Olympus mju-II
The specifications
The Olympus mju-II (called Stylus Epic in the USA) is a typical point-and-shoot camera, with a fixed 35 mm f/2.8 lens and an active AF system. It features auto film load, advance and rewind.
Flash functions include red-eye reduction and night-time flash. The camera also has a spot metering mode, self-timer and tripod mount. By default, the camera determines whether flash should be used or not. Remote control and any sort of protective casing are optional. The front cover not only protects the lens, but also the flash and all the sensors. In August 1998, I paid 299 Dutch guilders for it.
Working with the camera
I find the mju-II to be a great little gadget. It's small enough to take with you, especially when an SLR is too big or intrusive. Its operation is very simple: just slide open the cover, aim and fire. Press the shutter release half way to lock the AF, for more precise focussing.
Keep in mind that the camera resets every time you turn it off and on,
so watch out for the flash, since by default it's set to automatic.
Don't forget to turn it off, if needed. Furthermore, you often don't
have a clue what it's doing. I'm used to my SLR giving information
about shutter speed and aperture; not so with the mju-II. As with all
P&S cameras, you look through a viewfinder, not through the lens:
make sure your finger (or the camera cord!) isn't covering the lens,
or one of the sensors.
The fixed lens of the camera is somewhat of a limitation, but not a severe one. I'd rather have a fast 35/2.8 lens than a slow zoom, especially on a compact where most of the shooting is hand-held. Keep the moderate wide angle of the lens in mind when composing a shot and you really can't go wrong.
I have noticed, however, that at wide apertures, the lens's corner sharpness is not very great and there seems to be some light fall-off as well. Just look at the adjacent picture (f159-16), which is as close to a full frame scan as I could get with my HP PhotoSmart. Using ISO 200 film, on an evening walk with rapidly fading light, the camera almost certainly can't have choosen a small aperture. In practice, I mostly use ISO 400 film, so the camera will often stop down the lens and since negatives are nearly always cropped during the printing stage, I find the printed results very acceptable.
Results
The results are very good indeed. The 35/2.8 lens, especially with ISO 400 film, allows for great shots, even in not-so-great light. The 10x15 cm prints and the 20x30 cm enlargement I've gotten back so far, are sharp and correctly exposed. I have yet to test it's performance with slides, but I'm convinced it won't let me down.
Conclusion
Well, what's more to say? It's a great camera, easier taken along than an SLR and produces excellent results. For 299 guilders, I can recommend it.
Editor's Note:
Where to Buy
The mjuII (stylus epic) is stocked by Adorama, a retailer that pays photo.net a referral fee for each customer, which helps keep this site in operation. For additional retailer information, see our recommended retailers page and the user recommendations section.
More information
Give the following sources a try for more information:
- Olympus America offers information on the mju-II
- Philip Greenspun also writes about P&S cameras.
- Consumer reviews at Photography Review
About the pictures
The picture of the mju-II itself was taken with my F601 camera, the other pictures are taken with the Olympus, shot on Kodak Gold 200 film and scanned with my HP scanner.
Repair history
Within a year, the AF system seemed to have developed a bug: sometimes, for no apparent reason, it would simply focus at the shortest possible distance, even if the subject was actually several meters away. A warranty-covered trip to Olympus fixed this.
After two years, I have somehow managed to damage the camera. It now always produces slightly out of focus images. Mind you, I have carried this camera with me virtually every day, so it's quite possible that I banged it against a doorpost or something else. Repair is possible at a fixed price of 200 guilders. A new one should still be available for 300. The nice, small digital camera, which I had hoped to buy in a year or so, still costs around 1500 guilders. I haven't decided what to do yet.
Please realise that the repairs my mju II needed may or may not be representative for the mju II in general!
Reader's Comments
I have owned a Styus Epic for 3 years. My SLR collection consists of 3 early to mid-80's manual focus Pentax'es that I use almost exclusively with primes. I also have a Olympus 35 RC rangefinder and had access to a Rollei 35 for a year.
My photo-taking is mostly opportunistic landscape or urban scenery done while hiking or on vacation or just driving around. There's also an occasional roll of family/friend snaps.
