Mju ii Musings

[John Bragg]

Today I developed a roll of HP5+ shot in my Mju ii and I feel that I am getting to grips with the handling and peculiarities of this excellent pocket gem of a camera. I have in the past suffered with the odd frame poorly focussed but this time I applied a different approach and was rewarded accordingly with some razor sharp images and I cannot wait to scan them. I have determined that the focussing system of this camera is sometimes fooled, and the multi point focussing system is good but not foolproof. I have made much more use of the spot feature as it disables two of the three focussing points and relies entirely on the remaining central point. Every shot is on the money and the plane of sharp focus is exactly where I wanted it to be which has not always been the case for me. I know that this information is there in the manual but it is somewhat buried amongst other things and is easily overlooked. It now makes sense why some users seem to get sharp results every time and others never get on with the camera. There are many situations where multi point focussing works but I now need to apply some knowledge and predict when to use spot metering/focussing to my advantage. Portraits are a clear example of this application as it is vital to have the eyes sharply focussed. The other case of multi point failure I experienced recently was a shot with lots of sky reflected in water. As is always the case, it would have been a memorable shot, had it not been blurred. I took a similar shot using spot mode and the camera nailed it. Any further tips on the Mju ii would be appreciated as I know that a good many people are using these cameras as a daily carry compact and the price is rising due to its popularity. Just seems that although it is ostensibly a point and shoot model, there is more potential there to be unlocked if it is used in a certain way to minimise its few weaknesses and play to its strengths.

 

[charjohncarter]

I have the Olympus Stylus Infinity, and have had it from new. There have been many times that the AF has been 'fooled.' I went to a fog forest in Costa Rica and every photo there was a miss. All the other images were really sharp. I seems stupid but I found the best shots were the ones that we all learned at the beginning of photography: keep the sun to your back and don't push exposures.

 

[John Bragg]

I have the Olympus Stylus Infinity, and have had it from new. There have been many times that the AF has been 'fooled.' I went to a fog forest in Costa Rica and every photo there was a miss. All the other images were really sharp. I seems stupid but I found the best shots were the ones that we all learned at the beginning of photography: keep the sun to your back and don't push exposures.

Hi John. Thanks for the heads up on another unexpected miss. Duely noted as we have frequently foggy weather here in Cornwall. I wonder how the single spot setting would have fared in those circumstances. I know you also have a Stylus Infinity, as I do, and can't help but think that it would have somehow coped, with its simpler single point focussing. The weird thing with the Epic is that it does not default to infinity. It just guesses wrong.

 

[DanskDynamit]

I had my mju-II for a few years and I loved it. I took it everywhere with me and it was a joy to use, so much that I thought it could be the only camera I could ever need.
But..
eventually it started to show some light leaks coming from the back door to the point that I had to use it with black tape all around it which became a sticky situation on hot summer days. I think it was the rubber seal frame around the door that was too old.
I sold it.

One tip? I was always carrying it open with flash mode off. The camera goes to sleep but with a touch of the shutter button it wakes up and its ready to shoot in the same mode you have chosen before (if you close it the camera resets and you have to chose the mode again).

A great little camera.