Olympus FE-360 Digital Camera Review

The Olympus FE-360 is a simple, 8 megapixel digital camera. It has a 3x optical zoom lens. This is a basic, point and shoot model.

Why Buy the Olympus FE-360?
Digital cameras do not come any simpler than the FE-360. If ease of use and a low price tag are what you are looking for this camera is worth considering. In fact it is one of the cheapest pocket sized cameras around.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom) My outdoor test shot gets us off to a creditable start. The colours may not be as powerful as you get with some digital cameras, but they manage to retain a more natural look. Sharpness slides as you move out towards the edges, but overall focusing is better than many cameras manage. There is some detail lost to sun glare, but taking the time of year into account this is understandable.	Outdoor 2 (No Zoom) With no zoom used this is the toughest test for most digital cameras. The FE-360 is not perfect, but it does handle the scene quite well. As with the first test shot the photo is softer towards the edges, but unless you are planning to make very large prints this should not be a problem.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom) For a camera at this price level and with only a 3x zoom lens this is a good effort. Again focusing slips as you move out, but otherwise it is above average compared to similar cameras in the same price bracket.	Outdoor 4 (Building) This makes a pleasant photograph. The FE-360 uses the light well and produces a bright shot. The brickwork does not stand out as pin sharp as some cameras manage.
Colours The colours throughout my test shots are unobtrusive. They look subtler than many other brands offer, but they are not washed out in any way.	Macro If you are really serious about macro photography then it is fair to you are likely to be looking at a far more expensive camera than this one. If you are looking to take the occasional macro shot and you are prepared to accept a good quality shot rather than something approaching perfection then the FE-360 will do that for you.

Outdoor Portrait My outdoor portrait test suggests the FE-360 is well up to the job of producing decent portrait shots from close in. I'm happy with the sharpness levels and the colours have a natural look to them.	Indoor Portrait with Flash With this type of camera the flash unit is not likely to be all that powerful. As you can see, as long as you are not too far from your subject there is no problem with lighting. I am very pleased with this photo. It is sharp and the light is distributed evenly enough.
Indoor Portrait without Flash I tested a number of much more expensive cameras at the same time as the FE-360. I have to say that the FE-360 outperforms many of those cameras in this test. It manages to focus more sharply and shows less noise too.

Olympus FE-360: ISO 400 and ISO 1000
Noise shows up quite early and the colours start to break down as well. Luckily it is rare, if ever, that you will look to work with higher ISO settings.

Olympus FE-360: Overall
Fantastic? No probably not, but I have been impressed with the FE-360. It has stood up well to my tests and I can't tell the difference between this camera and some much more expensive ones.

Olympus FE-360: Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
The FE-360 is very slow indeed. This is something I have noticed previously with other basic Olympus digital cameras. A single picture took over two seconds at 2.39 seconds. Five photos took 22.26 seconds. With flash switched on times were 2.56 seconds for a single photo and 25.49 seconds for five.

This is the slowest digital camera I have tested for start up times. To turn the camera on and take a picture took 6.62 seconds. You may be able to achieve better times outdoors.

Olympus FE-360: Style
The FE-360 has a simple, unfussy look. It is a fairly typical rectangular shape. It is available in black, blue, pink and silver.

Olympus FE-360: Dimensions
93.9 x 55.6 x 20.3mm

Olympus FE-360: Weight
104g

Olympus FE-360: Batteries
Lithium Ion. Olympus supplies both a battery and charger with the FE-360.

Olympus FE-360: Memory Cards
20.5Mb of memory have been build into the FE-360. This is enough for around 9 photos. The camera is compatible with both xD cards and micro SD cards.

Olympus FE-360: Ease of Use Rating
Excellent. With so few features and a straightforward menu system this is one of the most easy cameras you will find.

Olympus FE-360: Points I Like
General picture quality when compared against other cheaper cameras

Olympus FE-360: Where it Could Improve
Shutter lag and start up times are very poor

Olympus FE-360: Alternatives
If you are looking for a camera with a bit more style, but still sits at the relatively inexpensive end of the market try taking a look at the Olympus MJU 1040.

Olympus FE-360: Verdict
As you would expect there are drawbacks to the Olympus FE-360 such as its shutter delay and start up times. If these factors are not so important to you then based on picture quality alone the FE-360 offers very good value for money.