I have yet to take viewable photo of friends or family with my SLR's or rangefinder. All the nice ones were taken with the Epic. It is already there in my shirt pocket when things happen that are worth photographing. The other cameras aren't.
My walls are adorned with lots of landscape/urban enlargements and most of those are 8x12 full frame enlargements. About half are pictures of beautiful spots on the planet I visited and wanted to be reminded of. The other half have some intrinsic value as images, IMO. I took an inventory of them for fun one day trying to remember what they were shot with and was surprised to discover that about a third were taken with the Epic. My standards are perhaps not so critical as some pros, although I am no beginner either, but I cannot detect any major difference in appearance between the Epic-taken photos and those taken with more expensive equipment. Or at least, not enough to not make the enlargement in the first place. For the kind of picture for which it is suited, it exhibits more quality than most people can appreciate.
There are many occasions when it cannot fill the bill. When I want control over dof or shutter speed or have a non-simple exposure problem then there is no replacing equipement over which you have manual control. It is an automatic camera and has all the deficiencies of that kind of product. But the images it produces are outstanding.
One issue I have with it is the focal length of 35 mm. I love to shoot with "normal" lens. The shorter 35 mm is OK for lansdscape scenes but not usually what I prefer in other situations. For that I prefer the 40 mm view of the 35 RC or Rollei but what I think would be a fabulous product would be a point & shoot with a "normal" focal length, say 45-50 mm or so. If it came in a compact size like the Epic, there would be many situations where carrying 2 Epic's (1 in each focal length) would be easier than carrying one SLR and 2 lenses.
Another minor issue, from which there is no escape in a small camera, is the size of the buttons. I have chubby fingers and live in Canada where in winter you must wear gloves which make the problem worse. But like I said, if you want a small camera you can't have large buttons and so you learn to live with it.
Let me add that I have owned 2 or 3 zoom P&S's and did not like any of them. They're OK for the occasional snapshot but I would not want them on a vacation where I want all the quality I can carry with me.
If I had to live with only small camera I would likely choose the Rollei over any of the others, including the Epic, but they don't make those anymore and I suspect most people would find them awkward to use. Luckily I can own more than one and so I'll keep the Epic.
(BTW, I would be interested in back to back comparisons of the Yashica T4 with the Epic. Same photos with the 2 cameras kind of thing.)
-- Robert Roaldi, October 16, 2000
I also own this camera and like it very much. However, I have noticed a distortion that shows up on a certain type of shot. If I take a vertical picture of a person close enough to include the person's head down to about their waist and the person is off-center, there is a very noticeable distortion of the person's face. Other than this, I have been very happy with the camera.
-- Michael Katz, October 16, 2000
About the T4 versus mju II. A friend of mine was interested in buying a Yashica T5 (is that a T4 Super in the USA? I'm not sure) and found it rather plain, plastic looking. He liked the design of the mju II better. He hasn't bought either one (yet), though.
-- Patrick Hudepohl, October 17, 2000
I have owned an Olympus Epic since Feb 2000. I usually carry it in my pocket and have been very satisfied with the results I obtain with this camera.
After only 6 months of use the camera stopped working. I sent the camera back to Olympus for repair under warranty (the problem was a shutter malfunction). The work was done quickly (a few weeks) and the experience was hassle-free.
Things break and good warranties and the service to back them up are important. Kudos to Olympus customer and repair services.
-- Antonio Quinones, October 18, 2000
I've owned a Stylus Epic for about 18 months, and it is a great alternative to carrying my full SLR gear. I'm comfortable using it with slide film; the spotmeter gives just enough exposure control to make it work. For me, the best indicators of its quality are the comments I get from non-photographer friends. Photos are much more vibrant and contrasty than anything from a standard P&S.
Like other posters, I chose it over the Yashica T5 based on price and the faster lens. I would however like to have the waist-level finder of the T5. One of the best ways to use this camera is to turn off the flash and use the self-timer; the waist-level finder would help this immensely. Otherwise I'm very happy with the choice, especially at 60% of the cost.
I had to look for a while to find the plain Stylus Epic. Most stores around here carry the Stylus Epic DLX. It's only about $10 more but I really didn't want the date imprinting. Besides, the "champagne" color is not nearly as cool as plain black.
