to concentrate on framing and composition.The default in Program mode is auto-everything, but you do have control overzoom and flash operation. If you really want to, you can also delve into whitebalance, ISO, etc. Manual mode gives you simultaneous control over apertureand shutter speed, while Aperture Priority lets you set the aperture while thecamera selects the shutter speed.In the following, we found that there were so many controls on the C-2500L,that it was easier to explain each feature individually and then define themodes it works in. Accordingly, we'll discuss each of the functions below inthat manner.FlashThe pop-up flash on the C-2500L features four modes: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction,Fill-in Flash and Off. Auto lets the camera judge lighting conditions and determinethe need for flash. Red-Eye Reduction emits a small preflash before firing thefull flash to reduce the effect of Red-Eye. Fill-in Flash just means that theflash always fires, regardless of lighting conditions and Off means that theflash never fires. All flash modes are accessible by pressing the Flash buttonon the top of the camera until the appropriate icon appears.In addition to the four flash modes, the C-2500L features a Flash Synchronizationoption, accessible in the capture menu. This function allows you to choose whetherthe flash fires at the beginning or end of a slow shutter opening to createspecial effects. Two options are available through the capture menu, First CurtainEffect and Second Curtain Effect. (A somewhat obscure reference to the focal-planeshutters in 35mm film cameras.) First Curtain means that the flash fires justafter the shutter opens and Second Curtain means it fires just before the shuttercloses. These special flash timing modes are useful for combining flash exposurewith long exposure times in night photography of moving subjects. When you combinea flash exposure with a slow shutter speed, any moving objects will appear asboth a streak (from the long shutter time) and a sharply-defined image (fromthe flash). If the flash occurs when the shutter first opens, the streak willappear in front of the object, which frequently isn't when you'd like it tooccur. Using Second Curtain synchronization produces photos with the streakstrailing behind the objects' sharp images, nicely conveying the concept of "speed."A standard feature on higher-end 35mm SLRs, first/second curtain flash syncis rarely found on digicams.The manual includes a chart explaining the flash illumination range, based onISO and optical zoom. To give you an idea of the capabilities, at ISO 100, theflash range is from 0.3 to 3.6m (1 to 12ft) in wide angle and from 0.3 to 2.5m(1 to 8.2ft) in telephoto. At ISO 400, these ranges extend to 7.2m (23.6ft)and 5.0m (16.4ft) respectively. You can adjust the flash intensity through thesettings menu in 1/3 EV steps from +2 to -2.TheFL-40 Dedicated Strobe UnitOur evaluation model of the C-2500L arrived with a sample of Olympus' externalFL-40 electronic flash unit in the box with it. The (optional) FL-40 featuresmanual and auto control, wide and telephoto flash modes, and control over ISOand F-stop. It also features a button to illuminate the display panel in lowlight situations. The flash head itself swivels 270 degrees horizontally, andtilts vertically to 90, 75, 60, 45, or 0 degrees. The FL-40 is quite powerful,with an ISO 100 guide number as high as 40 (in telephoto mode), as comparedto the camera's own guide number of 8-12 (tele/wide). When the flash is in automode, the camera controls the flash's settings (including the wide/telephotofocusing of the flash head itself). Since the C-2500L's flash metering is entirelyTTL (through the lens), you can use the FL-40 at the same time as the on-boardflash for complex lighting effects. The FL-40 also contains an additional autofocus-assistilluminator, significantly increasing the total-darkness AF range of the C-2500Lwhen the two are used together.Although none of our standard test shots really highlight the versatility ofthe C-2500L/FL-40 combination, we really had a blast playing with the two! Withboth flashes firing forward, in telephoto mode, and the camera's ISO boostedto a setting of 400, the maximum working range was pretty incredible: Shootingoutdoors at night, we got usable exposures of objects 50-60 feet away(!). Inindoor shooting environments, you can either let the camera figure the exposureautomatically, or optionally run the FL-40 in manual mode, while controllingthe C-2500L's onboard flash via the flash exposure setting in the camera's LCDmenu system. When using the FL-40 in manual mode, there really isn't any alternativefor calculating the correct intensity level to set it to, other than trial anderror. (Actually, a handheld flash exposure meter would probably be quite handyhere.) Fortunately, one of the great benefits of a digital camera is the immediatefeedback it gives you on matters such as exposure: We found it fairly easy tohome in on the correct manual setting for the FL-40 