The Olympus comes in simple design and therefore is actually just simple to use. After unpacking the battery and the memory card can be inserted at the bottom. By means of the much too short cable of the battery is only loaded once 2 hours. Due to the shortness of the cable me the camera was actually when shooting out of hand. She survived the fall from about 60 centimeters in height but because of the massive but lightweight metal housing completely undamaged. Sockets are just mostly near the ground. Also located opposite the existing product description neither the bag nor the memory card included. This is a mistake, but the description on Amazon is to be corrected.
If the camera is only loaded once, starts a short setup. After that you go about it. The display supports the user through a clear option arrangement. In Auto mode, the camera takes care of all settings themselves. The scene mode offers a further selection box various options from the portrait, on the animal and landscape and night scene to sports photo with fast-moving subjects. The selection works wonderfully easy up to this point, since there is for every selectable menu item is a brief explanation of the function on the display. If you need more, presses on the question mark button and get a full briefing on all the subtleties of Olympus.
Whoever enters a little deeper into the menus, discovered a feature that does not appear in the product description, namely the continuous shooting. Here series images are created in three different speeds. But even without continuous shooting, the camera is very fast when shooting, between two images pass barely 3 seconds until the next image. The term Snapshot is here at last program.
To me, less interesting the many features of Magic mode. Here are modes such as line art, Pop Art, Pin Hole, Soft Focus, Fish Eye or available. But personally I prefer to edit an image on the PC. I can not even really appreciate on the big screen of the VR-340, whether the inclusion in or the mode is successful, or at least should be better cleared. For people with no image editing program but certainly a beautiful thing. Something I was disappointed with the Beauty Mode. While there are some nice effects, for example in order to make the skin clean, as it actually is, but again, that I prefer the editing afterwards on the PC. Also the effect to eliminate red eyes, did not always work properly. Is the head slightly tilted to one side, only one eye is being processed, the other remains red.
But is crucial at a camera on the end is always the quality of the pictures and here the Olympus almost all points. The colors are clear, without being covered or even gaudy. Only when zooming a slight noise can be seen that the image appears slightly grainy. Really strong are the macro shots, so those in which the camera is only a few centimeters away from the object. Are stored the pictures in 6 different formats, from A3 expression in high quality right down to accommodate for the Web.
The zoom works great and even with large expanses the image stabilization works perfectly. I had no image that would have been blurred by shaky hands. The ISO values remains to be said that from ISO 800 must prevail really nearly perfect lighting conditions. The video mode works in HD quality, but is slightly jerky and looks slightly washed out.
Who is on vacation or at the family reunion would not tow with additional camera bag, no additional lenses required, manageable and easy to use options need and on top of that can or want to spend a fortune, is well served by the Olympus VR-340. At a reasonable price offers small camera more than it gives an idea of the simple appearance. Professionals have certain other claims, but I need a little camera that fits in a backpack or pocket, without the weight starts to annoy me after a short time. Besides, they must be quickly ready for use and make great photos. And all this can the Olympus.
