Olympus D-580 Digital Camera This portable Olympus D-580, 4 megapixel digital camera is designed for versatility. Choose between 7 different shooting modes or capture a mini movie with audio using QuickTime®. Download your images and movies to a computer with Auto-Connect USB or connect to a TV and conveniently view and share them with friends and family. You can even connect directly to a PictBridge-enabled printer to bring your photos to life in no time...no computer necessary.
If you're new to the world of digital photography, the Olympus D-580 offers just the right blend of easy-to-use features and high-quality optics that delivers vivid pictures. The D-580 Zoom has a durable polycarbonate body with an attractive metallic accent on its sliding protective clamshell lens barrier. It also features a 4-megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom, movie mode with sound, a bright LCD monitor to review images, and Olympus's new TruePic Turbo image processor, which speeds up the camera's start-up, shutter lag, recording and playback time.
Optics and Resolution
The 4-megapixel D-580 captures 2288 x 1712 pixel images for prints up to 11 x 14 inches. It also has 1600 x 1200 (2MP) and 640 x 480 (VGA) resolution modes. It features a 3x optical zoom that, when combined with a 4x digital zoom, delivers a total seamless 12x zoom. The aspherical all-glass zoom lens is constructed of 7 lenses in 6 groups and has a focal length of 5.8-17.4mm (35-105mm equivalent in 35mm photography) and an aperture range of f3.1-f5.2.
Movie Mode and Audio
In addition to capturing still images, you can also shoot short videos with sound (its companion D-540 has no sound capabilities) at 15 frames per second (fps). The D-580 has two resolution modes: 320 x 240 and 160 x 120. The built-in microphone can also capture short memos that can be appended to each message
More Features
The D-580 is one of the first Olympus models to feature TruePic Turbo, a new image processor that sharpens image clarity, contrast, and color for life-like results. This feature also makes the camera 30% faster in processing images and is combined with a super-fast shutter release time.
The D-580 offers a menu architecture that's easy to navigate for fast access to the right settings with just the press of arrow buttons. Seven preset shooting modes can be accessed through the "Virtual Dial" (viewable through the LCD menu) to provide fully automatic exposure adjustments; these include Program Auto, Portrait, Portrait-Landscape, Landscape, Night Scene, Self Portrait, and Movie.
Other features include:
- 1.8-inch TFT color LCD monitor (approximately 85,000 pixels)
- Optical real-image viewfinder
- 1.5 frames per second burst up to 12 frames
- Built-in flash with auto, red-eye reduction, fill-in, and off modes
Direct Printing
The D-580 is PictBridge compatible, which enables you to transfer pictures from your digital camera to a compatible printer (such as the Olympus P-10), without a PC or image-editing software. All PictBridge devices share three basic features: camera-to-printer connecting, single-image printing, and uniform error messages (in case something goes wrong).
Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on XD Picture Card memory cards. The card's small size, about the same as a postage stamp, helps to keep the camera size down. The included 16 MB card will store approximately 16 images at 2288 x 1712 pixels (at HQ, JPEG setting). Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB 1.1 connectivity, which means the camera can be connected to any USB-based Windows 98 Rev2Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.
Power and Size
The camera is powered by 2 AA batteries (alkalines included, NiMH rechargeable recommended) or 1 CR-V3 battery. It measures 4.3 x 2.3 x 1.4 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 5.8 ounces (excluding batteries and storage media).
What's in the Box
This package contains the Olympus D-580 digital camera, 16 MB XD Picture Card, USB cable, 2 AA alkaline batteries, wrist strap, quick-start guide, and instruction manual. The CD-ROM features Camedia Master software, Adobe Acrobat Reader and Camera Reference Manual.
