Olympus Stylus 780

I would not recommend this camera

Compact size, water resistance, many scene selection options

White circle often appears in bright outdoor photos, near the center of the image. I have used it in the rain and on a rafting trip where it has gotten pretty wet. The pictures indicating operational options are wearing off. Macro is really touchy, but does work. Night photos with/without flash are not as expected.

Olympus C3000, a great camera, except for size and water resistance.

No comments

The 7.1MP Mju 780 is very compact, is weatherproof and has an attractive metal design. It is basically a point and shoot digicam, with plenty of semi-auto menu driven pre-programmed options. It has a 5 times optical zoom as well as the standard 4 times digital zoom. It has a clear 2.5inch LCD screen, but no optical viewfinder. It is easy to use with a clear, intuitive and imaginative menu system, that allows realtime pre snap adjustments. Its dual stabilisation systems do work well, as does its shadow/face recognition.

Photos are crisp and clear. Colours are good (if very slightly subdued). Response and hutter lag is good, with no problems catching the subject. Its menu help system is very good, allowing you to get the exact picture you want by clicking on menu generated questions. The process is quite fast and painless, and can easily be ignored. All in all a very good, easy to use, well built, weatherproof, point and shoot camera. My only gripe (if that) is that there are not enough manual overrides for the more experienced or imaginative amongst us.

It uses the xD card which is inserted in the same slot as the Lithium-ion battery. You will need a resonably large capacity card with 7.1MP. It is happiest with the new xD H type card. Use the Olympus brand as it offers a Panorama option when used in conjunction with its software editing suite that comes with the Camera.

So far, after 2 months with the Mju 780, I am very pleased and have no real complaints. It is a very good little camera.

Design
Size
Weatherproof
Takes Good Pictures
Dual Stabilisation System
Fast Operation
Good shutter delay
Clear large viewfinder
Great menu system
Easy to Use
Help System
Good battery life

Not enough manual override options
LCD slightly difficult to read in strong sunlight
No Optical Viewfinder
Proprietary Lithium-ion Battery can be expensive - you will always need a spare

Olympus C 60 Zoom
Fuji E510
Olimpus Mju 300

Very Good