with just a few quick shotsviewed on the camera's LCD.In exchange for the minor hassle of switching to manual mode on the FL-40 though,you gain tremendous range of creative expression with the C-2500L/FL-40 combination.We could achieve very subtle lighting effects by combining a reduced-exposuredirect flash from the camera's onboard strobe with a stronger bounced flashfrom the FL-40. The ability to manually control the exposure of both flashesin 1/3-stop increments allowed great delicacy in adjusting the lighting. (Noteto Olympus: We'd *love* to see a remote cable for the FL-40, letting us extendit some distance from the camera, perhaps even with a light-stand mount thatwould facilitate use with umbrellas, softboxes, etc!)Overall, the FL-40 external flash unit adds tremendous capability to the C-2500Lphotography system. Given the level of engineering necessary to develop sucha product, we believe it portends interesting things for Olympus' line of "pro"digital cameras in the future: We've had no such indication from Olympus (ifwe had, we'd be under nondisclosure and unable to speculate on the subject),but our guess is there will eventually be an entire series of high-end digicamsable to use the FL-40.Self-TimerIn any of the capture modes, the Self-Timer function allows you to get intothe picture yourself. The function is controlled through the settings menu,under the Drive option. Like most other digicams, you simply compose the imageand press the shutter button to activate the timer. The self-timer LED lightsup on the front of the camera for the first 10 seconds and then blinks for theremaining two before the shutter fires. You can stop the countdown by pressingthe menu button once, or cancel the mode entirely by going through the settingsmenu. Olympus suggests placing the lens cap holder over the viewfinder to keepout any extra light. (They recommended the same for their earlier SLR digicamsalso: Apparently light entering the viewfinder can reach the autoexposure sensor.)IR Remote ControlA very helpful accessory that comes with the C-2500L is a remote controlthat's enabled whenever the self-timer function is active. Set up the shot asstated above. When you're ready to trigger the shutter, point the remote controlstraight at the camera and hit the shutter release button. The camera will beepand the Self-Timer light will blink for two seconds before the shutter fires(no more frantic running around to get into the picture). Check the manual fora list of limitations and recommendations for using the remote control.This is apparently the identical remote control first seen on the earlier C-2000Zoom camera. We have to say it's one of the most useful digicam accessorieswe've yet encountered, at least for the type of camera-on-tripod studio shootingthat we do so much of. The IR pickup in the C-2500L seems a bit less sensitivethan that in the C-2000, but with either camera, we found we could frequentlytrigger the shutter simply by pointing the remote at the subject, from behindthe camera, the reflected IR light apparently being enough to trip the shutter.In any case, it's great to be able to release a digicam shutter without jostlingthe camera (especially for macro work), and the Olympus remote performed veryreliably for us.The functions of the remote go quite a bit beyond a simple shutter release though,in that it also controls the camera's zoom function, as well as operation inplayback mode. In the case of the C-2500L though, the zoom lens control is lessuseful than it was on the earlier C-2000 Zoom, because the 2500L doesn't haveany video option in capture mode. (With the C-2000, you could conceivably setup a studio system, with a video monitor for a "remote viewfinder",and use the IR remote to control much of the camera's operation while workingwith the subject.MacroMacro mode on the C-2500L is accessed in either capture mode by pressingthe Focus button on the camera's top until the standard flower symbol appearson the status display panel. Macro lets you focus on images as small as 9 x11cm ( 3.5 x 4.4 in) from approximately 0.3m (1ft) away.Super MacroA nice bonus on the C-2500L is the Super Macro mode, which allows you toget as close as 2cm (0.8in). Press the Focus button until the flower macro symbolappears, accompanied by a small 'S.' The pop-up flash is enabled in this mode,but of relatively little use, given the extremely short distance between thelens and the subject. (The one downside we see to the C-2500L's "supermacro" is this very short working distance, which makes lighting problematic.Some sort of a "light tent", constructed of lighting diffusion gelor even white copier paper, encircling the lens and lit with strong floods frommultiple directions is one solution we've found to such lighting problems.)The manual suggests staying at the edge of the wide angle zoom settings as subjectsmay appear blurry in the telephoto mode. The wide and macro conversion lensesare not useable with this function. Super Macro lets you focus on images assmall as 3.8 x 4.71cm ( 