Best of all, it's weather-resistant (and only $90!), so you can take it anywhere without fear...
Cheers,
Dave
-- Dave Ciskowski, October 18, 2000
I have both an Olympus Mju II and a Yashica T4. I use the Olympus a lot more as my carry-everywhere camera for general snapshooting - the autofocus, and flash and spot metering are excellent, whereas I find the focus and metering crude on the Yashica.
I did intend to sell the Yashica when I bought the Olympus, but in the end I kept it for the one area (for me) where its superb lens wins out, which is for landscape pictures when I'm travelling. In those circumstances I'll take the T4, either on its own if 'm travelling very light or instead of a second SLR body.
-- Alan Little, October 19, 2000
One consideration on this camera is the lack of control for DOF. With a zoom lenses starting at 3.5, you can use the zoom feature to force the camera to close down the aperture, but you still have a fairly fast lens at the wide setting. I've heard reports that the mjuII tends to bias toward shutter speed's that allow for safe handholding. So, If you want your P&S to act a little more seriously, to sometimes sit on a tripod and take something other than a snapshot, a zoom lens may provide you with extra control of the DOF. I'm talking about using fine grained slow slide film. like Provia 100F. The camera is enticing with it's crisp 2.8 lens, and I think it is well-suited for snap shots, and perfect for fast print film shooters who are willing to rely on film speed alone to help control of the shot. However, consider that with a zoom lens starting at 3.5 you can probably still do the candid snapping with fast film, yet it gives you more options which you might find handy, say on a trip. As cheap as these little cameras run, you can probably have the best of both worlds. Best wishes. C. C.
-- CC --, October 20, 2000
I bought both the Epic and T4 and compared them. The differences were minor. I like the small size of the Epic and its remote control capability over the T4. The Epic pictures were very sharp. I returned the Epic though, because the T4 was just as sharp and everyone who saw the pictures side by side liked the color saturation (fabrication?) of the T4. The differences were minor though and if you saw the pictures from the Epic alone, you would say they were pretty good shots. But I like picture of landscapes and the T4 made the scenes look more "engaging". Flash shots with the T4 also came out noticeably better (better exposure, less red-eye). Even though the Epic has a hard-core red-eye reduction strobe, the flash is too close to the lense. If the flash was off set to the side like the zoom models, this may not have been an issue. But guessing from all the information I've seen, had I compared two different samples of the same cameras, I may have liked the Epic pictures better (although the flash issue would likely have remained the same). Both cameras are pretty cheap, and most stores will let you buy both and return the one you don't like.
-- Brien M, October 20, 2000
My mju-II was bought 4 years ago. It was dropped on the floor, often exposed to the hot sun and always carried in my jeans pocket. It accompanied me during a river rafting tour and even on canyoning tours. I wrapped it in a plastic bag, jumped several times in the canyon river from about 20 feet with it and got wonderfully balanced fill flash shots in the dark canyon. Ok, I had it to dry afterwards for 3 days until the electronics worked properly again.
It is a wonderful little friend. Much smaller than the T4, much easier to focus than the Minox 35 and much lighter than my Nikons. I use a little tripod with flexible legs just as small as a pencil. The optical quality equals the tessar design, maybe the coating is not up to the T* standard. Using the little tripod the shots are wonderfully sharp.
The mechanics are a possible point of failure. I'm sure that after heavy use the film transport gears (all cheap plastic) will jam. But it is easy to repair (I've done it on a mju-I).
-- Patrick Umlauf, October 20, 2000
To answer the question above about a comparison between the Opympus and the Yashica T4 Super. I can't compare the photos of the two - but I stood in B&H and compared the two directly before I got the Opympus. The reason I got it was it is smaller, lighter, takes a photo slightly faster then the T4, easier to switch the flash off (2 button presses instead of 3) and it has a faster lens 2.8 instead of 3.5.
The most desisive factor was that despite the fact the T4 is only slighly larger, the Olympus felt comfortable in my pocket, the T4 felt bulky (at least in comparison)
-- Laurie Young, October 21, 2000
While I like my mju:II altogether, I wish Olympus should improve it in these areas:
1. allow to defeat autofocus, i.e. set focus to infinity (and perhaps set aperture to some 'safe' F-stop, like 8 or 11 for extended DOF). It will enable mju:II to take pictures through the glass etc.
