Olympus have been making interesting products for a long time now.
I bought my first Olympus Camedia C3030 Zoom digital camera about 14 years ago now. Believe it or not, it has taken so many pictures and been so many places and still works. Even the original Camedia rechargeable batteries have not failed and only just need replacing ! It's been a workhorse & sturdy masterpiece which I passed on to my wife when I updated.
When I updated, I went straight to the Olympus C5050 Zoom. Didn't even consider any other brand. That was about 10 years ago. It wasn't perfect, but when the CCD failed, Olympus had the courage to recognize this fault and repaired it at no cost. The mode knob cover also separated but Olympus (Japan) had no hesitation in seeing it put back together. I love this camera and without doubt will use it as long as I can.
I updated my wife's camera for Christmas 2006 for another Olympus. The waterproof model U725sw looked just perfect. Marketed as "robust" with nice size and features. Remember the dog ad with the camera in his mouth ?? Unfortunately the USB cover just snapped off in February. We have opened USB covers thousands of times and never had a failure but this one is weak. That plugs it up for the waterproof feature so without it, I the camera will never be safe near water. The retailer, and Olympus were not helpful. They said "breakages" are not covered. We know how to look after things and when products fail early in their life, it is usually because they are not made well. Sorry Olympus, it is not good enough. So, what are you going to do about it ?
My cousin bought the same camera at Christmas time and guess what ?? You bet, exactly the same breakage. Note the pictures. Well come on Olympus. .. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FINAL CHAPTER
Though the retailer (Clive Anthony's) wouldn't go to bat for us, nor Anderson's of Brisbane (the local repair agent) and, the Sydney Head Office dished out the same story claiming it as a "breakage" not a warranty issue, in the end, no doubt with a bit of pressure from me, they helped us out and repaired it no charge. I wrote a number of reviews in the public forum to help influence Olympus that consumers can and will put the word out, good and bad.
The moral of the story is be prepared to pressure the supplier. Be as public as possible and there is a good chance they will make it right eventually. Would I buy an Olympus again ? Absolutely. Did they lose business because they didn't respond with positivity, Absolutely.
Cheers
2010 update - The camera failed again at just 3 years and one month with a white-out monitor. The extended warranty at extra cost is taking care of it. And the most pleasant people they are (Digicam in South Australia) ! Still love the camera, but perhaps the top brands are not using quality components that can stand the test of time.
My advice- always negotiate a price with a long warranty involved.
