The C-370 is about as basic as a digital camera get without being so automated it even takes the shots for you. The very basic specification and simple-to-use ethos makes this an ideal digital camera for technophobes, and the £119.99 price tag is excellent value for a three megapixel camera.

Special help menus explain what each of the camera’s four scene modes do, each picked with a small mode dial positioned to fall nicely under the right thumb. You get a fun movie mode offering 320 by 240 pixel movies with sound, as well as exposure control run through an accomplished program auto exposure mode that provides true point-and-shoot ease of use. The stand out feature on the C-370 has to be its great 2cm macro mode, which works well and provides stunning, frame filling close up capability.

The 3x zoom lens has an unremarkable 38-114mm focal range, but it’s more than adequate for this camera's likely user, and it has a respectably fast F2.9 maximum aperture. PictBridge direct print support allows you to print photographs straight to a compatible printer without the need for a PC.

There are some problems, however, the most irritating of which is the lack of a custom set-up feature that allows you to lock the camera for repeated use within the same mode; it always reverts to the default settings. This means you have to set the camera up each time you turn it on - even quality setting are lost.

Picture quality is reasonable at best, with a fair amount of noise, particularly in the blue channel, with which the camera’s processing algorithm seems unable to deal with.

But it’s not all bad news. The largest print size required from a camera such as this is unlikely to be bigger than the 6x4-inch area and at that size, noise problems are not intrusive and the prints look nice.

Pros: Size and simplicity plus ease of use combined with a great price for three megapixels.

Cons: Image noise and the lack of custom setting modes make for slight frustration.

Verdict: The C-370 Zoom represents a stunning price and makes for an ideal camera for those dipping a first toe into the digital photography.

Website: http://www.olympus.co.uk

RRP: £120

This review first appeared on www.pocket-lint.co.uk.

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