Olympus µ[MJU:] 300 Digital

The MJU range from Olympus is a series of stylish ultra-compact film cameras which has been so hugely successful that they have launched the same line in a digital range to give the user all the advantages of the MJU cameras but with digital capabilities rather than film. The film v digital debate is something I could talk about for hours but I won’t, at the end of the day it’s down to what you personally prefer and for what you need. With so much ...
...of camera you go for. Olympus currently has the MJU 300 digital and the MJU 400 digital, with the main difference being, of course, the extra megapixel. I am reviewing the Olympus MJU 300 digital.

~~~DESIGN~~~

The first point to note is the stylish appearance of the camera, when handled it has a sturdy metallic feel about the body but despite the solid feel it is still a light camera. It also has a very compact design; ... more

The MJU range from Olympus is a series of stylish ultra-compact film cameras which has been so hugely successful that they have launched the same line in a digital range to give the user all the advantages of the MJU cameras but with digital capabilities rather than film. The film v digital debate is something I could talk about for hours but I won’t, at the end of the day it’s down to what you personally prefer and for what you need. With so much overlap nowadays e.g. the option to have your photos put on a CD ROM if you have a film developed and also the option to get print outs of your digital images it really is a matter of personal preference on what type of camera you go for. Olympus currently has the MJU 300 digital and the MJU 400 digital, with the main difference being, of course, the extra megapixel. I am reviewing the Olympus MJU 300 digital.

~~~DESIGN~~~

The first point to note is the stylish appearance of the camera, when handled it has a sturdy metallic feel about the body but despite the solid feel it is still a light camera. It also has a very compact design; it’s a lot smaller than similar digital cameras and has a nice shape to it. The overall appearance is very high quality, the lens cover slides across with a reassuringly robust feel about it, the lens comes out quickly and within about 2 seconds the camera is ready to be used, fortunately the camera body doesn’t mark easily either so if it’s likely to get knocked about a bit there’s no need to worry. Turning the camera over you see the control panel on the back along with the screen, the controls are so simple, I’d go as far as saying they’re fool-proof. It also ensures that the camera has an uncluttered appearance. The top of the camera has only one button on it; the shutter release button, which ensures that the process of taking photos is as simple as it possibly can be.

It is also a big advantage that the camera has a weatherproof body, as I mentioned before it doesn’t mark easily but there are specially designed seals which surround the buttons and covers of the camera internally to ensure it is protected from the elements. Ultra-durable rubber materials are used to protect the components of the camera from any form of weathering damage. I can vouch for the fact that the camera operates perfectly, even in the rain and it doesn’t seem to have had any adverse effect on the camera; however they don’t recommend that you drop the camera into water or take pictures underwater with the camera because the weatherproofing isn’t designed to withstand total immersion. Inside the contoured metal body is a plastic inner providing double-chassis protection and therefore greater durability. With some cheaper cameras that have been waterproofed you often find that because they are so tightly sealed against the elements these is a lot of air pressure between the moving components and zoom lenses especially, are prone to buckling due to inadequate airflow control. This is where the design of the Olympus MJU 300 comes out on top. The design of their camera ensures that airflow is controlled and a smooth zooming action is achieved this is likely to extend the life of the camera considerably because there won’t be such pressure on the internal components of the camera.