2. use high performance coating such as Pentax SMC or Zeiss T* on all optical surfaces. The lens is very flare prone in the present state (at least when compared with my SMC Pentax primes).
3. add waist-level type viewfinder. This one is not so important for me, but it'll be nice to have such a thing.
That's all, folks, now I'm waiting for Olympus mju:III, the best P&S camera in the world
(hope Olympus engineers will read these pages ;-))
-- Peter Lacus, October 21, 2000
I have enjoy my Olympus Stylus Epic and also found that I ended up using it more than my SLR. I sent it to college with my daughter, and it now broken after a hard drop. I wish I could find a similar camera that allowed an external flash like my new Olympus 2020 digital camera. The Stylus is very subject to red-eye as was the Olympus 2020 with the internal flash. What a revelation to use a Vivitar flash on a bracket with bounce flash. I would love to have a small film camera that could be used similarly. Anything like that out there at a reasonable price?
-- Jeff Smith, October 24, 2000
Sure, and add interchangeble lenses, too.
Olympus could really improve these great little cameras by allowing the flash settings (especially the defeat setting) to be retained when the camera is shut down. One more button to separate the spot meter function would be nice as well but, short of that, an icon as a reminder for accessing the spot mode would be helpful. This camera has the stuff of a classic...add too much and you'd ruin it.
-- William Nicholls, November 6, 2000
I haven't decided whether I love or hate the Epic/mjuII. The flash produces the worst "red eye" imaginable and the flash wants to fire even in fairly bright conditions; I try not to use the flash at all if possible. Unlike most P&S cameras I think the Epic/mjuII works well with slow (ISO 100 or 160) film. Using fast (400) film in low light tends to produce washed out or partially out-of-focus images if you're within four feet of the subject; this may be caused by the fast lens and intense flash output or failure of the AF as some have noted. I think the camera shoots wide open most of the time to retain a fast shutter speed. It is a "fun" camera and the image quality is very high most of the time.
-- John McCormack, November 29, 2000
I own a mju II as an alternative to carrying around my Nikon. Things I love about it:
1) Size and convenience
2) Weatherproofing
3) Ease of use
4) Price
5) Sharpness of lens and accuracy of exposure.
I bought it primarily as a snap-shots camera, and for those who want something that delivers a better image quality than a standard (read crappy) P&S for snapshots and family/group pics, the Olympus is absolutely terrific. Although I have only had images blown up to 5x7, the sharpness and colour are noticeably better than, say, my father's Pentax zoom P&S. Does it give as sharp an image as my Nikon 50mm 1.8? No. Do I get to take more pictures with it because it is easy to carry? Yes. Is it intended for the same use as my Nikon? No. Would I recommend one? Wholeheartedly. For the price, it's a terrific, easy-to-use camera with a remarkably nice lens. Incidentally, I use it with Fuji Superia 400, and get very satisfactory results.
-- Richard Mansell, December 27, 2000
I also bought this camera after seeing the excellent reviews in Chasseur d'Images where it got 5 stars like the Yashica T-5.
I really agree with the reviewer, the Stylus Epic is very small, and extremely easy to use.
I have just finished a roll of Velvia and the results are very nice, I am amazed at how sharp the lens is! It looks just as good as the 50 mm 1.8 from my Canon - Just amazing!
The exposure with flash is excellent as well, a lot better than my Elan IIe + 540EZ - My slides are really nice!
The only problem that I have encountered is the fact that the dual zone measuring system is a bit primitive (kinda like an older SLR), for example, my pictures of mountains were greatly underexposed (I should have aimed at the mountains and then re-framed).
Excellent camera - always in my pocket!
-- Remi Lemarchand, January 15, 2001
I got a mjuII a few weeks ago. Results from running a few rolls of Fuji Neopan 400 through it:
It wants to use flash in situations when it's really not necessary. The first thing I came to do after opening the front cover was to switch off the flash.The second thing was to activate spot metering. Looking at the negatives, I realised the ones taken with "standard" metering in tricky situations weren't ill-exposed. Hmmm...The camera tends to overexpose.It's almost too small for average-sized hands.Enlarging up to 20x30cm (8x12) is no problem at all.Summary: I never thought I'd really like this tool, but I do.-- Oliver S., March 19, 2001
Last year I wrote about the Stylus Epic with only a month or two's use under my belt. Now 15 months and miles of film later, I think I've figured out a bit more of its personality.
