Sturdy little tank lets you take 100s of great pics.
Written: Jul 01 '03
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Pros: Sharp lens, battery life, rugged construction, responsive controls
Cons: Not completely intuitive menu, no manual white balance
The Bottom Line: A great, sturdy little camera with nice pictures, fast controls and just enough flexibility for an experienced picture taker, but still simple enough for anyone.
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| mediageek's Full Review: Olympus Camedia Stylus 300 Digital Camera |
I'm going to skip doing a thorough overview of this camera because it's already been done well by other reviewers. Instead I'm going to give my impressions of this camera after using it for five days and shooting about 200 photos. I'm also going to address some of the issues brought up in the other reviews.
I bought the Stylus 300 based upon good experiences with the Stylus P&S film cameras that my girlfriend has owned. She beat the hell out of the basic Epic model for close to ten years--including a year traveling the US and Western Europe--and it still takes decent photos. We've also had good results with the zoom model I bought her to replace her old one.
I had been considering getting a new digital camera after I broke the flash on my tiny 1.3 megapixel Fuji Finepix A101. I was considering the 2 and 3 megapixel Olympus models, Nikon Coolpix models and Canons. Olympus, Nikon and Canon are all known for making very nice lenses, and their digital cameras have good reputations.
I was leaning towards the Nikons until the Stylus came out. Once I found out that it had an all-metal clamshell body, I was more excited by the Stylus 300. The Nikons probably have slightly sharper lenses, but the all-plastic bodies of the $300 - $400 cams worried me, since it was so easy for me to break my plastic Finepix. Getting my hands on the actual cams at my local Best Buy only sealed the deal.
I think the Stylus has a nice balance between size and heft -- it's small and light enough to take almost anywhere, without feeling too light or cheap. Because of the clamshell design, I don't worry too much about putting it my pocket or backpack and dragging it around.
And, to me, that's a very important issue. Although I lust after a digital SLR like a Nikon D100 or Fuji S2, they are big, bulky cameras that discourage you from hauling them around except for the most special occasion. It may be obvious, but if you don't have a camera on you, then you won't be taking any pictures. It's very easy to keep your Stylus 300 on you, almost all the time.
In a variety of lighting situations I've found the pictures to be balanced and sharp, but, yes, sometimes they're blurry. I think the problem is that the manual doesn't adequately explain some of the theory behind photography, and the balance that exists between shutter speed and light.
A number of reviewers have complained about how weak the flash is, and in my experience the flash is weak on all point-and-shoot cams, digital or not. The only strong flash I've used on a digital was the Nikon Coolpix 900, which was almost too strong.
And, actually, I'm very impressed with how well the Stylus does with the flash turned off. Frankly, I hate flash photography -- flashes wash out pictures, kill backgrounds, and make everything look flat. I much prefer available light and I think the Olympus does remarkably well. The downfall of available light is that it tends to be a bit weaker, requiring longer shutter times, and so less capable of capturing action. With any camera, sometimes you need a tripod or to steady yourself against something sturdy.
One reviewer also mentioned how the auto setting of the flash would cause it fire even outdoors. This happens to help fill in shadows -- it's called fill flash. But I'll admit I'm not crazy about the auto setting, either, but do use it when I just want to take quick snapshots at a party, restaurant, or some other setting where I value quick pics more than more composed pics.
I have used the fill setting of the flash quite a bit and I think it works very well, helping to flesh things out and soften shadows.
I will say that I have not used the included software and I have no plans to do so -- I much prefer Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements), or even other less expensive photo manipulation programs. If you're running Windows XP/2000 or a Mac, the computer will autodetect your cam as soon as you connect it, and treat it just like a hard drive, so I see no purpose to using the software.
After just a few days of use I do wish I had manual control over the white balance. I came to photography from videography, and being able to manually control white balance is something that I think is very important. That said, I think the presets are adequate enough, and the auto setting is pretty accurate, though occasionally one pic out of 5 or 10 will have off color (that can be corrected some in Photoshop). Sure, my friend's digital SLR (D100) is better with the auto white balance, but not so much better -- it misfires sometimes too.
I am very impressed with how quickly this camera fires up and focuses. I really recommend that anyone new to cameras or used to only using the simplest point and shoots read through the admittedly paltry manual to learn how to get the focus and exposure you want. The spot focus and spot metering functions really work and give you greater control over your pics. Framing your pic first, then pressing the shutter half-way makes the cam respond very quickly when you want to actually fire the shutter. A little practice with these functions can really improve the overall quality of your shots.
Finally, I've read reviews where people complain about battery life. Yes, compared to film camera the life is disappointing. But compared to other digital cameras, I think it's pretty good. My old Fuji Finepix went through a set of AAs every 60 pics or so. A Nikon Coolpix 900 we used at work went through a couple of AAs even more frequently. So far I've shot over 100 pics on one charge of the battery, all using the LCD. I think that's pretty good. My big recommendation is that if you're going to shoot a lot of photos, buy another battery. I bought the Olympus accessory kit which includes a battery, a nice leather case and a card reader for $100, which is a better deal than buying a battery alone for $75.
I agree that companies should include more necessary accessories with the cameras, but Olympus is far from alone with this, and so I simply budgeted another $175 to get these things and a 128 MB xD card in the first place.
On the whole I'm very satisfied with my Stylus 300. I bought this cam understanding the compromises of buying a point-and-shoot, and understanding that every P&S digital cam has its own compromises and idiosyncrasies.
I am taking tens of pictures everyday and having a great time doing it. Sure, not every photo comes out great -- but that's the dirty little secret of photography. The pros take rolls and rolls of film just to get one or two great shots. With 35mm that gets expensive real fast. But with digital, it's pretty much free. I can fill up a card in less than an hour, and then just delete the losers and keep the winners. Then only print the winners -- nobody has to know about the blurred, ill-framed or just plain rotten shots. And I don't have to pay to print them either.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 349
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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Epinions.com ID:
mediageek
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Member: Paul Riismandel
Location: Chicago, IL
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
I'm a true mediageek--into all sorts of electronics and gadgets for making media.
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