I love the design of the camera, aesthetically it scores very highly but I do have one tiny niggle with the layout and this is that when you are using the camera menus it is easy to accidentally push the lens cover while you’re holding the camera. This causes the camera to change from record mode to playback mode so you then get cut off from the menu you were trying to access. This isn’t a problem I’ve repeated often though. It’s irritating doing it once so you soon get used to holding the camera without pushing the lens cover in order to prevent this from happening.

~~~FEATURES AND OPERATION~~~

The technical features of the camera are as follows:

• Image resolution: 2048x1536
• Megapixels: 3.2
• LCD monitor (inches): 1.5"
• Digital zoom: 1x-4x
• Focal length: 5.8-17.4 mm
• 35mm Equivilent: 35-105 mm
• Auto focus: Yes
• Manual focus: No
• Movie recording
• USB, Video-out and power-in connections
• Exposure Modes: Programmed AE, Scene Programs
• Metering: Digital ESP metering, Spot metering
• Shutter speeds (seconds): 1/2-1/1000s
• Maximum Aperture: f3.1-f5.2
• Flash modes: Auto, Red-eye reduction, Fill-in, Flash Off
• Video capture: Yes
• Memory card type: xD-Picture Card
• Supplied card: 16MB
• Dimensions (H x W x D) in mm: 99x56x33.5
• Colour: Silver
• Accessories included: Strap, 16 MB xD-Picture Card, USB cable, video cable, one lithium-ion rechargeable battery (Li-10B), battery charger, AC cable for charger, Remote controller

The menu system is simple and straightforward to use, some manufacturers seem to design their cameras so that the user has to spend hours religiously consulting the manual just to figure out how the thing works, thankfully Olympus are far more practical and you can get started taking photos almost straight away without trying to learn what every one of about a thousand buttons does as you do with some cameras. It is easy to change your desired settings too, you simply press the key corresponding to your chosen option and the camera reacts almost instantly to achieve your desired settings. There’s also a handy quick preview function which you activate by pressing the playback button twice in quick succession, alternatively you can switch to using playback mode by simply sliding the lens cover open a little.

When you are in picture-taking mode relatively little information is displayed on the screen which is good because unnecessary information only serves to complicate matters. The mode you are in is displayed as well as the number of shots you have remaining and a useful indicator which displays whether you have achieved a good focus lock.This particular camera doesn’t have a histogram facility when you’re in playback mode as many other compact digital cameras do, however it isn’t something I ever use anyway so I don’t miss having it but it’s worth noting anyway.

Upon pressing the menu button a number of options are displayed. You can change the image quality setting, exposure or mode. In the mode menu you can choose your desired mode or format the card, for example you can choose whether the camera remembers the settings you last used when you used the camera, there are also other options to change pixel mapping and LCD brightness settings.There are seven modes on this camera, firstly the Program Auto mode, which is the camera’s default mode and a further six modes; Portrait, Landscape and Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Self Portrait and Movie. Movies can be filmed for up to 70 seconds (depending on what mode you’re in) but they don’t include sound.

The speed of the camera when used in its normal shooting mode is impressive. Focussing speed is especially impressive and of course this is vital to the optimum operation of any digital camera. It only takes a couple of seconds to lock on and the length of time between shots is minimal. It only takes about a second for the camera to prepare to write the last shot to the memory card and then it’s ready to take another photo. However as this is an autofocus camera you have to wait for the focus to lock again but this isn’t really a problem the overall performance speed is exceptionally good.

There’s even a mode for sequential shots so you don’t have to wait for it to focus again every time.
The camera comes with one rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack and a special charger. I use the LCD screen a lot but I’ve found that I get a lot of time from the batter. At least about 150-200 shots perhaps more. Of course the less you use the LCD screen the longer the battery will last between each recharging session because it is this which consumes most of the power, but I use my LCD a lot and I’m really impressed with the battery power.

The viewfinder is similar to any camera it’s fairly simple but many users will probably prefer to use the LCD to get the subject of the photo in shot. Personally I do the latter because I find it easier, thought the viewfinder is just as accurate. The LCD has a strong metal surrounding with a scratch resistant plastic surface and gives an impressive output. Like most digital cameras there is a slight delay however, and when moved quickly or used to take a fast moving subject there is a slight ghosting effect but it is perfect on stationary or slow moving objects.

~~~IMAGE QUALITY~~~

When people think of the ultra-compact models of digital camera they often think that they must compromise on quality in order to make them so small but I’d like to reassure anyone who may have this doubt that this simply isn’t the case with the Olympus MJU 300. Of course the number of setting is more restricted than with some digital cameras so you mainly have to reliant on the default settings to be good enough for normal usage. Colours are accurate and images are sharp, I can’t sing its praises high enough; in all situations that I’ve used the camera in (and I’ve tested it out in all of the modes) I’ve found the results to be especially impressive.

I’ve also had prints made of photos taken this camera and I can’t find fault with any of them, the results are as good as the image you see on the LCD screen.

~~~CONCLUSION~~~

A very impressive camera; the Olympus MJU not only looks stylish, it is also simple to use and yet doesn’t compromise on image quality.

In summary this is what I think about the camera:

Good points:

• Stylish weatherproof exterior body
• Simple to use
• Accurate images both as digital images and as prints
• Good battery life
• Reasonable price (mine cost £250 but you may be able to find it cheaper)

Bad points:

• Lack of manual modes may deter enthusiasts
• Accidentally pushing lens cover changes mode (though this is mainly my cack-handedness!)

The camera is enjoyable to use and gives excellent results. The settings are enough to satisfy most people’s needs but some enthusiasts may fell limited by the options available. An all-round excellent camera that comes highly recommended.
 

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