Product Description

Amazingly slim. Very accessible. The sleek 0.7" thin body of the FE-190 is compact enough to slip in and out of your purse or pocket with ease. You'll be amazed by many features packed into this little camera - like the built-in help guide, Digital Image Stabilization mode and the 2.5" LCD screen.Pull it out of the box and start shooting. It's that easy to take great pictures with the FE-190. Use the built-in help guide to select the right camera settings for all environments.Shooting a moving subject? Experiencing a bit of camera shake? Not a problem with Digital Image Stabilization technology.With this big screen it's even easier to preview, frame, shoot and share pictures, not to mention use the camera's menu when necessary.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14100 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Olympus
• Model: 225825
• Released on: 2006-09-07
• Dimensions: .70" h x 2.30" w x 3.60" l, .29 pounds
• Memory: 22MB
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• 6.0-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 14 x 19-inch prints
• 2.5-inch LCD display; 0.7-inch slim design and durable metal body
• 3x optical zoom; Digital Image Stabilization Mode
• 16 pre-set shooting modes, including QuickTime Movie
• Stores images on xD Picture Cards; powered by Lithium-Ion battery (battery and charger included)

From the Manufacturer
The new FE-190 point-and-shoot digital camera combines stylish design and approachable functionality to provide a fulfilling digital experience. Slim, compact styling and new features have been added to the latest FE cameras, including Digital Image Stabilization, a large 2.5-inch LCD, a 6.0-megapixel CCD image sensor, a 3x optical zoom, and much more.

Unique Features of The New FE-Series Cameras
The FE-190 features a 0.7-inch slim design and durable metal body, which make this one of the most compact members of the FE family. Perfect for active lifestyles, the FE-190 fits inside a shirt pocket or small handbag.

Features:

Easy Operation
The new FE-series cameras feature an enhanced Help Guide that makes digital photography simple for users of all levels. A tutorial "shooting guide" educates users on tips for achieving specific effects, such as "shooting into backlight" and "adjusting coloration." The shooting guide not only provides detailed descriptions for various photographic scenarios, but also actually sets the camera with the touch of a button, making the transition from learning to doing instantaneous.

The FE-Series cameras also feature a "One Touch" design with individual buttons for shooting, reviewing and deleting images, conveniently located on the top of the cameras with icons so that frequently used functions can be accessed easily. Shooting, playback, zoom, and delete options are at your fingertips. Macro mode, flash mode, and a self-timer are located on an arrow pad for quick use while setting up the perfect composition.

Digital Image Stabilization Mode
The new FE cameras feature Digital Image Stabilization Mode for capturing crisp, clear pictures--free from the blur sometimes caused by camera shake or moving subjects--with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speed.

Large LCD Provides Clear Images
The large 2.5-inch LCD screens make it easier to see clear images when composing shots, as well as when gathering friends and family around to view the results, all without having to lug a laptop around to present your portable photo gallery exhibit.

Pre-Set Shooting Modes Make It Easy to Capture Great Images
The inclusion of 16 shooting modes, including QuickTime Movie, accessed via a rotating dial and menu button on the back of the cameras makes it easy to capture great images in a variety of lighting situations, such as Sports, Fireworks, and Night Scene with Portrait. The FE-190 offers QuickTime Movie mode, which enables users to create short movies of events that can be emailed to family and friends.

Simple Connection to PC
Linking any FE-Series camera to a computer is easy with the USB Auto Connect feature, which connects the camera directly via USB 2.0 cable and requires no software.

Olympus Master Software
Back at the Windows PC or Mac, Olympus Master software provides the ultimate in digital imaging management. An intuitive user interface makes downloading to your computer quick and simple. Images are searchable by date or keyword in the Calendar View. With one-click editing tools, such as red-eye reduction, images can be touched-up before printing or e-mailing. Online support, templates, and other user services are just a mouse-click away.

Optional Neoprene Carrying Case
Olympus' optional Neoprene Carrying Case offers the camera protection from the elements and other items in your backpack. The case is made of soft, flexible neoprene fabric with a modern, sporty design. (Neoprene cases not included with camera--must be purchased separately.)

What's in the Box
Olympus 190 digital camera, rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery and charger, USB cable, audio-video cable, wrist strap, Quick Start guide, basic manual, CD-ROM (including Olympus Master software and advanced manual), and warranty.

Customer Reviews

Awesome compactness, feature set and price, but flimsy
This camera is exceptionally compact. Place a credit card on top of it, and only a tiny area of the camera is visible around the edges. Incredible!

I'm a point-n-shoot photographer, and the only complaint I have about the image quality is mild red-eye.

The image stabilization feature is amazing. With image stabilization enabled, I've taken one-handed pictures while driving down a mountain road with the other hand, and their clarity has turned out remarkably well. Photos of text taken in dim lighting conditions with deliberately shaking hands also turn out well. Image stabilization is quite remarkable.

