| Likes |
|
- Aperture and shutter priority control
- Nice LCD screen
- Reasonable control of noise (in auto ISO)
- Fast burst mode
- Panorama shooting
- Splash-proof design
- Bright, large LCD screen
- Expandable controls
|
| Dislikes |
- Menus
- Images were a bit soft
- Exposure values set by the camera were off slightly when in less favorable lighting
- Forced tradeoff for most impressive features (full burst and increased sensitivity)
- Weight and unbalanced feel
- Unattractive look
- Auto focus isn’t responsive at times
- Short battery life |
Conclusion
The Olympus Stylus 800 is a decent camera, albeit at a serious price. While the expense brings an 8 megapixel sensor, a host of features, and some intriguing technology, the camera’s looks and awkward feel are significant drawbacks. And the intriguing technology comes at a price. The camera’s 8 megapixel potential resolution (which is likely responsible for a bulk of the cost) is not available when users wish to utilize the impressive 4 fps high speed burst mode or increased low light capabilities. Rather, users will have to switch down to a resolution setting that is less than 50% of the camera’s maximum potential, producing images that are only fit for 4 x 6-inch prints.
With 22 preset modes, the camera is best suited for the automatically-reliant crowd, but it does include a reasonable degree of manual control as well, such as aperture and shutter priority settings. The large, bright 2.5-inch LCD screen handles bright situations well and compensates for the lack of an optical viewfinder. The camera is weatherproofed with rubber seals, although not quite as durable as a whole as some other rugged point-and-shoot models. During testing, the camera also consumed batteries at a remarkable rate, and with no included AC adapter, users may find themselves waiting a while as the batteries juice up.
During testing, the camera controlled noise reasonably well in automatic mode, a definite advantage for snapshooters; however, the images will be a bit soft and colors will stray from their natural hue. This should not disappoint the target audience, as novice users looking for a camera to grow into won’t be disappointed, but those who often shoot rapidly moving subjects and would like a manual shooting mode will find the slow auto focus and lack of control a serious drawback.