1 Excellent camera!
I expected a good camera when getting this model due to prior experience with the Olympus digital line. This camera is wonderful! The comparable Stylus had a few more features, but I'm very happy to save a few $ in buying this one on sale. Video quality is good. Night photos are surprisingly good for the specs. Macro shots are amazing. I bought the camera just in time for the California desert bloom & an Hawaii trip. On video of a cheetah running by 2-ft from me, you can hear its paws beating the ground. The photos are unbelievable - even with hyper, shaky hands. People rave about my photos. The camera's performance offsets my shortcomings as a photographer.
2 Bad product; awful customer service
I bought one of these as a backup to my more expensive camera, so I didn't use it much for the first 3-4 months. I took it to a company event about two months ago and the thing actually shorted out: I took a group photo and then shut the cover and when I opened the cover a few minutes later, the camera body was very warm and none of the LEDs would light up. I took the batteries out and they were too hot to touch.
For the past month I have been haggling with Olympus. They do not seem willing to perform warranty repair even though I've still got 6 months left on the warranty. Every time I contact them via e-mail it is a couple of weeks before I hear anything again.
This was my first Olympus camera and I guarantee it will be my last. Bad product, terrible customer service.
3 Worst digital camera ever
Batteries: I bought Olympus Ni-MH batteries. By the time you go through a few menu items red light on battery starts to come out. When it goes dead, you cannot even close the cover.
Usability: Everything in menus which eats up battery power. Menus are confusing, blink out instantly and I thought Hieroglyphics went out of fashion with egyptians. You make changes, but the camera like resolution of the picture but it reverts back to another resolution all on its own.
Quality: snapshots of landscapes are OK, but the camera cannot focus anything closer than 10 yards.
I think the name fits this camera: Camedia but I think it is misspelled it shoud read "Comedy" of a camera.
I own 5 digital cameras, this one is a big dissapointment.
4 Great starter camera
I used to always borrow my dad's C-5000 (I think that's the model... now I can't remember!), so my parents decided to buy me my own camera for Christmas. My mum picked this one for me, and I think she made a pretty good choice. The camera is very easy to use. At first it may seem intimidating to have to flip through the digital menus to change settings, but it quickly becomes second nature.
All of the pictures that I have taken using just the point-and-shoot method have come out very well. The flash is sometimes over-powering, but for the most part it does its job well. Pictures taken in the auto mode are generally very crisp, unless I turn the flash off anywhere other than outdoors (in which case the shutter speed is longer and my hands shake too much to get a clear picture.. I also have this problem in night mode).
I love this camera because it makes playing with different settings -- flash, white balance, macro mode -- very easy. It's much, much easier than the C-5000. It's a very good camera for anyone who wants to dabble in photography but it's ready to drop the money for something more serious. And it's also a great little point-and-shoot camera.
Of course, a big complaint is the batteries. Don't even think about using regular AAs. I found an Olympus package at Best Buy for about $30 that solved my problem... It included two sets of rechargable batteries with charger, a camera case, and a (very) mini-tripod. With regular batteries, I think I took about 20 pictures, but I can take many more with the NiMH batteries the package included.
Another thing -- don't bother with Camedia software! We have it on my parents' computer, and it's a hassle! If you have Windows XP, bypass Camedia and use the default XP programs, they're much better!
Overall, I think this is a wonderful starter camera, and have been very pleased with it. I'll drop the money on something more sophisticated when my photography skills get better, but in the meantime I'm a happy girl. Even if you just want this camera for point-and-shoot purposes, I advise that you play around with the different settings (I like to practice on my dogs, so I'll know what I'm doing when I have to take real pictures) -- they can improve your pictures greatly!
5 A Horrible Camera - Unworthy of Olympus
I have been a huge fan of Olympus cameras and I totally adore my 4-year old 2.1 megapixel Olympus D-490. I thought the D-580 would just be an upgrade to my camera because there are a lot of passing similarities between the two, but in its guts the D-580 is a horrible re-design with almost nothing good about it.
For starters, if you select anything less than the highest quality image-format, you'll find that the pictures are totally unacceptable. They are blotchy and jpegged to death. It's shocking and disgusting how bad they are. With my old camera, I would sometimes select a slightly lower quality image in order to speed up photo-taking, but that just won't work with the D-580.