First, it's much more user friendly with 400 speed film. The camera prefers an open aperature, and this will help with focus and DOF. Plus, 400 speed film allows better advantage of the 2.8 lens. Always focus and recompose - don't trust the edges of those crosshairs. In daylight, either keep it on auto flash or turn the flash on. At night, keep it off. Some of this camera's true beauty is that fast 2.8 lens. Try and avoid using the flash on people's faces in dark rooms, but if you must - ALWAYS use red eye reduction. Make note it says "reduction" and not "elimination." Better to bring the people over towards more light. And you won't need much. If you want to properly expose someone's face and it takes up less than 35% of the frame, use spot metering. Otherwise the camera will take the whole scene into account, leaving facial features under or over exposed. Same with focus. Night sync works great - again, red-eye reduction is a must.
This camera will take awesome pictures, but because it doesn't "tell" you what it's doing, you have to keep a mental note of its preferences within the exposure you're trying to make. Many times the no-brainers I've shot come out disappointing, whereas the difficult shots have been truly amazing. I find that's because this camera is not a simple point and shoot experience - you have options and you have to keep them in mind when you're trying to achieve a desired effect. As with any camera, you have to use it and get to know it. The biggest thing I've had to get used to is because the camera can take such incredible pictures, I'm more critical of it when a photo is disappointing. Usually it's not the camera's fault. After all, I can't think of any camera that you can fire at anything and have great pictures everytime. You have to think it through first.
It is certainly not a replacement for a good SLR system, but it is truly a remarkable little camera to have to pull out of your pocket at any time.
-- Jack Kratoville, April 21, 2001
My SLR system is great, but it's an intrusive piece of technology and it stays home enough to consider selling the whole mess. My Stylus Epic DLX gets far more use in practice.
My criteria were: small size, fast lens, reasonable price. I went to the camera store in search of a Yashica T4 Super, came home with the Olympus.
It's durable, as well. It's with me most of the time, in a pocket, in my car, or rattling around in my daypack. I've had it camping, hiking, traveling, etc. No problems in spite of the abuse.
It takes fine photos. I've posted some examples here in my portfolio, have a look-
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=114987
It does tend to be rather zealous with the flash. And the flash too often turns people ghost-white. I usually control the flash myself - I turn it off whenever possible, or force it on for fill or other specific situations. Red-eye can be a real problem sometimes, too.
If I use the default auto mode I get a mix of good and bad shots, like any other camera I've owned. But by using the simple focus/exposure lock feature and flash controls, one can get very good photos out of this camera.
As others have already said it's not the absolute perfect camera. But it's a great solution if you value spontenaity and simplicity.
Recently I did some side-by-side tests of the Stylus Epic, T-4, and an $8 Jazz cheapo from K-Mart. The Stylus and T-4 are in the same ballpark - to my eye contrast and sharpness are a draw at 4x6. Exposure levels were equivalent. The T-4 focused more intelligently in several cases. I only had 100 film handy - I definitely agree with those who recommend 400 speed film for these cameras. The shallow depth of field is obvious in these tests.
The T-4 might have a slight edge, but the Epic is small enough to come everywhere with me and the T-4 is chunky enough in my pocket to bother me, so the Epic wins. There are other great small 35mm cameras, but so far I've only found these two choices in a durable weatherproof package.
-- J L, May 1, 2001
I have been using this small wonder for about three years now. It really is a wonder with that lens. I usually either shoot PanF+ or either Kodak TMAX 3200 (past) or Delta 3200 (now). I almost never use the flash and use the spot meter heavily on this unit. If Olympus added one feature only to make this camera great, I would probably want shutter and aperture control (maybe a small dial on the underside or back). One amazing thing is how unobtrusive this unit is. A project I'm presently working on requires a very small camera that can shoot very well in low light. After trying out the T4 and a Minox, the Stylus won out. I feel the AF is ok, but a little slow. Here is picture I took on PanF+.