1.48 x 1.85 in).Infinity ModeThe C-2500L features an Infinity Focus mode, helpful for taking picturesof far away subjects, particularly in low-light conditions, when the auto focussystem wouldn't be able to operate. To select Infinity Focus, just press theFocus button until the infinity symbol appears on the status display panel.It's just as easily cancelled.Manual FocusAnother useful feature on the C-2500L is the option for manual focus whichputs you in control. Access it by hitting the same Focus button until 'MF' appearsin the status display panel, then use the up and down arrow buttons on the rockertoggle button to control focus. The focal distance is displayed in the statusdisplay panel as it changes. Manual focus is available in all three capturemodes, and may optionally be displayed in either feet or meters. A total of16 manual focus steps are provided, ranging from 1 foot (0.3 meters) to infinity.Quick FocusPressing the Focus button and the shutter button (halfway) simultaneouslyactivates the Quick Focus function of the C-2500L. Quick Focus lets you selectthe approximate distance from your subject, thereby instructing the camera toalways focus on that distance until the mode is cancelled. This is a helpfulfeature in fast paced shooting situations, where you know about where the actionyou're interested in will occur. (This is somewhat equivalent to what pro sportsphotographers do, prefocusing on a point of concentrated activity, and thenwaiting for the action to arrive.) You can set the Quick Focus distances throughthe settings menu with 16 choices from 0.3m (1ft) to infinity. The manual provideswhat could be an excellent chart explaining quick focus settings and depth offield, but which unfortunately fails to mention what aperture setting is assumed.MeteringYou can choose between Center and Spot metering on the C-2500L in all ofthe capture modes. Center tells the camera to take an average of the lightingconditions across a wide area in the center of the composition. Spot meteringtakes a reading of a small spot in the center of the image, good for oddly-litscenes, in which the subject is greatly brighter or darker than the surroundingarea. Either mode is accessed by hitting the Metering button on top of the camera(indicated by the spot meter symbol). No icon in the LCD readout means you'rein Center mode and the spot icon means you're in the spot metering mode.Exposure Compensation (EV)Available only in Program and Aperture Priority modes (since manual modeis manual, it really doesn't make sense there), the C-2500L offers exposurecompensation in 1/3 EV steps from +2 to -2EV. EV is controllable by pressingthe +/- button while using the right and left arrows on the rocker toggle buttonto adjust the level, shown on the status display panel. The camera beeps whenthe highest and lowest values are reached. Note that this does not control theflash compensation, which is adjusted separately in the settings menu.White BalanceIn any of the capture modes, you can adjust the white balance setting throughthe settings menu. Choose between Auto, White Balance with Reference and Manual.White balance with Reference lets you adjust the white balance according tocurrent lighting situations by holding up a white piece of paper in front ofthe lens and tripping the shutter. The camera uses that white as a referencefor gauging the exposures. Ruled notebook paper can also be used to set thewhite reference. Under the Manual white balance setting, you can choose lighttemperatures between 3000K and 6500K. A chart in the manual will help you determinethe correct temperature setting for various lighting conditions. The manualalso notes that the Auto white balance setting is the best to use in a flash(or use the 6500K setting in Manual).The Reference white balance method works very well for dealing with extremelighting situations (our "indoor portrait" test is a good example,shot under household incandescent lighting). It also offers an interesting opportunityto selectively adjust the color cast of images by using off-white pieces ofpaper as the reference targets. This will cause the camera to adjust the colorof the final shot in a direction opposite to the cast of the reference target.Thus, a reference target with a slight bluish tint would result in a final imagewith a yellow cast, a cyan tint a reddish cast, etc. (This is a technique we'veseen pros use with high-end studio cameras.)ApertureYou can control the aperture setting in both Aperture Priority and Manualcapture modes. To select an aperture, just press the left or right arrows onthe rocker toggle button. The aperture symbol will appear in the status displaypanel. Select between F/2.8 and F/5.6 in wide angle and F/3.9 and F/7.8 in telephoto.The manual gives you some guidelines for using the aperture setting and howto achieve specific effects like blurry backgrounds. (Really, just basic informationon depth of field vs aperture setting.)Shutter SpeedShutter speed on the C-2500L is only directly controllable in the Manualcapture mode. Control