The 580 is unusable without the flash, but the flash is such a bright and focussed white light that reflections often blow out the CCD and colors look washed out and artificial.
The viewfinder lens is so small that the LCD is the only reasonable way to line up a shot, but that runs down the batteries in no time at all.
The LCD is large, but has funny problems, like when the camera was pointed at a bright metal building, the whole thing appeared in reverse-colors.
The menu options are arranged in such a manner as to obscure the most simple tasks. Where my old Olympus automatically compensated for all but the most extreme lighting conditions, this camera needs tweaking for every different environment. Changing a setting involves navigating through an awful round selection-menu, followed by choices from a sub-menu and finally tuning the options in a totally separate menu.
Comparing images from my old camera to the D-580, the old 2.1 megapixel camera wins every time. Images from the old D-490 are sharper, the colors more accurate and the flash produces warm living tones.
Yes, the D-580 is small and light and it can do a lot of nice tricks, like shooting panoramas or QuickTime movies with audio. But the sacrifices aren't worth it. I can't recommend this camera for anyone. Olympus needs to re-think their consumer strategy!!
6 Nice Camera, battery issue overblown
I bought this camera a month ago and use AA NiMh batteries that I recharge. They last for a long time, in fact I have never run the batteries down on a photo shoot. I do have to turn the flash off on several occassions when it really is unnecessary. The photos come out great and all the user interfaces are easy to use. The down loads to my pc are fast and easy too. For the price, this is a great buy for a digital camera.
7 Camera is nice, software bundled is a swindle
We got this camera for a good price from Costco, and we're pretty happy with the pictures we're getting. Like most people would, we moved the files to our hard drive using the software that came with the camera: Camedia Master. The program freezes up on me frequently, but that isn't my beef. In order to e-mail the photos you take, to move them to a disk to get them processed, to move them back to your camera, really to do anything except print them or use them as wallpaper, you have to pay for the 'pro' version, which costs $20. By the time most consumers discover this and start using another program to upload their photos, they will, as we have, already put dozens of photos in this program where they will be irretrievably locked until they pony up $20 they hadn't bargained on when they bought the camera. This kind of business practice is really underhanded, because it makes basic functionality a premium product. Buy the camera, by all means, but don't use the software at all, or budget into the endeavor an extra $20 to do the very minimum you'd want to do with digital photos.
8 Great Point & Shoot Camera
This is a great little point & shoot camera. I paid $199 at Costco.
It take really nice pictures and is VERY easy to use. The only downside is it's slow to focus in low light.
I keep the flash off and the LCD off to save batteries.
It's a great first digital or travel camera.
9 I love Olympus, but NOT this camera!!!!!
I've been using Olympus digital cameras since 1997. I've bought five over the years for different reasons and loved them all - but NOT this camera. For the first time, I have ended up returning a camera and buying an entirely different model.
First, I have to completely concur with the battery-sucker commentary others have mentioned. It's terrible, and it uses up batteries within 20-30 pictures, even worse if you are using the flash consistently. I have had three other Olympus D-model cameras (including the 560) and have NEVER had such problems.
Second, the flash is completely overwhelming. It whites out almost everyone I took a picture of at even a moderately close range, and when it was NOT used, the slow shutter speed made a clear picture when the camera was hand-held almost impossible. In addition, even with red-eye reduction, the flash was so bad that nearly everyone I took a picture of had their eyes closed.
Third, and this was the worst, the shutter speed was terrible. As the batteries wear down (which is extremely rapid), the shutter speed gets slower and s-l-o-w-e-r. The auto-focus takes between one and three seconds at a MINIMUM between the time the button is pressed to the taking of the picture, and this is when the camera was already focused using the half-button-press method. I was VERY disappointed by this. My favorite subjects are my children (four years old and three months old) and if you want to catch them smiling that's simply an unacceptable delay.
