Compact, Fast 2.8 lense, Stylish champagne finish

very loud, not as "weather proof" as claimed in add

Very nice compact camera at a reasonable price ($89) w/ quartz dating. Small camera, subjects not intimidated when their pictures are taken. Great in low light, night shots are good. Sometimes have redeye problems. I would have liked to get the legendary T-4, but this one was priced right at Ritz Camera. I have another Olympus P/S, so I gave this one a shot, over 100 rolls of film. Funny and easy to carry around.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Leica T-4

Pocketable size,
Fast 2.8 lense,
Weather resistant,
Durable

Serious red-eye

I bought this to take on evenings when I didn't feel like lugging an SLR. I really liked the lense speed and size of this camera. However, the flash is too close to the lense and resulted in lots of red eye, especially with close portrait photos. Not a good choice for candide evening party photos.

The Epic did do a great job outdoors on sunny days. There was a little light fall off at the corners but not significant.

Customer Service

Good, they took the camera back with no restocking fee

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Olympus 3500

This camera covers almost all the needs of a serious shooter who knows what they are doing but doesn't feel like lugging the whole 9 yards' worth of gear around constantly. It's water resistant, tiny,
spot meters!!, value-for-money, and has a sharp f2.8 lens.

If you are a telephoto style of picture maker then a 35mm lens may be too wide for you.
There is *occasionally* some light fall off in the corneres when photographing clear skies. But that is acceptable (IMHO) given the upside of the camera.
No aperture control.

The camera that can always (and I mean always) be by your side!
Even in heavy rain I have whipped out the Stylus to make pictures. A few raindrops on the lens are rubbed off and all is well.
Just buy one.

Customer Service

Hasn't needed a service yet. I have had the camera for close to 2 and a half years and it always travels with me either in pocket or backpack

Similar Products Used:

Pentax 38-90 Zoom
Nikon AF P&S 38-90? (One of the first auto focus P& S from mid-80s)

The Stylus Epic is an amazing camera. Unitl I bought one, I used exclusively manual focus cameras. At a concert, I had a friend use my OM1 to take a picture of me and the headliner. I told her it was all set, all she had to do was focus. Of course, she didn't know what focussing meant, so the shot is blurry. I looked for a SIMPLE P/S and settled on the Stylus Epic for it's attention to camera basics. I specifically didn't want a gee-whiz feature laden model. I settled on the Epic for it's fixed-length fast lens, spot metering, and flash capability (as well as it's take anywhere design). I also liked the panoramic feature in the DLX model, but now that I scan my own film, I find I don't use that feature. I also don't like the date imprint feature, so if I had it to do over again, I'd get the non-DLX version.

Control buttons for the flash options and spot metering are awkward to use.

This was the ideal choice for me; a grab-shot camera that takes great photos. I have gotten some excellent pictures, shooting both color neg and slide film. Terrific night-flash shots thanks to the night flash option. If you want a SIMPLE camera to use when you don't want to or can't take time to control every aspect of photography, then the Olympus Stylus Epic (in standard or DLX version) is a no-brainer choice. If you want a feature laden P/S, I'd skip the P/S market and get a low-end Canon, Nikon, Pentax, or Minolta 35 SLR.

Customer Service

N/A

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N/A

It is small, light and hangs around my neck easily.
Very sharp 4X6" prints.
Spot metering is very effective.
General metering is very good.

Finder window not resistant to water
vertical close photos are prone to misfocus

The lens may not be as sharp as my Nikkor 50mm, but this camera is there when my SLR isn't- so some of the shots I have taken would not exist if not for this camera. The Epic lense is definetely sharper than my XA4 (but that lens has a nice color/contrast feel to it). [The XA4 28mm lens tested to be very good at all aperatures, while the XA was only very good at smaller aperatures.] But the most important thing about the Epic is it's ability to snap quickly without the fuss, without the zone focussing, and has auto fill-flash. This ability to get quality pics effortlessly is what makes the Epic one of the greatest snappers ever. Sure aperature control would be nice, but a 35mm doesn't really need it- at close distances with decent light, the program already chooses wide aperature (what I want). I have gotten used to the spot metering which is very useful for tricky metering. The lens is quite sharp, but surely not as contrasty as prime SLR lenses. The small size (which fits snugly between my body and left arm while hanging from my neck) is perfect for everyday carrying. I have noticed an annoying misfocussing while the camera is vertical at close (

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everything small, but allergic to ti

Small, light and inexpensive. The lens seems pretty good.

