Olympus's mid-tier travel-zoom of 2012 — 16MP CCD, 24-240mm 10x zoom, LI-50B power, sold as D-755
The Olympus VR-350 arrived in January 2012 as the middle model of the VR travel-zoom trio, between the VR-340 and VR-360, and was sold in some regions as the Olympus D-755. These slim 10x compacts were among the final CCD-based cameras Olympus produced as smartphone cameras took over the snapshot market.
It uses a 16-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD with primary colour filter behind a 4.2-42mm lens giving a 24-240mm-equivalent 10x range at f/3.0-5.7, backed by dual image stabilisation. The 3.0-inch LCD carries 460,000 dots, shooting modes span iAuto, Program, Beauty, Scene, Magic Filters and Panorama, and HD movie recording is included. Power comes from the LI-50B lithium-ion battery rated around 300 shots, storage takes SD/SDHC/SDXC and Eye-Fi cards, and the body weighs 170g with battery and card.
Like its siblings the VR-350 is an automatic-only camera, so its market is casual shooters and collectors of late CCD compacts rather than enthusiasts. The 24mm wide end, useful zoom reach and better-than-average screen make it a practical pocket travel camera in good light, with the usual small-sensor caveats indoors.
The LI-50B battery is common across Olympus TG, SZ and XZ lines, so spares and chargers remain inexpensive; still, verify the included cell holds charge. SD-family storage poses no obstacle. Run the zoom through its range listening for motor strain, check the lens barrel for wobble after drops, and look over the 3-inch LCD for scratches and bright pixels.