I returned this camera and traded up to the Olympus C-765. The C models have far better creative control, including flash-intensity control, many more picture-taking modes, aperture control, etc., but I'm also very pleased by the point-and-shoot (auto) mode as well. In addition, the C-765 has a much better lens (meaning much better shots) and a 10X zoom, which is ideal for me to capture the wildlife in my area - I got shots of animals I'd never been able to get before.
Don't waste your money on this camera unless you are using it for strictly out-of-doors, well-lit shots that have very slow or not-moving subjects. For family pictures or a lot of indoor use, don't bother - and make SURE you buy several packs of rechargeable batteries - and CARRY THEM WITH YOU - if you decide this is the camera for you!
Otherwise, buy a different Olympus camera altogether. I was incredibly disappointed by this but am thrilled with the C-765.
10 alan rap
I received this camera as a Christmas present from my wife. I think this is a really nice digital camera. It's very easy to use and takes terrific photographs. I've read the reviews on this page about the camera being a battery eater. In fact, it exhausted the batteries that were included with the camera in less than 15 photographs. That got me nervous and I was ready to return the camera. But my wife also got me a nimh battery recharger which made all the difference in the world. These rechargeable batteries last significantly longer than the alkaline batteries. I would recommend this camera. It's inexpensive and a great starter digital camera.
11 The Best Camera
i got this camera for Christmas and i love it because it is very easy to use and to hook it up to the computer is soo easy.
12 Battery HOG! Just not worth it
I had one of the first Olympus digitals - a 2.1 mp - and loved it. It finally broke after years of pounding - and decided to stay brand loyal.
I'm getting ready to box the new one up and return it. I used rechargeables - as well as 6 other pairs of batteries to feed this camera - and it just burns through them like nothing. The "free" batteries it comes with lasted maybe 10 minutes - and that was just turning the camera on and playing with the settings. And I never even used it for video.
The speed of the camera seemed just as slow as my 2.1 - and the quality was not as good for some of my shots. I'm not high tech when it comes to cameras - but this one just didn't seem to have the right speed or adequate lighting. It was too bright on some shots - and others WAY too dark.
The good to the camera - it is small - but I guess in this instance - size doesn't matter - b/c I don't like this camera at all.
13 Pictures themselves are good, design and value are poor
As the title would indicate, I really don't like this camera. I saw it on sale at Best Buy for $199 and got it for my parents for Christmas. The actual picture quality is pretty good. 4MP is certainly quite crisp. It is fairly compact as well.
I ended up returning the camera, and here is why. First, needing to slide the shutter to turn it on is not intuitive, and annoying. Second, I had some problems getting the lens to retract sometimes when I did close the shutter. Third, I was also surprised that the camera didn't come with a rechargable battery. Most cameras these days come with one, and it basically felt like they were skimping on accessories. Fourth, the screen on the camera was very laggy and low resolution compared to nearly all others I have seen. I was not impressed.
14 Great inexpensive camera. Only snag is poor battery life.
I upgraded from a D-510. The D-580 Consumes batteries too quickly - need to carry several backups, and use rechargeable batteries. I wish it held 4 AA batteries like the 510, rather than 2.
In all other respects it is a great camera for the money.
Pocket-sized, simple to use, the D-580 makes digital photography easy for anyone.
4 mega pixels , 3x optical/4x digital zoom, auto focus only, program exposure only, JPEG file format, ISO range 50-400, movie mode with sound.
The movie option is good fun, but nothing like a VHS. I use this for e-mailing short clips to friends. 160 x120 pixel mode uses about 75kByte/sec, maybe 5% less in a zip file. High resolution uses about 340Kbyte/sec - unusable unless you have the 64MByte-memory card. Sound quality not bad.
The shutter speed is noticeably faster than the D510, there is a delay of about 1/5 second between pressing the button and taking the picture. So it is still slower than a 35mm camera, making moving action shots a challenge. But this is true of all digital cameras, and the D580 seems the best in its price range.
