Auto Mode (7.0)
Auto mode will run the ship on the Stylus 410. As this is a point-and-shoot camera, there is a constant need for automatic alterations. The Stylus 410’s automatic controls are sufficient as the camera provides instantaneous adjustments to focus, ISO, exposure and white balance. These essential camera controls are handled by the 410 and will accommodate any level user.

Drive / Burst Mode (4.0)
In addition to regular shooting mode the Olympus Stylus 410 offers a continuous shooting mode. Inside the camera’s mode menu the user has the option to go under the Drive heading. The icon with the multiple stacked boxes indicated continuous shooting mode. This mode takes images at 2 frames per second (in HQ) and captures about 4 images in succession when the shutter button is held down. This is not a tremendously impressive shooting rate, but I would be surprised if the average point-and-shooter would need more.

Playback Mode (6.5)
The Playback mode on the Olympus Stylus 410 Digital offers Index / Thumbnail display and 4x image enlargement, accessed by pressing the Zoom / Thumbnail buttons. By pressing the OK button, the following four options are available: slideshow viewing (by pressing the up button), image information (left arrow), Erase (down button) and Mode menu (right arrow).

The Mode menu is divided into four tabs: Play, Edit, Card, and Set. The Play tab gives you the option to protect images (keeping them from being accidentally erased), rotate images, and select and arrange direct print order. The Edit tab allows the user to resize images, or change them to black-and-white or sepia tone. The Card tab gives the option of reformatting the card, but should only be done if you want to get rid of all the images. The Set tab offers the following settings: all reset (which gives you the options of saving your settings after the camera has been shut off), menu languages, PW on Setup (which gives you the opportunity to change the picture and sound that accompanies the camera start-up), color (which changes the color of the menu), volume (high, low, and off), beep (a warning or button operation, which you can turn on low, high, and off), LCD screen bright/darkness, camera date/time, video out (NTSC or PAL, for viewing images on a TV screen) thumbnail display (which lets you choose between 4, 9, and 16 displayed images).

When the Olympus Stylus 410 Digital is in Movie mode, the menu allows the user to select how to view their movie. “Playback” will show the entire movie again, while “frame-by-frame” lets you maneuver manually through the film, shot by shot. Also, by selecting “index” in the menu, you can create a nine-frame index that allows a user to view the movie quickly without having to watch the entire thing.

Movie Mode (5.0)
The movie mode on the Olympus Stylus 410 Digital is accessed through the program mode section of the menu and offers 2 shooting sizes: SQ (160 x 120) at 15 fps and HQ (320 x 240) also at 15 fps. To ensure the movie is recorded in focus the user can press the shutter button down halfway until the green light on the back of the camera lights up indicating focus and white balance lock. Once this is indicated the shutter button can be pressed down all the way to begin recording. This is a feature that you don’t see in all digital cameras and proves to be very helpful.

Custom Image Presets (7.0)
The extensive preset shooting options on the Olympus Stylus 410 offer a variety of situation-specific modes. By pressing the up-arrow while in Shooting mode, the user can view the different modes, which appear in a circular menu rotated by the right and left arrows. The default mode, and the most comprehensive, is Program mode (or Auto mode). This is going to give you the best results for the widest variety of conditions.

In addition to Program mode, the Olympus Stylus 410 Digital offers a long list of modes, appropriately titled so as to not confuse the user. The following modes are available: Portrait mode (good for capturing skin tones in single-person shots), Portrait + Landscape (suited for vacation-type shots with people posed in front of landscapes), Landscape (made for distant scenes, using a large depth of field), Night Scene (best for subject illuminated after dark, such as buildings or Christmas lights), Indoor (the flash is set to reach farther), Beach & Snow (appropriate for situations with a lot of white coverage, like the suggested beach and winter scenes), Cuisine (suited for close-up pictures of food), and, finally, Self-Portrait (so you and your friends can hold the camera out and take pictures of half of your faces and the sky behind you!).