Image:nordstom.jpg
-- Sandy Ramirez, July 19, 2001
Sandy, looks like you've got a fair deal of distortion with that lens, however. I thought about getting a small compact, but got swayed into the Contax G camp...
-- John Clark, July 27, 2001
Chicago Water Tower
I've experienced most of what the others have described. The exceptional experience was when my Stylus Epic decided to wind out half-a-roll of film during a visit to Sea World in San Diego. It did this twice, so I figured that its water-resistance had failed. When I returned home, I compared it with another OSE. No physical differences in the film compartment, so I unloaded and reloaded the battery. Surprise -- it's worked ever since, and travels everywhere with me.
The DOF is sharper with 400-speed film. Here's a shot from Chicago.
-- Dave Baldo, September 14, 2001
A short comment after 3 years of use, to supplement the original review I put in. The camera has had problems advancing film in the last several months. It seems to occasionally advance the film just a 1/2 frame or so too much, leaving a blank spot. At first it did this on the occasional roll but more recently started doing so on every roll, and very lately twice on the same roll. Whatever the problem is, it's getting worse. Might be time for a cleaning.
-- Robert Roaldi, September 18, 2001
I only wish Olympus would give more information on how the spot mode and the meter really work - a better understanding of the functions would help to make better use of the camera.
-- zapata espinoza, November 14, 2001
I am not a photographer, not even an amateur one.
So, I had to acquire a friendly piece of equipment to carry with me for 4˝ months in India. I now have a strong affection for the Stylus Epic that followed me through thick and thin and allowing me to take surprisingly satisfying photos. A feature that served me well was the squarish end on one side and round end on the other: easy to slip into my pocket, but a little tougher on potential pickpockets. So easy to use that my best photo ever, of a leper (in my portfolio), requiring me to slip the camera out of my pocket and instantly snap the photo, resulting in the most heartwrenching photo I'm likely to ever take, was made possible by its excellent ergonomics. I never wanted a zoom lens, since scanning and cropping is so easy. Never wanted another camera.
-- John Bleau, December 7, 2001
The bottom line? Just get one! I've been using camera's for about 15 years now and took (mostly Olympus and Nikon SLR's) to almost any place in the world. And altough I'll never stop using these camera's (FE-2, FM-2, F4) there are places where you simply want something that is not going to let you down no matter what you throw at it. So I took mine on a trip through the jungle of French Gyana, which is not a very pleasant trip for a human (ask Papillon) let alone on anything with a battery in it. The Olympus Epic (what's in a name) took to that trip without letting me down once and I came back with some beautiful shots. Now I now that my FM-2 would have performed just as well but when you have to consider everything that you put into you rucksack, the Epic is the natural choice (unless someone else volunteers to carry your equipment!) So like I said when I started, just get yourself one and for about $100 you can't go wrong!
-- René Scratch, December 19, 2001
I wanted another little P/S for a first trip to New York recently. I scrutinized all the comments on this site and narrowed my choice to a Minolta Freedom 115 and an Olympus 35-80. I thought I wanted a zoom and ended up with the Minolta. As soon as I emerged in Times Square and started taking pictures I realized wide angle was more important than zoom. Plus it was cold and starting to snow and the stainless cover on the minolta that I thought was so great was slippery and had no good hand holds. Also you have to keep cutting camera off (with very small button) to keep lens covered. After about an hour I started looking in the numerous camera store windows for something smaller and easier. I saw the plain black stylus epic with fixed 35. After handling the superbly designed Epic I wanted it but that was the last one. I got "very good deal" on the display. Camera , battery, and film for 70.00. After a week in NY and about 15 rolls of film, I could not believe the results. This camera is awesome. The clamshell cover is a lens cover and on/off in one. Its tapered on one end for ease into a pocket and the open clamshell is a perfect handle. Easy to open cover and take a picture with one hand. I took pictures @ night with tripod, in the snow, bright sunshine, overcast. 90% were excellent. You do need to push shutter release 1/2 way down to focus. It was pretty covert on the subway too. Just remember to cut off flash, act like you are adjusting and snap away. Lots of neat people pics. I have a minolta and nikon SLR that are excellent but for the ease of use, compactness and picture quality, this olympus is great. (I would have rather had my SLR on the Brooklyn bridge at night for longer time exposures but thats all). When I returned and showed my friends the pics, I know of 3 of them who bought the exact camera. Also the developing is a big part. I have used Eckerds for years but their quality has been iffy. I took my pictures to a Ritz camera where they say they adjust to each negative. It must be true because the quality was great. I have been singing the praises of Olympus and Ritz. The quality of the Minolta 115 was good also but the epics size and design is much better. Yes you can do more with an SLR but you have to have the camera with you to get good pics and the epic is small enough to take anywhere. Also get the black, its less obtrusive and they are water resistant. Almost idiot proof with exceptional quality and small.
