Olympus's 1999 value 35mm zoom compact — 38-70mm lens, large viewfinder, sliding barrier, red-eye lamp
The Olympus Superzoom 700XB was a value-priced 35mm zoom compact announced in October 1999 as an upgraded version of the fixed-focus Superzoom 700BF. In North America the model appeared as the Infinity Accura Zoom XB 700, and some price guides also list a SuperZoom 70S variant; it is a different camera from the earlier Superzoom 70.
It carries a 38-70mm 2x zoom that Olympus stated was the same lens design used in its higher-end compacts of the period, listed by retailers at f/5.6-9.6 with five elements in four groups. The large viewfinder magnifies 0.44-0.73x, and a sliding lens barrier powers the camera on when opened. Features include autofocus with focus lock, a Landscape mode that fixes focus at infinity, a red-eye reduction lamp, self-timer, motorised film advance and rewind, DX film-speed setting and a battery check function.
This was Olympus's budget route into zoom compacts, and it remains an easy, cheap film starter: the big finder makes framing pleasant, and the 38-70mm range covers snapshots to head-and-shoulders portraits. The slow maximum apertures lean on the flash indoors, so it is happiest outdoors on ISO 200-400 film.
It is fully electronic, so confirm it powers on when the barrier opens and that the motor winds and rewinds; a camera that will not wake usually has battery-contact or shutter-flex faults not worth repairing at this price. Check the flash charges, the red-eye lamp lights, the zoom moves through its range, and the film-door seals are intact.