digital mju-ii / stylus epic

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stillshunter

unlearning digital habits
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I've had so many cameras over the years, but I've noticed the ones I always gravitate back towards are compacts, and my favourite of the compacts is the Olympus mju-ii (a.k.a. Stylus Epic). Yes there are better lenses, better control, better VFs, etc., and I've had them, T3, Minilux, GR1, Klasse, etc. But again I am always drawn back to the mju-ii...or XA.

Now that I'm finding myself more time starved I find myself using digital more. But I've yet to find the right digicam for everyday. Have he Fujis X-T2 and X100T for deliberate shooting but I mean that everyday back pocket cam. So I wonder whether a digital mju-ii might fit that bill. But what is it?

What is the closest thing to a digital mju-ii?

Must haves:
- Small (and I mean pants pocket small and smooth)
- VF. I don't care if it's pokey as I still prefer a VF!
- P&S
- Great lens
- Reasonable IQ (small sensor 6-10MP, maybe CCD)
- spot metering
- decent jpeg engine

Nice to haves (which I realise the mju-ii may not have):
- weatherproof
- diopter adjustment
- 35mm lens (though not fussed by a zoom)
- RAW
- aperture priority
- manual focus

I realise others have different priorities and different things they value about the mju-ii. But these are what I've come back to each time and in the age of RX100s I am left so, very, very cold!

Again does not have to be modern. Happy for a decade old (+) digital as long as it hits these notes. Actually probably prefer something 5+ years old as since then megapixels have gotten insane!

Keen on your help and advice.
 
If I were looking for something like that again now, I'd buy the Ricoh GR II and fit Ricoh's small optical viewfinder to it. It's probably the best camera in the class and even new is quite reasonably priced ($600 @ B&H Photo). It's a 28mm equivalent FoV lens, though.

The Leica X2 would also fit the bit with a clip-on viewfinder, and that's a 35mm equivalent FoV lens. You can find them used in the $600-$900 range.

G
 
Godfrey said:
If I were looking for something like that again now, I'd buy the Ricoh GR II and fit Ricoh's small optical viewfinder to it. It's probably the best camera in the class and even new is quite reasonably priced ($600 @ B&H Photo). It's a 28mm equivalent FoV lens, though.

The Leica X2 would also fit the bit with a clip-on viewfinder, and that's a 35mm equivalent FoV lens. You can find them used in the $600-$900 range.

G
Click to expand...

Cheers G!
Two great suggestions. Certainly the GRII is the more pocketable proposition of the two. If only either had even a little pokey VF built in - I'd even accept the one on the original GR1 or Minilux. The clip on OVF adds only a little to the dimensions but takes away a lot from the pocketability - as I've found them getting caught up on stuff in my pockets...like material, lollies and all the money I saved selling my Leicas 😉

(sorry mate couldn't resist)

Great to see you're still loving the X2! TBH if I found one for $600-900 here in Australia then I reckon I might just pounce to satiate my curiosity.
 
markwatts said:
I bought my wife a Canon Powershot S120. But no viewfinder. I don't think it exists.
Click to expand...
Hey Mark. Yeah had an S110. Happy enough with the IQ, but you're spot on - no VF.

Funny it seems the digital equivalent may have existed. But it seems they stopped making them in 2003

mjudbig.jpeg


  • Olympus Mju 300 Digital (Europe / Asia) = Olympus Stylus 300 Digital (North America)
  • Olympus Mju 400 Digital (Europe / Asia) = Olympus Stylus 400 Digital (North America)
OK I concede I'm only a minute part of the market segment but "WHY, OH WHY did they stop going down this road?!?" :bang:

Can't find many on the used market but might still see if I can hunt myself one down just for kicks. Also might be some old IXUS/ELPH Canons from 2006 that stil had OVFs in there.
 
DanskDynamit said:
another vote for the Ricoh GR digital.
http://www.theinspiredeye.net/4-years-with-the-ricoh-grd-iv/

I've loved my mju-II but got tired of the light leaks and sold it.
Click to expand...

ohhhhh you mean the old GRD-series. Sorry I thought you meant the larger sensor GR or GRII. Oh OK....Still need a clip-on OVF. But, wow, blast from the past. I had a GRD-III back when they were first released. Might be the benefits of my retrospective rose-coloured glasses but I believe the OOC B&W jpegs were pretty decent. Wonder how the modern APS-C equivalent compares size and image wise.

Thanks mate, I'll go back and have a look at these....and maybe some of my shots from back then too.
 
stillshunter said:
I've had so many cameras over the years, but I've noticed the ones I always gravitate back towards are compacts, and my favourite of the compacts is the Olympus mju-ii (a.k.a. Stylus Epic). Yes there are better lenses, better control, better VFs, etc., and I've had them, T3, Minilux, GR1, Klasse, etc. But again I am always drawn back to the mju-ii...or XA.

Now that I'm finding myself more time starved I find myself using digital more. But I've yet to find the right digicam for everyday. Have he Fujis X-T2 and X100T for deliberate shooting but I mean that everyday back pocket cam. So I wonder whether a digital mju-ii might fit that bill. But what is it?

What is the closest thing to a digital mju-ii?