-- Paul Worthington, March 5, 2002
Concerning OLYMPUS MJU-II (Epic Stylus) P&S camera Multi-beam (3-point) autofocus system I found an easy way to check how MJU-II determines distances.
Test was done by using 'green blinking led' feature - when an object is too close (less then 35 cm/ 14 inches ) and the shooting button is half-pressed the green led start blinking.
Using a pencil and pointing at different parts of it through the viewfinder while it is in short distance I easily determined that:
1. In all normal modes there are 3 AF points - 1 exactly in the middle of the viewfinder between the 4 aiming focus lines and 2 AF points in addition. The 1-st additional focus point is exactly where the left horizontal aiming focus line starts (its left edge) and the 2-nd one is exactly where the right horizontal aiming focus line ends (its right edge).
2. In spot mode there is only one AF point and it is placed exactly in the middle of the viewfinder between the 4 aiming focus lines.
When the camera is in one of the normal modes (not in spot mode) it determines the distance using the closest of 3 AF points, i.e. the closest object is focused.
Please, keep in mind that AF points are very thin and if any of them is pointed not exactly at the center of an object (passing next to it) or at the oval part of an object, focus is not determined and I think it is set to infinity.
I just wonder why OLYMPUS does not publish this information?
-- Stefan Hadjistoytchev, June 6, 2002
Let us face it. The best of cameras is the one that is going to be used. This is because the best pictures are more often then not the work of opportunism. You may justly criticize this little marvel for this or that. In turn I will fault all the bulky SLRS I own for the missed pictures and laziness they have inspired me over the years. The results with Velvia 50 are truly good. It is hard to believe that such an inexpensive camera can consistently perform that well.
-- Nicolas Perrault, July 1, 2002
This camera is cheap, small and weighs to nothing. And it takes pretty good and sharp picture. I've the Ricoh GR1s, Leica Minilux Zoom and T5 too and can say that the Stylus is the lightest and the most convenient to carry around.
-- Wee Keng_Hor, July 2, 2002
I've used my mju-II for over a year, and find it an excellent alternative to my SLRs when I want to travel really light. Observations/criticisms:
1. it usually overexposes a little (perfect for negative film)
2. occasionally does not focus - pressing the shutter halfway twice seems to cure this.
3. red-eye is a real problem when using colour film.
4. focussing is a little too slow for true 'grab' shots.
However, within its limitations, it's a truly great camera. I have some images in this folder
-- Simon Evans(edit your comment), August 22, 2002
I like mine a lot & almost always have it with me.
Now if only it would wind it all in to start, then let it out 1 pic by 1 pic. Then I wouldn't have embarrassing rewind sounds in quiet places!
tOM
-- tOM Trottier, August 30, 2002
Well, everybody wants a manual... and of course Olympus doesn't have one online, although they have the original Olympus Stylus and some of the zoom models. Here's a distillation of what I consider most of the useful information from a manual. If this seems short, it's becase the actual manual consists primarily of page after page of useful information like "do not put finger over lens", "do not stare into sun", and "camera may be harmful or fatal if shoved up your ass."