I also found the menus well designed and the in-camera review features excellent. For example, one can zoom in on a particular area of a photo, right on the camera's LCD screen. That's very helpful for culling photos without first loading them onto a PC.

Battery life with the included lithium ion battery is fabulous--far longer than the other digital cameras I've used.

This camera begs to be kept in a pocket and whipped out on the spur of the moment, with image stabilization counteracting haste to deliver good picture quality. Unfortunately, the physical construction is not rugged enough to endure that kind of use. The flimsiness is exemplified by the "door" covering the USB port, which consists of nothing more than a rubber pad attached via a thin rubber stalk that will undoubtedly break after a few hundred uses.

Apparently, the lack of durability extends to the internals as well. I accidentally dropped this camera a modest 30 inches onto a plastic chair mat on a wooden floor, and now its picture quality is terminally damaged. The camera massively overexposes everything, and can no longer focus properly. If I'd dropped the camera from a standing position onto concrete, I could excuse this failure. But a drop from a sitting position onto a chair mat, when the lens didn't impact anything on the way down, should have been survivable.

Since the camera is now useless, I tried dropping it several more times from the same position to see how it would fare. Even though neither the lens nor its housing ever came into contact with anything, they became stuck in a partially open position after the third drop, and the lens housing now feels wobbly.

So:
5 stars for compactness, features, and price.
2 stars for durability.

Excellent so far
So when I bought this I noticed that there was no reviews on Amazon for it. I was looking for a small camera that was around 5 MP, had at least 3x optical zoom, and had rechargeable batteries. I was actually going to buy one of those Casio Exilims. But I noticed this camera in a Best Buy advertisement and it was about $50 cheaper than the cheapest Exilim. But like I said, there were no reviews so I was a little anxious about buying this. However, because I had my mind set on buying an Exilim, and this had all the same features it seemed but was so much cheaper, I decided that this was a steal and went with it.
Ok so it came yesterday, finally, and here are my first impressions. The first thing I noticed was how small it was. I thought it would be a little bigger, but small is good. It is pretty much the size of a pack of cards. The case is all metal, not painted plastic. The construction of the camera seems to be pretty solid (not cheap). So far, the pictures I have taken seem pretty sharp. I have a have problem which is that I keep on taking blurry photos, but I think that is my fault. Like the camera has a clever system where if you press the trigger down halfway, it focuses, and only when you press it down all the way it takes the picture. The picture taking speed is pretty fast--hardly any delay, which is something I was worried about. The rechargeable battery seems pretty good so far. When I popped it in without charging it, it never ran out. Later on I charged it up (which is good for Li-on batteries apparently) and that took a while, which is the only drawback. However, since I have charged it, the battery meter hasn't shown any decrease.
So this camera has been everything I wanted so far, and for $50 less. I'm very pleased with it.
Hmm what else... the camera has a bunch of settings, but I end up using "AUTO" for everything because the settings dont seem to make a difference. After you install the software that comes with the camera, you can access the camera like any USB drive from your pc (using the USB cable of course). You have to install the software first though.
Some notes:
When I first ordered it, Amazon had this little thing like "buy this with an SD picture card and save!!" or something, so I did. But DON'T do that! It's a trap! This camera doesn't use SD memory, it uses xD memory, which is different. So I had to cancel the memory and order the correct one seperately.
Secondly, if you're going to buy this, don't pay for shipping! I paid like $6 for shipping, but used the free shipping on the memory, and they both arrived on the SAME day! Needless to say, shipping is a total rip off. So don't pay for shipping.
Oh yea, and this is my first camera I have ever owned. Like I said, I'm pleased with it. I would totally recommend this camera to anyone, simply because of the quality you get for the price.

Ok, but...
I bought this camera for my birthday. I had another Olympus that worked well, but I wanted something that was slimmer, and that took better pictures at low light.

Now, the Olympus fe190 is definitely nice and slim-- it fits into a small clutch purse for going out, and that's great.

This camera also takes beautiful pictures of landscapes and the outdoors, and of people and things in good natural light.

HOWEVER pictures taken indoors with flash are very much hit-or-miss. I've gotten some very cute pictures with friends and family, and others where the picture quality just... sucked. The picture looks washed out, not sharp, and just... not good. Some of these would have been great shots of people and I was very disappointed when I viewed the pictures on my computer and discovered the poor quality.

Also, the flash seems to give everyone really bad red eyes. When I've tried to use the anti-red eye flash it hasn't seemed to really help.

I'm so frustrated by this that I'm now debating spending another $200+ to buy a different camera, as I'm tired of great pictures getting ruined by a sub=par camera. Maybe I just don't know how to use the best settings to maximize pictures, but it also shouldn't be this hard to figure out.