Small size Flash mode options Spot meter Low power consumption Cheap

Shutter lag Lens not as sharp as people say it is Other lens aberrations User modes reset if cover is shut Noisy motor wind

A mixed bag. This camera is a compact & lightweight package that asks to be taken everywhere. As a fun snapshot camera it excels. Whilst it makes an excellent snapper, the picture quality cannot match SLR quality (I presume Olympus never had this in mind anyway). The lens exhibits barrel distortion & vignetting, perticularly at full aperture, and it's not as sharp as an SLR-grade 35mm lens. Camera shake is all too easy as it encourages rapid one-handed use. The camera focuses after the button is pressed, so there is a lag in shuter response. Exposure modes reset to auto if the clamshell cover is closed. The motor wind is noisy. The positives include selectable flash modes, slow-sync flash, spot metering and economical power usage. It is claimed to be splash proof. Best of all is its size.

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Konica C35AF Konica Hexar AF Olympus XA, XA1

Fast f2.8 lens solid construction rubber inner seal compact size spot meter

Tiny buttons, but not a real problem

Don't buy a digital camera! Buy this p/s and save tons. Fantasticallyl sharp images when used with the right film. I been successful with the Fuji line of film. It has features that typically costs much more, such as spot metering for tricky lighting conditions, a rubber seal to protect the camera from sand and water, solid construction, and a very fast f2.8 lens that is tack sharp. Its compact size makes it perfect for tucking into your pocket - smaller than a compact digital camera without the hassles.

Customer Service

Helpful with my questions. If you have any type of malfunction (which is not likely), just buy another Olympus Stylus Epic. I cried when I dropped mine down the cliff.

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Nikon N80

1) Very sharp images, great colors and detail 2) Small and portable, weather resistant 3) Great value for money

I didn't find many major weaknesses but here are some that I'd like Olympus to improve in the future: -Buttons are quite small -Some barrel distortion (this could be fixed in postprocessing) Regardless of this, camera is a great value for the money.

Great little camera and great value for the money. I bought this camera last year for $130 CAD at www.adencamera.com based on many good reviews on this forum. I planned to use it as a light travel P&S camera. I was so happy since then with this little jewel that I bought a few as presents to my friends who also appreciated it. It is great tool for outdoor photography and a camera that you can carry in your pocket. I also bought Lowepro belt case D-Res 8S which fits the camera quite nicely and protects it.

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Canon SLR cameras, Digital: Olympus E10, Canon s400, Contax G2

easy to carry

lack of manual controls

simple camera. Need to follow manual and focus lock before exposure. Excellent EV range. Excellent lens (90 lpm according to one source). Significant barrelling. Large aperature preference results in a shallow depth of field, so be careful taking candid pictures of people different distances away; line 'em up flat! Very small, very light, take anyware. Exellent battery life. Use the night scene mode for indoor exposures where you want some background visible. Use fill flash in daylight. Focus points are in x-hairs, and in outside edges of horizontal lines. Use spot mode for the dark areas for negative film (not appropriate for slide film).

Customer Service

n/a

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various zoom point and shoots

f2.8 fast sharp lens. small and light. tougher than first expectations.

Nothing important. Viewfinder perhaps a little small if you wear glasses.

This is the best little camera I have owned. It takes very sharp, well exposed photo's which too me, is the most important thing. Being very small and light is a bonus. I also like the fact that it doesn't have any zoom, which I'm sure not only helps the sharpness of my prints, but also makes me think of composition a little more. Can't see a great deal of difference in the prints to those taken with my Nikon F55 when set at 35mm. It also has the advantage that subjects tend to feel less conscientous than they do when you poke a SLR in their faces.

Customer Service

Not used

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Richo R1 Konico Revio Minolta X300 Nikon F55

Cheap, partial metering + evaluative metering, no-brainer flash, good resolution

CHROMATIC ABBERATION!! HUGE DISTORTION

I read numerous positive reviews on this tiny, versatile camera and bought one in ebay. I took it to a church retreat and took a roll of Kodak MAX film. Well, results are aweful! Firstly, every shot I took indoors, there was huge chromatic abberation, especially around windows where strong sun light coming through. It is so visible with 4x6 prints. Secondly, huge barrel distortion even though I just tilted 10 degree down or so. Is it really 35mm angle or less than that? Anyhow, functionally this is very good one for under $100 money, but optical quality I don't agree with people who give a applause to this camera.

Customer Service

none

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10 OR MORE canon slr bodies 5 pentax bodies 5 medium formats

Sharp pictures, fast lens, low price.

Long term durability may be a problem. Also, the buttons on the rear panel are very small.

I was looking for a high performance camera and all the reviews I read on this site convinced me to go out and buy one and give it a try. I paid about 90 USD for the quartz date model (gold). On a recent holiday to Australia I shot 6 rolls of Fuji Superia 200. The results were fantastic. Pictures were excellent, very sharp. I expected some might have been blurry as I was just getting used to the autofocus - in some cases I forgot to lock the focus by pressing the button halfway. I was surprised to see every picture was sharp and in focus. Considering the price paid, nothing else comes close.

Customer Service

None yet, hopefully it stays that way.

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Minolta Riva Zoom 115, Pentax Espio 838G.

Excellent sharpness Excellent contrast Cheap Fast response Compact Well Build No problem with AF as mention by some reviewer.

Buttons is little small.

Excellent Compact Camera!!! If you are thinking of getting a compact that is cheap but with excellent output, this is the one. Excellent sharpness and contrast. Unless you are willing to paid 4x-6x more to have manual controll, then you can look at some very high-end compact. I have seen enough reports on this compact that I decide to just get one and test it out, very please with it. I am using G2, Hexar Silver, EOS L and I know what is sharp and contrasty picture.

Customer Service

None

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G2 - 21mm, 28mm, 45mm, 90mm EOS 3 + 5 - 28-105mm, 17-35mm L, 70-200mm L Konica Hexar Silver (Exellent PS w manual control)

Fast F2.8 lens, sharp, contrasty results. No visible color shift.

Flash mode need to reset everytime you switch off. (I use a lot of fill-flash with this cam) Tiny buttons for flash mode, date/time settings,etc

Surprising optical performance that could challenge an SLR with an amateur lens. It small size enable you to slip it into your pocket or handbag whereever you go. Pretty solid too, with the clamshell cover. Fast lens - using ASA200 film, which is a good compromise for low light situations without flash. I might want to get another one just in case, after reading some of the reviews, as we never know if Oly stop producing it.

Customer Service

Not needed

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Nikon SLR Nikkors and Tamron lenses Nikon LT W 28-70 (Biggest mistake buying this cam)

See review

You really have to be careful about focusing. If not you'll get some out-of-focus pictures, especially in situations where there is a subject against a deep background such as forest or sky. Make sure to focus on your subject and then recompose the frame. While this camera will make excellent pictures even with very slow speed film, I'd recommend using higher speed film, especially if you're shooting in low light situations and you don't want flash.

GREAT DEAL FOR THE MONEY. Small, extremely sharp, fast, lense, multiple flash modes, spot meter. Even has a tripod socket on the bottom! Great for an ultra-pod.

Customer Service

don't know; haven't needed it yet

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none