Olympus Stylus

adorable

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $79.00 from B&H Photo Video

Summary:
Excellent image quality in a brain dead easy to use, super-cheap used on ebay today (<$35), point & shoot camera.

Strengths:
Stylish, easy-to-use, great image quality, sharp, no fuss, runs forever like the Energizer bunny w/o a single problem. Super-fast active AF. A true classic in design, functionality, operation.

Weaknesses:
Plastic case does show scratches if not careful, so please store it in a case. Otherwise, you'll have a scuffed up camera in short order.

Similar Products Used:
Ricoh R1 Pentax 24EW

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5,
1 votes

Price Paid:  $70.00

Summary:
I bought the Olympus Ecru, which is essentially a Stylus dressed up in a different shell. What a pleasant surprise when I got my first rolls of film back. The pictures were sharp, had nice 'pop' and was free of noise. Very high quality images. The 35mm lens I find to be the ideal focal length for all-around use. Not too short, not too wide. Perfect for people shots. Despite the fact that this camera was introduced years ago, it could easily compete with any modern point-and-shoot.

Strengths:
lens quality picture quality price

Similar Products Used:
Konica Lexio 70, Konica Big Mini, Ricoh R1, Pentax UC-1, Pentax IQZoom 120miÈ

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $40.00 from cash converters

Summary:
I have what I would consider a "semi serious" assortment of kit; pair of semi pro slrs with grips, "quality" lenses, filters & tripod all stuffed into a billingham 335. The little mju1 tends to be the one that gets used most though!! Utterly trustable with elitechrome. Superb results & great fun!!

Strengths:
lens quality - this little beauty was good enough to get me 49% in the "holiday" round of last years APOY competition. Exposure spot on with elitechrome. Spot metering & focussing. Size.

Weaknesses:
no manual override (although I''m sure I could get that for an extra 3 or 4 hundred quid) AE lock & AF lock not seperable. I''ve lent it to the wife, not sure if I''ll get it back!!

Similar Products Used:
Not many, I''ve never really previously trusted "compacts" - why waste film?

Customer Service:
not needed, I did a couple of small repairs myself to the interlock when I first bought it, camera now perfectly OK.

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I have used the Stylus for over five years and it is undoubtedly the best value in point and shoot cameras on the planet. It has a fast lens, compact size, good built in flash, and fairly weather resistant. I would put this camera up against almost any other, regardless of price (provides 95% of the performance of any top end P&S at 25% of the price). I personally would stick to the non-zoom Stylus cameras since the lens is much crisper. Price/performance ratio alone makes it a "5" star camera.

Strengths:
1) Sharp, fast lens f(2.8) 2) Compact size, good overall design 3) Excellent value (Sub $100)

Weaknesses:
1) Autofocus takes a little practice 2) Shutter lag/Slow film advance makes action photography a challenge. 3) Could be quieter

Similar Products Used:
Minox, Leica Minilux

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $0.00 from friend

Summary:
I have traded this camera with my friend -she liked an APS Kodak with a zoom which I had no use for, and I had my eyes on her Olympus. Both parties remain happy. I carry this camera almost everywhere. It was around the world twice. Still works. This camera is about the lens and its size. Everything else is nothing to speak of. But it is so small and the lens is so good that I end up taking it with me more often that any of the slr''s I have. And for the money it is hard to beat. I decided that I will buy an new Contax T3 when this Olympus dies. Well, now after reading some reviews on the T3 I hope that this Olympus lives for a while. The camera requires some getting used to. The AF while accurate needs care when poining it (true of any AF camera). The exposure is always unknown so shooting in low light is more like a gamble. However I am more often than not pleased with results. Shutter lag is very prominent so shooting action is tricky but doable to a certain extent. I have had good results with fill flash and ISO 400 film. I sometimes shoot 3200 b&w film too but than the fill flash tends to overexpose if a subject is within a meter or a meter and a half of the camera - something to be aware of. Overall I am happy with this little thing. I did not expect wonders but this camera is amazingly good for its price. However, I would not mind paying a couple more hundred dollas to get a camera with features close to Contax T3 (but definitely not $700) For that kind of money I do not mind the suffering caused by a bagful of slr stuff. Even though it is not a perfect camera (as none is) I has worked hard enough to earn five stars.

Strengths:
Image quality, size, good exposure system.

Weaknesses:
If you do not want flash you have to turn it off each time the camera is on. FLash May overexpose at close distances.

Similar Products Used:
Lomo Compact, Ricoh (forgot the model #), a few other PS cameras here and there.

Customer Service:
I needed a manual and they sent me one fast and fo free.