Olympus's 8x Camedia bridge — 3MP CCD, 40-320mm equiv f/2.8-3.4, EVF, SmartMedia, CR-V3 power, 2002.
The C-720 Ultra Zoom, announced in May 2002, was the junior member of Olympus's Camedia Ultra Zoom bridge family, slotting beneath the C-730 with the same 8x telephoto concept at a lower price. It brought Olympus's TruePic processing to a compact superzoom aimed at holiday and sports-touchline photographers.
A 3-megapixel 1/2.5-inch CCD (3.34MP gross) sits behind the 8x optical zoom, equivalent to 40-320mm at a usefully bright f/2.8-3.4. Framing is via a 0.5-inch 114k-dot electronic viewfinder or 1.5-inch LCD, shutter speeds span 8 seconds to 1/1000, storage is SmartMedia (16MB card supplied), and the camera shipped with two CR-V3 lithium battery packs.
Its appeal was reach in a small body: 320mm equivalent for distant subjects at a time when that required either this or an SLR outfit. There is no image stabilisation, so the long end demands good light or a support, and the small EVF and LCD feel crude today, but the bright lens helps more than the spec sheet suggests.
Check used examples for SmartMedia practicality first — cards max out at 128MB and are increasingly scarce, so one included in the sale matters. Confirm the zoom runs its full travel without hesitation, that the EVF and LCD both display cleanly, and that fresh CR-V3 cells (still sold, including rechargeable equivalents) power it up reliably.