Nice Olympus close-out find! :)

[dmr]

My "carry everywhere" camera for over 10 years now has been a black Olympus Stylus Zoom. Unfortunately it's over 10 years old and I know it won't last forever, so I've considered getting a replacement before they disappear.

Just the other day I came across a one-left closeout Olympus Stylus 100 Wide "All Weather" camera which is somewhat similar. I figured for $79 (IIRC I paid $130 for the original) I couldn't go wrong.

It has the same look and feel as the original. Big difference is that it's silver (well, warmer, more like a light topaz) and not black. It has a small screen on the back for frame counter, flash mode, etc., and this looks almost like a {d-word} screen. I guess I could pretend to chimp and get away with it. 🙂

The most interesting "feature" on this new one is the "Diopter Correction" knob on the viewfinder. It really works more like a viewfinder focus, since the same setting works best for me with and without glasses. I guess some people would really benefit from it though.

It has the date feature (how to totally ruin a photo in one easy lesson) but I plan to keep that off!

This one zooms from 28mm (I like that!) out to 100mm, more than the original which goes from 35-70mm.

I've only taken a few test shots. If the weather is nice when I get off work I'll take some on the way home. The feel of it is identical to the 10yo one. Zoom and shutter release are in the same place. I think there is a wee bit more lag on this one, but it's not nearly as bad as the {d-word} cameras I've tried.

Oh well, nice find, but it's too bad that things like this are becoming more and more scarce. 🙁

 

[zuikologist]

Nice find, especially at that price and with a 28mm lens. Let's see some photos soon.

 

[aad]

I have a Zoom 140, great camera. I like it better than my XA.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Olympus made a compact zoom wide a couple of years ago. From memory it was 28-50 or similar.

I'd love to buy one but cannot see it on sale anywhere.

Does anybody know the exact model name? So I can look for it on eBay.

 

[shadowfox]

I had a 140 once and got good results from it, I sold it because I'm not a zoom lens guy 🙂

Now my only Epic stylus is the old 35mm/3.5 in "limited" edition, the body is reflective as in plastic mirror. Hmmm... wonder what it'll produce on a slide film...

 

[Steve Bellayr]

I see these all the time in the local thrifts for under $10. This weekend there were three. I picked up the original olympus stylus 28mm lens with case & strap...minty condition.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Olympus made a compact zoom wide a couple of years ago. From memory it was 28-50 or similar.

I'd love to buy one but cannot see it on sale anywhere.

Does anybody know the exact model name? So I can look for it on eBay.

So you mean the Stylus Zoom 80 Wide? It's more compact than the 100 Wide and still has a nice and reasonably fast F/4.5-8.4 28-80 mm lens.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

So you mean the Stylus Zoom 80 Wide? It's more compact than the 100 Wide and still has a nice and reasonably fast F/4.5-8.4 28-80 mm lens.

Thank you, that sounds like the one. Now what is 'Stylus' in Europe? I think it might be 'mju'.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Thank you, that sounds like the one. Now what is 'Stylus' in Europe? I think it might be 'mju'.

Yes, mju or µ (the Greek letter). Written as µ[mju:] on the cameras. I was talking about the Stylus out of laziness, but of course all my Styluses are actually named µ as well...🙂

 

[dmr]

Let's see some photos soon.

Well, I had intended to post these before the last road trip, but for some reason it got pushed to the back burner, sorry.

Here are a few from my first roll (and only roll so far) in the new Olympus.

Biggest difference I see between the new and the old ones, operationally speaking, is that there's a bit more shutter lag from a push to snap if you don't half-push to compose-lock first. This is minimized if you do lock on first.

These are some shots I took over lunch of the informal memorial at the Von Maur entrance in Omaha. I'm sure all have heard reports of this. I work not too far from this shopping center, and it's quite common to go over there over lunch. It scared the heck out of us! All of us were lucky that there were none of us taking a late lunch break shopping there that day. 🙁

Yes, it's still somewhat upsetting to think of that, and I feel a bit strange using these for a review of the camera, but it is a current event, and happened to be the first roll I shot with it.

Anyway ...

Overall, the look, feel, and response, other than more lag, are the same as the 10 year old model. It's a nice, light, carry-everywhere point-and-shoot Real Camera<tm>.

At first I thought this next one had possible blown highlights, but looking very closely at the one placard which appears almost stark white, it's a card of signatures and not a sign with bold lettering.

I'm tempted to do a re-scan of this, as I'm sure the details of this one sign are faithfully recorded on the negative.

These are all lab scans, Noritsu mini-lab. Yes, the histograms show some "smashing" of the darkest and lightest details into spikes at either end.

Like the original, there is a slight vignetting in bright light. It's to a degree that I can live with.

Conclusion, a nice eventual replacement for the one I've carried with me for about 10 years now. A very good find, at a good price!

 

[ampguy]

Those are nice photos! I've heard great things about the stylus (mju) Olympus cameras, didn't some models have a clamshell covering?

 

[leica M2 fan]

What battery size does it use?

What battery size does it use?

I have a very old Olympus Infinity zoom 38-80 that used button batteries that would go out and were not available everywhere. Gave me decent pictures though.

 

[dmr]

Those are nice photos!

Thanks. 🙂 {blush}

Many people seem to put down the P&S cameras, especially the ones which have a zoom, but they really can do a very decent job!

I've heard great things about the stylus (mju) Olympus cameras, didn't some models have a clamshell covering?

Lotsa people call these things a "clamshell", but to me it's more like a sliding door type of thing. When I think of a clamshell, I think of something that opens more like a, uh, clam, such as a compact or many cell phones.

I have a very old Olympus Infinity zoom 38-80 that used button batteries that would go out and were not available everywhere.

Both the old one and the new one here take the same #123 battery which you can (for now) find almost anywhere. They seem to last forever if you don't use the flash a lot.

I just checked, it says "Lithium" on it, so I guess I shouldn't carry loose spares on the plane, huh? 🙂