The 5-megapixel Olympus FE-115 is specifically designed to be simple to operate, yet it fails to inspire

Product Overview

Overall rating:

71%

Olympus FE-115

Overall score:71%
Features:80%
Value:65%
Performance:75%
Image Quality:60%
Design:75%

Pros:

  • Very simple to use.

Cons:

  • Purple fringing, Slow performance, Tiny LCD.

Product:

Olympus FE-115 Review

Manufacturer:

Price as reviewed:

£120.00

Features
The Olympus FE-115, released in 2006, benefits from a 2.8x zoom, and offers 28MB of internal memory as well as xD card compatibility.

Design
This chunky camera has a plastic body with quite nice curves. The 1.5-in LCD looks tiny in comparison to more expensive models, and yet it’s the only way to compose and view your images. Button placement is simple, with a mode dial on the right, that can be easily knocked.

Performance
Using some low-end cameras like this is like going back in time. The FE-115 is slow to take a picture and slower to write it to a card. This certainly isn’t a high-speed shooter, though it’s not the worst we’ve used either. Some features are useful, such as the digital image stabilisation, which works to a point.

Image Quality
Exposure is pretty good and colour is not bad. But are you the kind of person who goes to the hairdresser for a bit off the fringe? Then you won’t like the pictures, as fringing is pretty bad throughout the images.

Value For Money
Entry-level cameras like this are disappointing. Really – save up a little bit longer to avoid disappointment.

Verdict

Ignore the promise of high resolution – this isn’t even as good as 2005’s 3MP models.

Details

Weight:140g
Other:-
Power:2xAA
Dimensions:87.5 x 62.5 x 38.5mm
Connectivity:USB 2.0
Flash Modes:6
Memory Card:xD
White Balance:Auto, Sunlight, Tungsten, Overcast, Flourescent 1, Flourescent 2, Flourescent 3
ISO Range:64-400
Metering System:-
Exposure Modes:P, 5 scene modes, Mov
File Formats:JPEG
Shutter Speeds:2-1/2000 sec
LCD:1.5in LCD, 130,000 pixels
Lens:6.2-17.4mm (38-106mm) f/3.0-5.0
Sensor:1/2.5” CCD (5.76x4.29mm) 5MP