Dropped once on carpet. Quartz dating died. Buttons on the back are too small and flimsy. Slow shutter response.

The lens is not even close to SLR quality (far from it). My pentax 50mm standard lens (SMC-M f2.0) gives infinitely better definition and contrast. It uses cheap plastic design like the others. As far as 35mm P&S goes, my Olympus XA is by far the best (small, sturdy, sharp lens, good features and instant shutter response.)

Customer Service

Didn't bother with that.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax IQ Zoom, Nikon one touch 500s, Olympus XA

This is a very capable camera that works effortlessly. Picutures come out sharp- has that fine line sharpness, but contrast can be better. When is Olympus going to pump it up with a super luxury P&S?

Like below, some liquid got stuck in the viewfinder or viewfinder lens.

The truth in photography is this: People react to the photographer and the camera- when your face is sheilded by the camera, all they see is your camera. Or rather people react differently to beauty and ugliness. Believe me, different cameras are appropriate for different situations, but ugly cameras are always 'frowned' upon- Admit it, people like looking at good looking things- I imagine that Olympus cameras turn out better pictures partly because their cameras are so cute. Not that the Epic doesn't have good techinical specs, it does. If compared to good SLR lenses, the Epic lense is just as fast, but has a little lower contrast and is much more prone to flare (to a prime, not flare-prone zooms). I am able to capture fine details (visible under magnification), but contrast could be improved upon- I believe that this is due to insufficient coatings. Be sure to shield the lense from side lighting. I have too many cameras, but this one is always with me and loaded- my best snapshots are never planned.

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I love Olympus!

small
sharp, fast lense
fast focus-less lag than most
cute in champagne
useful strap
high quality clicker
dependable

water got stuck in the finder or finder window

The lens is very sharp and reveals subtle details. Exposure system is also very good with varying subjectmatter. The spot meter is useful when exposure gets very tricky- it really works. This camera can act as a quick shooter, too because it focuses so fast- no doubt that f2.8 helps here. All the shots that I think wouldn't come out because of movement all came out well. I wish contrast were higher, though, like a well known Yashica, but I am sure the Epic is better at sharpness. The Epic is way sexier, though. Normal or average contrast makes it better for skin tones- which works very well for indoor, flash snapshots- so smooth skin tones. Amazingly, it has the same or similar contrast as the XA4 and Infinity Stylus that I also have- Olympus must be using similar glass base material or similar coatings-whatever, it is pretty good stuff- Not as good as Rollei HFT coating, for sure. The Epic is a tad sharper and the faster lens is noticable in speed and in programmed aperature. Enlargements look superb because of the resolution and the somewhat lower contrast (compared to fine prime SLR lenses) accepts varying exposure errors. This camera or camera line virtually saved the entire camera industry at a time when cameras (mainly SLRs) weren't selling well. Kudos to Olympus for sparking the flame. This is a very fine camera that made it to a recent 25 best cameras- that says a lot (look at the other cameras on the list)-a camera that is easy to use, yet allows the photographer freedom and enjoyment.

Similar Products Used:

almost all p&s except contax,leica

Small and easy to carry; F2.8 lens; clamshell design; spotmeter

None

A great little camera for a great price; I picked up the Epic DLX version which includes the Panorama feature (which I probably will never use), a nice soft case, and the lithium battery, all for $109.00, including shipping. A super camera for the money.

Customer Service

None needed as yet

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I've used practically all types of SLRs, rangefinders, and autofoucs P&S since 1966.

Size and sharpness

Too early

Bought this camera for my son a couple of weeks ago. Shot one roll of 24 Fuji Superia 400 on auto flash in full sun and in shadow to see for myself what the prints were like. I was so impressed, I told my wife it would make a great Xmas present for myself. I may be early with the five stars but this is the first time I've been impressed with a camera and pics right out of the box

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Canon, Konica A4, Pentax, Minox