Beginning photographers looking for an easy-to-use and affordable digital camera will appreciate the Olympus FE-140. This unit costs less than $200, and it includes several features aimed at making the FE-140 as easy to use as possible.

Because it's a point-and-shoot model, it's no surprise that the FE-140 doesn't contain top-of-the-line features. But this model does have plenty of solid aspects that make it a great value for beginners. For starters, the FE-140 offers 6 megapixels of resolution, which has rarely been available in the past in a sub-$200 digital camera. You easily can make photo-quality prints up to 8x10 or 11x14 inches with the FE-140.

The FE-140 includes a 3X optical zoom lens, which is average for today's digital cameras. Overall image quality could be better, though. The majority of shots show some softness, and image quality degrades slightly when the zoom lens is fully extended.

The FE-140 fits in the ultra-thin camera class -- barely -- as it measures exactly 1 inch in thickness. As with other ultra-thin models, you'll want to try the FE-140 before you buy it to make sure you can hold it comfortably and without smudging the 2.5-inch LCD. The LCD can be difficult to see in bright sunlight, which is a problem because the LCD serves as the camera's only viewfinder.

Olympus has included "Help" software with the FE-140, allowing you to access information about any feature of this model as you're using the feature. The Help screens are terrific for those new to digital photography.

In addition to being extremely easy to use, the FE-140 offers a couple of handy features that can bypass a computer. Using the FE-140's built-in editing software, you can place borders and titles on your photographs directly from the camera. You also can connect the FE-140 directly to a PictBridge-enabled printer and print photos without the need for a computer.

Response times are easily the most disappointing aspects of the FE-140. Our tests showed that you cannot shoot your first photo for 4-5 seconds after you press the power button, meaning you have little chance to capture spontaneous photos. Shot-to-shot delays are troublesome, ranging from 2-10 seconds (with longer delays when the flash is in use). Shutter lag can be a problem as well, approaching nearly 1 second in some instances. Such poor results in response times will leave photographers very frustrated at times.


Pros: Good price, extremely easy to use, good resolution, ultra-thin camera body
Cons: Image quality should be better, response times are poor, LCD is only viewfinder and can be tough to see in bright sunlight

Warranty
1 year, limited