Camera Front
Open the camera, and look at the front. The opening directly above the lens is the viewfinder. The bulge to the left of that is the light meter. The red dot in the upper-left is an LED which blinks in self-timer mode. Now put the camera in bright light or shine your flashlight on it; you'll see three IR AF openings. The upper-right one (as you look AT the camera) is the transmitter.LCD Indicators
| Battery | |
|---|---|
| Full and Solid | battery good |
| Partial and Blinking | battery going |
| Partial and Blinking, Other Indicators Off | battery gone |
| Frame Counter | |
| E | Error/Empty (film not loaded) |
| number | current frame number |
| Flash | |
| None | Auto Flash |
| Eye Symbol | Anti-Redeye Flash |
| Crossed Out Lightning | Flash Off |
| Lightning | Flash On |
| Moon and Stars | Night Flash |
| Timer | |
| None | Timer Off |
| Clock and Remote | Timer/Remote Mode On |
| Spot Meter | |
| None | Spot Meter Off |
| Rectangle with Dot | Spot Meter On |
Film
When loading the film, the red line on the left side of the case indicates where the leader should end.The camera senses DX coded film, but it has only four sensors instead of the full six. It assumes that the rightmost two squares are "silver black", so the following possibilities can be sensed:
| ISO/ASA | Squares | Other Speeds Which Will Be Read As This | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Silv | Blk | Blk | Blk | 32, 40 |
| 50 | Silv | Silv | Blk | Blk | 64, 80 |
| 100 | Silv | Blk | Silv | Blk | 125, 160 |
| 200 | Silv | Silv | Silv | Blk | 250, 320 |
| 400 | Silv | Blk | Blk | Silv | 500, 640 |
| 800 | Silv | Silv | Blk | Silv | 1000, 1250 |
| 1600 | Silv | Blk | Silv | Silv | 2000, 2500 |
| 3200 | Silv | Silv | Silv | Silv | 4000, 5000 |
Non-coded film is assumed to be 100 speed. The only way to manually change the film speed is to put stickers on it.
Viewfinder
The marks in the upper corners are parallax correction marks. They indicate the frame at 35 cm/1.1 ft, the closest distance the camera can focus.There are two LEDs to the right side of the viewfinder. The upper one is orange, and the lower one is green. The LEDs light only once the shutter button has been depressed half way. Their meanings are as follows:
| Orange Off | No Flash |
| Orange On | Flash Will Be Used |
| Orange Blinking | Flash Recharging |
| Green Off | Does Not Occur |
| Green On | Autofocused |
| Green Blinking | Can't Focus - Too Close |
Flash Modes
Pressing the left button on the back cycles flash modes. The modes are:- Auto
- Redeye
- Off
- Fill (On)
- Night
- Night Redeye
| Film Speed | Max Distance |
|---|---|
| 100 | 4.1 m / 13.5 ft |
| 200 | 5.8 m / 19.1 ft |
| 400 | 8.2 m / 26.9 ft |
The manual suggests that you will get approximately 70% of this distance with color reversal film.
The preservation of flash modes through power off is confusing and infuriating. If the camera is in redeye mode when turned off, it will be in redeye mode when turned back on. If it is in night redeye mode when turned off, it will turn back on in normal (non-night) redeye mode. In any other mode, it turns back on in Auto.
Other Controls
The right button turns the timer on and off. Pushing left and right together turns spot mode on and off.In timer mode, the light on the front is solid for 10 seconds and blinks for 2, giving a total of 12 seconds delay. Focus and exposure are locked when the shutter is depressed, not when the picture is taken.
Date (only some models)
Hold mode button for 2 seconds. Year will blink. Press set to advance year. Press mode to move to the month, and set it as above. Repeat for day, hour, and minutes.To decide which mode will be used, press the mode button. The LCD display changes to match the mode, and the modes are as follows:
- None
- Year-Month-Day
- Month-Day-Year
- Day-Month-Year
- Day-Hour-Minute
Shutter Speeds
The manual doesn't give a curve from light and film speed to aperture and shutter speeds. There is simply a comment that with flash disabled, shutter speeds up to 2 seconds will be used, and in night mode, shutter speeds up to 4 seconds will be used. Useful, huh? Why couldn't they have given proper information?Specifications
Identical information to what's in the manual can be found at the Olympus Web SiteMiscallenous Notes
The closest focus distance is sometimes called 1.1 feet, and sometimes 1.2 feet in other places in the manual. The 35 cm figure remains constant, so that's probably the one to believe.A battery supposedly lasts for 20 rolls of 24 exposures. Infrared film is not usable (presumably because the IR film advance counter would interfere?) Camera can be used in rain, but cannot be submerged. "This camera is not suitable for professional use".