Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

May 25, 2005 - By Emily Raymond
The Olympus Stylus 500, also known as the µ Digital 500 in Europe, comes to the market with a 5-megapixel 1/2.5-inch CCD and a TruePic Turbo image processor. This digital camera is very much built for the point-and-shoot audience with minimal manual control and 21 automatic shooting modes. Like the rest of Olympus' Stylus line, the 500 is weather-proofed with rubber gaskets and seals within its housing, enabling the camera to endure a few splashes, but it shouldn’t be dunked in a river. The 3.9 x 2.2 x 1.2-inch Stylus 500 has a 3x optical zoom lens that fully retracts into the camera body and is protected by a snapping lens cap. The body design has omitted the optical viewfinder and instead relies solely upon a large 2.5-inch LCD screen. The Stylus 500 ships with a 32MB xD-Picture Card and retails for US $349.99.
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Likes

-Abundance of scene modes
-Nice 2.5-inch LCD
-All-weather body
-Good solid feel
-Fisheye and other picture effects
-Calendar playback function
Dislikes

-Advanced manual available on CD-ROM only
-Non-intuitive album function
-Small buttons
-Weak flash
-Mundane exterior body
-Poor audio in movie mode


Conclusion
The Olympus Stylus 500 enters into the highly-sought area of the digital camera market, offering a 5 megapixel 1/2.5” CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom lens, and 2.5-inch LCD screen. The Stylus 500 may have trouble competing, depending on how flexible its retail price turns out to be. Olympus tagged it at $349.99, which seems incredibly overpriced for limited capabilities. However, over time, retail prices always bend – especially with increased consumer delay.

The Stylus 500 comes with a lengthy list of scene modes that are displayed on a colorful user-friendly menu. While that menu is simple, the camera’s overall ease of use is not much to speak of. There isn’t a designated print button, nor a designated delete button. In fact, the buttons on this model all seem to be slightly undersized and add unnecessary confusion to the user interface. However, the Olympus 500 makes up for it with its large 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD screen and abundance of automatic scene modes. The fixed LCD monitor is large and remains bright and visible under just about any lighting. The camera’s all-weather housing is a standard in the Stylus series, but is still an anomaly for overall compact digital design. The camera’s body may look a bit trite, but don’t let the look deceive you. There are surprisingly unique features inside. The Fisheye picture effect was a favorite to play with, as was the Calendar playback function. The Stylus 500 comes packaged with a rechargeable battery, a 32MB xD-Picture Card, and Olympus Master Software. The camera’s overall lack of manual control may scare away seasoned photographers, but with a drop in price, the camera will attract an audience of point-and-shooters looking for a traditionally functional digital camera.

Overall Impressions Page 11 of 12 Specs
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