Olympus Camedia D-510 2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

This review about an older camera is to help those who still have their D510, help those who may be looking for a very good used or refurbed older digital as an entry into digital photography without spending alot, and to debunk some of the bunk you will find in comments here due to not reading the full manual on CD. The printed Manual, which would be the one a reader would start with, is close to USELESS. Don't stop with this one. It does not do this great camera justice.

First, I have had mine for about 2 years and it is still going strong, even after buying it as a factory refurb. Second, this camera provides the best match on the market between point-and-shoot convenience, small size, and some extended pro's control over resolution, white balance, shutter speed(ISO), focus point, etc. You will have to buy an upscale(read that expensive) camera today to get these options. Third, this camera takes great pictures at just 2.1 Megabit, and you really don't need more han this if you don't plan to print photos larger than 8 x 10.

Now here are tips for using this camera and some for useful for Digital Photography in general:

1.The settings you change ARE retained after power off, but you have to SET this option. Open the lense for picture taking, push OK button to enter Setup screen, follow the Manual instructions to change the default settings to what you want, now set the RESET option to HOLD in the SET options screen. Don't forget once set they will be retained until you RESET defaults back to D510's originals, which means if you HOLD defaults to a low resolution say in order to get more pics on the 8Meg mem card supplied, and forget to change it before taking a pic needing higher resolution, you just lost it. This is why D510 is defaulted to HQ, the setting required for photo quality 5x7's.

I leave resolution to HQ and use a bigger 64Meg mem card. I change the Digital Zoom default from OFF to ON because so I always get the full range of both Optical and Digital Zoom via the Zoom lever on top. In the ON option, a graphic shows on your LCD in pic taking mode to indicate when you have Zoomed past the Optical(optical does not degrade resolution) and are entering Digital(will begin to reduce resolution of pic). In addition, when you are still in Optical you will here lense motor run. When you are out of Optical and into Digital you will not here motor any longer. Digital zoom only shows in LCD, not Optical View finder, so be sure to frame you shot in the LCD if zooming past the 3X Optical.

2. The flash pops up automatically to be sure you don't forget to open it, missing a pic that needed it. To turn it off, just hold down the flash while taking the pic, or use right arrow key to set it to OFF or to set other Flash Options before taking pic.

3. BATTERIES. You MUST get 1600 Mah or higher NiMH or NiCAD batteries and charger. ALL digital cameras and toys eat Alkalines and other non-chargeables. Get eight AA so you have a ready set of 4 for backup. You will get great battery life from each recharge, even when using the LCD for viewing your pics and setting(framing) your pic shots. You will not be happy if you don't invest in rechargeables and a larger Memory card.

4. You must use an Olympus SmartMedia Card to use the Panorama feature. Since these cost more than generic brands, I use the Olympus 8Meg that came with the camera for Panorama shots and use my generic 64Meg for all others. Note the Digital Panorama is not the same as Analog Panorama. It is not a one shot deal, but more than one shot pieced together in the Cammedia Software supplied. Takes some practice and a MUST READ of the Manual.

5. To view your still pics on the LCD push monitor button once, if lense is closed. If lense is open, press twice in quick succession. Press again to quit. To set view/play movie options, close lense and press monitor, then press OK. To set Pic taking options, open lense and press OK. Use arrow keys to navigate to options and OK to set an option change.

6. The quality of you pics have as much or more to due with lighting and the stillness at which you hold the camera, than the resolution(mega pixels) you choose. A digital camera takes longer to take a picture than an Analog, and even more time in low light, no flash, zoomed, and high resolutions settings. One could write a book here, and there are some. Read up so you will be happy and not blame the camera for limitations you should be aware of before changing to Digital Photography. The keys one are, in order of priority; frame your shot in the viewfinder when possible with focus frame centered on non-bright area like persons face, not a white shirt, hold the shot button down half way till a green light tells you it has focused. Hold camera very steady 1 sec before and 1 second after pic is taken. Squeeze pic button between index on top and thumb or other finger(s) on bottom of camera. Don't just push on top because like a rifle shot, if you pull the trigger your barrel will move. If you slowly squeeze it, it will not move.

More steadiness time is needed for low light, flash OFF, zoomed and high resolution(megapixels) shots. If you pic is somewhat blurry it is likely you and not the camera. Newer digitals have Digital Stabilization to mitigate some movement during pic taking.

Finally, the D510 is an awesome and reliable camera. It deserves a 5, but the stupid manual and some un-intuitive menu labeling and navigation has reduced it to a 4. I would highly recommend it as a low cost camera for anyone who wants a digital but don't want to spring for an unknown new one at high cost. You will have to pay over $300 for a camera with the pic taking options and control this one gives you.

I've used mine for two years so far and gotten alot of mileage out of it. What I really love is that it doesn't require special software to download pictures. When we go to visit, we can just plug in the camera with the USB cable, treat it as a removable disc, and transfer our pictures to our hosts computer before we leave. One downside is that the viewfinder doesn't quite frame the picture accurately. For close-ups, I have to turn on the LED screen or I cut off half of the face...

This camera has served me well and takes beautiful pictures. However I spend so much on batteries. Have tried regular, heavy duty, and alkaline and none last. If I don't take batteries out after each use, they won't last overnight. If one buys this superb camera he might want to use an adapter rather than rely on batteries (unless he has won the lottery).

This camera is good overall except 2 major issues I discovered. First, the colors of outdoor shots were not accurate most of the time, specially the trees and grasses never looked as green in the pictures as in real world. I believe this is a major defect. (Another reviewer also mentioned the same problem.) Second problem is the long shutter delay. You will not be able to catch the best moments in life.

I will not buy another Olympus digital camera unless I am convinced they fixed such defects.

i really like my d-510, close-ups are beautiful, it performs extremely well - although the 'panorama' feature simply does not work anymore on my relatively new camera

i do not like the sliding lens cover or the wait between shots or only being able to view pics when camera is shut

i wish it recorded sound with the quicktime movie feature