Olympus Stylus 500 Digital Camera Review

 
Connectivity
Software (7.5)
The Stylus 500 comes with version 1.1 of the Olympus Master Software, which takes about five minutes to load onto a personal computer. There are a few catches though. Don't throw away the packaging to the CD-ROM because a serial number printed on it is needed to upload the software. Once you've bypassed this obstacle, there will be a few pop-ups that ask you to register your digital camera. You can opt to register later. Once the software is loaded, a main menu appears with randomly placed icons and the following options: Transfer Images, Online Print, Print Images at Home, Browse Images, Create and Share, Backup Images, and Upgrade. To edit pictures, users must first browse. There are two browser views, one in a calendar format and the other in the traditional thumbnails with a larger preview screen. Photos can be transferred from the camera or computer files and memory cards. Across the top bar of the program, the following items are available: Browse, Properties, Rotate, Find, Edit, Raw, Print Menu, Email, Transfer, Online Print, and Share Online.

The included Olympus Master Software provides more editing options than the average program that comes with a compact digital camera. Images can be cropped and rotated, of course. There is also the popular instant red-eye fix function. This program even has a color balance setting that allows users to tweak individual red, green, and blue colors. All of these editing options have a preview available, so you don't have to worry about permanently tarnishing the image. However, if you do happen to render an unwelcome change, there is an Undo button that allows you to step back again and again. This proves to be a very useful feature. Editing options extend beyond the basics with the following features in the Filter menu: Brightness/ Contrast, Tone Curve, Gamma, Hue/ Saturation, Monochrome, Sepia, Sharpness, Blue, and Distortion. Overall, the Olympus Master Software is easy to use (it even has a Help menu if you happen to get lost) and offers plenty of editing functions.

Jacks, Ports, Plugs (7.0)
The Stylus 500 supports all the same external cables that most cameras support: USB, A/V out, and DC in. The USB and A/V out cables share the same jack, but it's not like you'll ever have them hooked up at the same time. The two jacks can be found beneath a plastic port door on the right side of the camera body. The door has a notch at the bottom right corner, supposedly for easy opening. However, my first instinct was to pry it upward, when I found later it should be pried outward - it's awkward.

Direct Print Options (6.0)
The Olympus Stylus 500 does not have a designated Print button like many compact cameras coming out these days. However, it is PictBridge compatible and can print from the playback menu. When shot at the finest resolution, this camera should be able to produce quality 11 x 14-inch prints.

Battery (6.0)
The Olympus Stylus 500 comes with a thin Li-ion rechargeable battery L1-12B and a charger for it. The charger is not a wall mount, but must be connected with a cord to the outlet (so there are actually two separate parts to it). When the battery is charging, the device gets extremely hot - so don’t leave it unattended!

Memory (4.5)
The Olympus Stylus 500 missed the popular point-and-shoot feature of the year, internal memory. However, it does come with a 32MB xD-Picture Card. And while photographers may miss the convenience of never having to look for a card, 32MB is a nice chunk of memory to be included. Most compact models include up to 16MB cards; very few offer 32MB. Thankfully, the Stylus 500 is one of the few. The camera is compatible with xD-Picture Cards up to 512MB. While it can accept any brand of xD card, the Olympus brand is recommended (of course). The Panorama mode that stitches ten pictures together only works with the Olympus-branded memory card. When the camera shoots at its finest SHQ setting, the card can save 8 shots. The camera's standard image size is a compressed 5-megapixel image size setting; when shooting at this size, photographers will have enough space for 26 pictures.

Other Features (6.0)
Panorama Stitch Assist - The Panorama mode can be selected in the recording menu from just about any mode. When it is selected, blue grid lines appear on the LCD screen so users can easily line up subjects. With the included Olympus-brand xD-Picture Card and the included Olympus Master Software, panoramas can be stitched together with up to 10 frames. It takes a few minutes to figure out where the automatic stitch button is in the software, but once you find it, your panorama stitches together quickly and automatically.

2 in 1 Mode - This mode seems a bit ridiculous, but can be entertaining I guess. Users can take two images in succession and save them as one image file. Perhaps this would be good for making postcards to send to the grandparents or something, but I assume most interested users would likely do most of this play on Photoshop or a similar software application. I don't see much advantage for including it on the camera itself.

Self-Timer - The Stylus 500 has a common self-timer option available, with two selectable settings. When activated from the four-way dial, it can be set to take a picture 2 or 12 seconds after pressing the shutter release button.