the setting by pressing the up and down arrows on therocker toggle button. The shutter speed will be indicated in the status displaypanel. We liked the expansive options for shutter speed, ranging from eightto 1/10,000 seconds in Manual mode. (Program capture mode only runs from 1/4to 1/10,000 seconds). As with the aperture setting, the manual provides somehelpful insight to selecting appropriate speeds.ISOThe C-2500L gives you some flexibility with the ISO setting, with choices of100, 200 and 400. Just like film, a higher ISO is better in darker situationsbut may add more noise to the image. ISO is controlled in the settings menuand a tiny 'ISO' appears on the status display panel when either 200 or 400is selected.SharpnessThe C-2500L gives you two options for controlling image sharpness: Normal andSoft. Normal does exactly what it says and portrays the standard image sharpness.Soft looks like it softens the edges, giving just a little bit of an effectlook to the image. In actuality, the "Soft" function is simply disablingthe normal in-camera sharpening that essentially all digicams apply to theirimages. Sharpness is controlled through the settings menu.In the run-up to preparing this review, we've had some correspondence with prosand other advanced users of the C-2500L, indicating that the Soft setting was(in their eyes at least) far superior to use for critical images, leaving thesharpening to subsequent operations in an image-editing application. This isobviously a conclusion each user will need to arrive at for themselves, butwe raise the issue here because we've received such a high level of commenton it.Sequence ModeThe C-2500L lets you take up to five exposures with one press of the shutterbutton, depending on available memory. The manual doesn't give specs for framerate in this mode, but our measurements indicated a capture speed of 0.8 secondsper frame (about 1.2 frames per second), regardless of resolution/quality setting.You enter the Sequence mode through the settings menu in any of the capturemodes. The number of available sequential images is displayed on the statusdisplay panel. The mode is available with all of the image resolutions howeverthe Self-Timer and Red-Eye Reduction flash can't be used.Shutter Lag / Cycle Times"Shutter Lag" refers to the delay between when the shutter releaseis pressed and when a picture is actually taken. In most cameras, this delayallows time for the autofocus and autoexposure systems to do their work. Inthe case of the C-2500L, this time varies significantly, depending on whetherfull autofocus, prefocus, or manual focus is used. A full autofocus cycle producesa shutter lag time of about 0.83 seconds. If the lens is prefocused (and theexposure and white balance precomputed) by half-pressing the shutter buttonbefore the shot itself, the delay drops to only 0.22 seconds. With the manualfocus or quickfocus options selected, the corresponding time is 0.68 seconds.(Times were measured with an electronic test system, resolution is limited bythe shutter speed of the camera, and is about 0.01 seconds.)Cycle time is a measure of how quickly the camera can take a second shot afterthe shutter is snapped for the first one. Its large internal buffer memory (thefigure we've heard is 16 megabytes) lets the C-2500L snap the first severalpictures very rapidly, about every 1.4 seconds in our tests. (This is very fastfor a digicam!) The buffer memory is large enough to accommodate 3 maximum-resolutionshots before making you wait longer (8 seconds between shots when the bufferis full), or 5 shots in low-resolution mode. Significantly, the buffer memoryworks even in uncompressed TIFF storage mode, a feature we've not seen on adigicam previously. (For some reason, all other cameras we've tested to date(October, 1999) force you to wait while they save the uncompressed file to thememory card, even when they have buffer storage.)Another important time factor with digicams is how quickly they can take a pictureafter being powered on. The C-2500L does quite well in this respect, able toget off a shot only 3.5 seconds after you hit the power switch. The camera switchesfrom record to playback (to review your shots) in about 8 seconds, and can switchback again and take a picture in as little as 1.7 seconds, depending on thefocus setting.User InterfaceWe found the C-2500L a very user friendly camera, with easy to find controlsand straightforward menus. The operation was natural and a quick study of themanual did a pretty good job of explaining all the buttons. On the other hand,it's a fairly complex device with a lot modes and options, so mastery of ittook some time.LCD Data ReadoutLocated on the top of the camera, centered over the lens assembly, the smallblack & white data readout does an excellent job of reporting on camerastatus, although most setting changes still require you to enter the menu systemthat uses the large rear-panel LCD display.Zoom LeverLocated on the top of the camera on the hand grip and marked with a 'W' and'T.' 781b155fdc