Must haves:
- Small (and I mean pants pocket small and smooth)
- VF. I don't care if it's pokey as I still prefer a VF!
- P&S
- Great lens
- Reasonable IQ (small sensor 6-10MP, maybe CCD)
- spot metering
- decent jpeg engine

Nice to haves (which I realise the mju-ii may not have):
- weatherproof
- diopter adjustment
- 35mm lens (though not fussed by a zoom)
- RAW
- aperture priority
- manual focus

I realise others have different priorities and different things they value about the mju-ii. But these are what I've come back to each time and in the age of RX100s I am left so, very, very cold!

Again does not have to be modern. Happy for a decade old (+) digital as long as it hits these notes. Actually probably prefer something 5+ years old as since then megapixels have gotten insane!

Keen on your help and advice.
Click to expand...

Dear stillshunter,

Fuji X10, there are more advanced versions but none are better for what you seek.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂
 
I've had the Canon ixus 95 a long time ago and it had a tiny optical viewfinder. It was also very pocketable too. I wish camera manufacturers would reintroduce new compact cameras with such optical viewfinders. If Ricoh released a new GR with a tiny ovf, I'm sure it'd be a big hit. I'd definitely get one.

Another more recent digicam you might want to check out is the Panasonic LF1 which has an electronic viewfinder and it's quite compact.
 
faberryman said:
Sony Rx100. The original one did not have a viewfinder, but the models II-V have a pop-up viewfinder. Has a 1" sensor. And it is truly pocketable.
Click to expand...
+1. I think the RX100 is the compact of the decade. Not cheap however. I'd like to try one because that price tag might very well justified with an excellent lens+sensor capabilities plus the compactness.
 
I have been on a related quest.... though instead of the Oly. I'm looking for the digital equivalent of either the Rollei 35s or Contax T. (warning... rambling thoughts)

IMO the problem with *many* pocketable digitals is the built in automatic lens cap. They are fairly fragile and can be damaged by pushing on them. They can also clog up from lint or whatever in your pocket. I have a RX100III that the lens cap doesn't always open up all the way from this.

For that reason I tend to like the cameras that have actual lens caps on them. Far more durable and less to go wrong if you are planning on actually putting it in your pocket. The Fuji X10 and X70/X100 have lens caps for example. I bought my son a x10 and it is a very nice camera. Esp. if you shoot it in 6mp mode and put it in DR400 to use the EXR hardware to increase dynamic range. In that situation the camera is actually exposing half the pixels at a different exposure to increase DR. Simple but effect optical view finder and a manually controlled zoom lens. To big for a pants pocket though.

I have a Coolpix A and that too is a nice camera. Very well built and easy to use if one is familiar with Nikon DSLRs. I have the optical VF for it but find with the 28mm FOV I prefer using the LCD. Unfortunately, it has an automatic lens cap. This was purchased before the x70 existed.

If you are looking for actual rear pants pocketable I'd suggest one of the so called tough cameras. Picture quality isn't as good but they can take a beating. I have the Pentax WG-3 and while it is ugly looking the shape is good for a back pocket camera and due to its build it doesn't matter if you sit on it. It can support 200+ pounds, is totally waterproof (which also means no chance of lint/dirt getting on the sensor) and has a couple of nice Ricoh inspired features such as a pan focus function. If you mash down the shutter button it doesn't try to AF it just jumps to pan focus (hyperfocal) and shoots fast. No VF though.

The Sony DSC-TX series tough cameras have a sliding front cover to feel sort of like the Olympus cameras. I haven't used the TXs though, they are almost completely touch screen interfaces and are likely fairly odd to use.

The RX100 series certainly fits the bill as far as size is concerned but it is a boring camera to use. The pop up VF is fiddly and slow to deploy so I rarely use it.

Where I ended up is the x100t or Coolpix A. X100t with the full manual controls can be shot like a Petri Color 35 (including scale focus in the optical view finder) and while it is a little bigger than other options it fits on a belt well. If I know I am going to need wider (or want to be even smaller carry size) I put the Coolpix A in a shirt pocket.

Shawn
 
stillshunter said:
Cheers G!
Two great suggestions. Certainly the GRII is the more pocketable proposition of the two. If only either had even a little pokey VF built in - I'd even accept the one on the original GR1 or Minilux. The clip on OVF adds only a little to the dimensions but takes away a lot from the pocketability - as I've found them getting caught up on stuff in my pockets...like material, lollies and all the money I saved selling my Leicas 😉

(sorry mate couldn't resist)

Great to see you're still loving the X2! TBH if I found one for $600-900 here in Australia then I reckon I might just pounce to satiate my curiosity.
Click to expand...

Never had a problem with the Voigtlander 35mm OVF on the X2 in my pocket, but I tend to buy trousers/jackets with big pockets and don't keep anything in them normally. (I usually wear the camera on a Street Strap rather than stuff it in my pocket anyway.)

I moved to the Leica X typ 113 a while back. It's a bit larger camera and the lens doesn't collapse, but the controls and feel are much closer to an M4-2 which I find more ergonomic. It's too large for a pocket otherwise I'd have recommended that ... it's the best performing fixed-lens digital camera I've ever had.

G
 
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