Olympus FE-3010 review

There's a basic VGA-quality movie mode (digital zoom only, though), as well as a 'digital image stabilisation' option that primarily boosts the ISO -- something you really don't want to do with this camera.

Sluggish shots
This camera's performance is so sluggish that we can't recommend using it for shooting anything other than still or extremely slow-moving subjects. At 2.5 seconds, the time from wake-up to first shot is as fast as it gets. The shot-to-shot times using an Olympus M-type 2GB xD-Picture Card were 7.3 seconds without flash and 8.7 seconds with flash. Anecdotal testing using a microSD card and the included adaptor cut the flash-off time in half. We're not entirely sure why.

The shutter lag is the biggest hurdle, at 0.9 seconds in bright conditions and 1.2 seconds in dim lighting. That lag is fine for shooting portraits, landscapes and the dead. But, for capturing sports, small children and pets, it's unacceptable. There's also no continuous-shooting or burst mode to speak of, which sort of makes sense, given how long the shot-to-shot times are.

Considering its price tag, the FE-3010's photo quality is good, but, judged independently, its shots are fairly mediocre, and the 12-megapixel resolution is really a waste. The positive aspects are accurate, natural-looking colour and solid white-balance performance. Everything we shot -- in the lab and in real-world testing -- looked soft, though, regardless of ISO. Fine detail isn't very good, but the detail that's available remains decent up to ISO 800. We can't recommend this camera for action photography, low-light shooting or for making prints larger than 4 by 6 inches. Small prints and photo-sharing on the Web are about all it's good for, making it an inexpensive option for use with Facebook and the like.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Typical shot-to-shot time (flash)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Kodak EasyShare M1093 IS

2.8 

1.4 

1.2 

1 

0.5 

Canon PowerShot A480

1.8 

5.6 

2.7 

0.6 

0.6 

Nikon Coolpix S220

2.2 

3.3 

3 

1.3 

0.8 

Pentax Optio E70

2.4 

4.2 

3.3 

1.2 

0.6 

Olympus FE-3010

2.5 

8.7 

7.3 

1.2 

0.9 

Typical continuous-shooting speed (in frames per second)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Typical continuous-shooting speed

Kodak EasyShare M1093 IS

2 

Nikon Coolpix S220

1.3 

Canon PowerShot A480

0.6 

Pentax Optio E70

0.6 

Olympus FE-3010
N/A

Conclusion
The Olympus FE-3010 is one of many available cameras that have a design and spec sheet above their price point but might leave you feeling duped once you start using them. Its picture quality is indicative of its class -- and, in some respects, better than the competition -- leaving its sluggish performance as the big deal breaker.

Additional editing by Charles Kloet