The USB connection is very fast and easy to use - Windows treats the camera like an extra hard drive.
I am pleased with this purchase.
15 move on up to the East Side
As previous reviewers have stated, this camera has major battery drain issues. I Recieved the 580 last night for an early Christmas present and 24 hours later it's packed, ready to go back. After taking about 15 pics and messing around with the set up, the first set of Alkalines ran out. The second set didn't last one picture!! The third set three or four. It does state on their website that it doesn't recommend Alkalines but instead tells you to use a $13.00 one that lasts maybe 20 or 30 times more. And for rechargeble Ni's you'll probably need ten sets.
I reccomend you move up to the Canon A95. For a hundred bucks more you get a much better camera. Check it out. It has dozens of better features including a state of the art processing chip, a flexible display, manual options, and a better focusing system. Save your self the trouble with this Olympus unless your daddy owns Duracell.
16 Decent Entry Level Digital Camera...
I bought the Olympus D-580 as a birthday gift for my wife and as our initial foray into the world of digital photography. The D-580 is certainly easy enough to use and the picture quality is very good. I've made some 8x10 prints from the D-580 that look great. The controls are all very intuitive and user-friendly: you basically scroll through options on the on-screen menu. Transferring pix to your PC is a snap. With Windows XP, I just connected the camera to my pc via the included USB cable and I was ready to go - no need to even use the included software.
A few negatives I noticed pretty quickly:
1) the D-580 will demolish your AA batteries within about 20 pictures (combination of flash/no flash). After the first set of AAs quickly died, we switched to the CRV3 Lithium battery pack and got much better battery performance (or, invest in some rechargables...)
2) the auto-focus is hit and miss in dimly-lit situations, due to the lack of an AF illuminator. (This has me looking at the C-7000, but that's another story.) So, if you take a lot of indoor photos (party pix, etc), the D-580 may not cut it for you. It's hard to tell whether photos are sharply focused until they've been transferred to the computer, which has been frustrating for us and the reason I didn't give this camera another star or two...
All in all, though, I'd recommend the D-580 to anyone looking for a first digital camera or even just a simple-to-use point-and-shoot camera without a lot of bells and whistles.
17 It will cost a fortune in the long run- skip on AA cameras
Pay extra for the Olympus 410 because this is a battery sucker. Would you rather be walking around with a bag full of batteries? I had to constantly change the batteries. That was when I decided this camera wasn't worth it. It becomes a hassle when you have to change the batteries after 30 or so pictures. I have to admit the picture quality is better than the 410 but the fact that it doesn't come with rechargeable batteries made me return the item. In the long run this camera would be too expensive to keep because batteries are expensive and having 3 or 4 sets of extra rechargeable batteries becomes a hassle. I found it rather troublesome having to change batteries after a few pictures. Never again will I buy a camera without the rechargeable lithium-ion battery technology. Overall the camera takes almost perfect pictures because the lag time is not noticeable. In fact I didn't even notice there was a lag time until I got the 410 to compare to. Another downside to this camera is that it is rather bulky and big compare to other digital cameras. I have small fingers and I found the buttons rather hard to press at times.
This item only gets a 3 because there are more cons than pros. The only pro is the picture quality. But the AA batteries make it a con in the long run.
18 Another wonderful Olympus product
My first digital camera was a Olympus D-390. It was great,but it was a fixed lens(no optical zoom). Then I tried a kodak cx6230 and really didn't care for it at all. I considerd the D-540 and Stylus 410. My wife sort of borrowed it,and seems like it very much. She likes the auto program mode and the sharp picture quality. I use rechargeable batteries and always have a spare set charged and use the LCD monitor to much to tell you how many pictures I get out of a pair of batteries. I have had this camera for a couple of months and shot over two hundred pictures and have not been disappointed.
19 Great Value!
This camera is an excellent value! It is very cheap for a four megapixel camera, has zoom, takes great, sharp, and colorful pictures! I bought this camera for my girlfriend based on what I had read about ease of use for this camera. You would be hard pressed to find a more user friendly camera in this price range or above. THe auto focus on this camera is excellent! We have taken lots of picures with this camera during the day and night and little have come out anything but clear and colorful. Two of the night photos I took of fireworks came out blurry but this is to be expected when not using a tripod. This is a great camera that has a very powerful flash and is easy to use. A word of warning would be not to even try using Alkaline batteries, they will be spent in about 20 shots. One warning, for outdoor wildlife enthusiasts, the zoom motor on this camera is very loud! Instead get one of the Lithium CR-V3 batteries which give excellent picture taking volume in this camera. I highly recommend this camera to anyone looking for an easy to use, great working and low priced camera.
20 Excellent Camera
It is an excellent camera for this price (I bought it for $250 about 2 weeks ago). Last week I used it to take pictures in Niagara Falls during day and night. The pictures during the day are crisp. During the night, I held it by hand to take pictures of rapids and the water falls (without flash). The water flow effect was surpringly clear and bright.
Its TruePic Turbo image processor is indeed very fast. I used the camera to take pictures of fireworks. During 10 minutes I took tens of pictures.
However, it is quite necessary to have four recargable Ni-Mh AA batteries with this camera. It uses battery power pretty fast.
21 Good Camera for the Price
I purchased this camera for my wife because of it's ease of use (point'n'click) and the lense is automatically covered when turned off (protects lense in her purse or briefcase). It is a nice camera, easy to use, picture quality is OK (my daughter's Kodak 6340 and my Nikon 5700 pictures are much sharper), good camera for beginners. Batteries do not last long, pictures blurred with full digital zoom.
22 Great little camera
This is my second Olympus and I really like it. Small and compact, takes great pictures. Easy to understand instructions. Great point and shoot camera. I wish the lense cover and body were a bit stronger. Lense cover seems a bit flimsy - like it may not last a long time without breaking. But we will see. I have only had it about a week. I bought the Cannon A75 and hated it and took it back. Olympus takes much better pictures and it much more amature user friendly. Cannon seems to be for the professional that knows how to manually set the settings. But if you want a great little point and shoot camera "Cheaper" than cannon, then go with Olympus. I think my next one will be the Olympus Stylus, since it is made for all weather and a all steel body. I wish I had gotten the Stylus, but it is a bit more expensive.
23 Worked great up until...
I found this camera to be very easy to use right out of the box. The software installation went off without a hitch and I was able to view the pictures on my PC with ease. Anyone looking for a first-time digital camera would be very pleased with the package Olympus has put together here. However, after only having had the camera for four days, the lens would no longer retract when I went to turn the camera off. So now, the camera beeps and the indicator lights near the viewfinder constantly blink which if I read the manual correctly indicate some kind of battery problem (which it isn't). I'm planning on exchanging it for another one and hopefully, this lens problem is just with the camera I have now.
24 Excellent Camera
This is my first digital camera. I was looking for something that was easy to use, took excellent pictures, and wasn't too expensive. After looking at Fujis, Kodaks, and Canons, I decided to go with this one. Boy am I glad I did! The picture quality is excellent, it's really easy to use, and has enough options for a beginner without going overboard. Screens and options are easy to navigate through; you can start using this camera in no time. There were no problems getting my computer to recognize the camera. The only compliant is there were some minor problems with the installation software for the included photo editing software. The installation program thought the serial number wasn't correct even though it was. I just had to click the back button then reenter it again to get it to work. Overall this is an excellent camera, especially for only $299.99. I highly recommend this camera to anyone looking for a great point and click 4.0 mega pixel camera.
25 Great camera
Easy to use straight out of the box. Great automatic features and has the option of manual. Over 130 photos can be taken with a 128mb card, more than enough I think. The good price makes it top in its class. Instructions are very clear and easy to understand. The software that comes with it is easy to use. Makes a great first digital camera, as it is mine.
