Model Design / Appearance (6.0)
The Stylus 800’s design seems to focus more effort on its weatherproof features rather than styling or handling. The camera is heavy and dense with a bulky feel. Durability definitely wins out over style on the Stylus 800. The body is relatively solid, although the polycarbonate shell seems susceptible to denting and breakage, unlike a fully metal frame. There is a strip of aluminum that surrounds the camera, but on closer inspection its sole purpose is aesthetic, as the seam between the front and back halves of the camera fall on the back edge of the strip, not underneath it. The Stylus 800’s design aims to attract a utilitarian following rather than style-seekers, as its rounded rectangular form is clumsy and awkward looking. There are two ergonomic features built into the camera’s body: a depressed thumb divot on the zoom toggle and the raised metal strip on the camera’s face. However for users with the large hands the features are undersized and somewhat irrelevant. For users with smaller hands, though, the ergonomic features will be appreciated and lend themselves to comfortable one-handed operation.
Size / Portability (6.0)
The Stylus 800 has a rounded rectangular form that resembles some of HP’s digital cameras, but the bulky Olympus model is slightly more compact. The Stylus 800 measures 1.3 inches thick; it will fit into a pocket, but it will feel cramped if you’re not wearing baggy pants. The raised bar on the front of the camera is smooth enough so that it won’t snag clothes. The 4.1 x 2.3 x 1.3-inch Stylus 800 weighs 6.4 ounces without the battery and card. The camera has a wrist strap eyelet sunk into the upper left side and an included strap to aid in handling and portability. In terms of form, consumers should expect a bulky camera with quite a bit of heft in the Stylus 800. The screen protrudes out of the back, concentrating much of the mass towards the back side of the design and creating a somewhat unbalanced feel. With the bulk and awkward shape, the Stylus 800 is probably better suited for wrist strap transport rather than a pocket.
Handling Ability (7.0)
The design of the Stylus 800 incorporates ergonomic features such as the raised finger rest on the camera’s face and the thumb divot on the zoom toggle. However, these features are somewhat undersized and are of little use to users with larger hands. The camera has a smooth surface with rounded edges which can cause the camera to slip out of the user’s grasp. The unbalanced feel of the camera, due to the concentration of weight in the back, can make one-handed operation somewhat awkward. In light of the lack of grip and relative bulk of the Stylus 800, the short, long design allows the camera to nestle into the user’s palm easily, but again, users with large hands need not apply.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (5.5)
The Stylus 800’s control buttons appear undersized and rather awkward, especially when juxtaposed against the large 2.5-inch LCD screen. While the buttons to the left of the screen are easily accessible and well spaced, the buttons to the right of the screen are cramped and tiny. The navigation dial is particularly undersized and restrictive; often resulting in the accidental depression of multiple buttons at once. The circular dial is formed of a single continuous piece of plastic lacking boundaries or distinctions between directions, and this can often cause issues when trying to make selections by feel. The mode dial is peculiarly located above the navigation dial, rather than at the more traditional placement on top of the camera. While this configuration is largely in place to expedite mode shifts, shooting mode alterations are probably the least time-sensitive adjustment photographers will have to make. Although users will be able to alter the mode while keeping a hand on the zoom toggle control, it might have been more logical to place essential exposure and image settings in that space.
The physical configuration of the dial is appealing; the mode dial does click firmly into place when switching modes, allowing users, once familiar with the order, to change modes without looking at the dial. All of the buttons on the Stylus 800 are clearly labeled with words or icons that illustrate their purpose.
Menu (6.0)
Menus on the Stylus 800 are accessed via the OK/Menu button in the center of the navigation dial. The menus appear as an overlay superimposed over the real time view. This is a significant advantage for the camera’s target audience, helping those less familiar with the various settings perceive potential alterations prior to making the actual selection.
When selecting options, the camera highlights the settings with a background color, which users can customize to be normal (orange), blue, green, or pink. The options contained within the menus are expressed with icons, abbreviations, or the full title of the option. The Stylus 800 offers live views for the exposure compensation, white balance, ISO, and photometry (metering).
Menu options differ depending on whether the camera is in one of the shooting modes or in playback or album mode. When in one of the shooting modes, the menu button yields the following options: exposure compensation, white balance, image quality options, and the mode menu. The mode menu option branches off with a long list of further options separated into three submenus: camera, card, and setup.
The camera menu lists the options that control image capture: metering mode, drive (burst mode), ISO, digital zoom, auto focus mode, audio recording, panorama mode, and 2 in 1 mode, which allows the image to be split to combine two exposures into one image. When the movie mode is selected, the camera menu lists only the metering mode and digital zoom.
The Card menu lists the options to erase or back up the stored information.
The setup menu branches off with a long list of options to adapt the camera to the user’s personal preferences: video out format, alarm clock, dual time setup, date and time settings, LCD screen brightness, pixel mapping (see the Connectivity / Extras section), file naming options, viewing options, shutter sound, volume, menu color, startup screen, language, and power on setting reset.
The playback menu is accessible by rotating the mode dial or by pressing the QUICK VIEW button. The following options are available: image lock, album entry, mode menu, and slide show. The mode menu has several submenus: play, edit, card, and setup. The play menu allows the user to rotate images, print them, or add sound. The edit menu allows users to change picture to black and white or sepia, fix red-eye, and resize images. The card menu allows users to format an xD card, erase all images, or back them up. The setup menu allows users to change the same settings as in capture mode, with the addition of selecting how many pictures are displayed in thumbnail view.
Aside from flash and macro controls, which are located on the navigation dial, and delete, which is located to the left of the screen, users must use the menus to control most of the features available on the Stylus 800. The small size of the buttons makes navigating the menus difficult at times and can lead to inaccurate selections. Additionally, the menu options are inconsistent with what steps are required to activate them. Some options simply require the right arrow to be pressed, while others require the right arrow followed by the OK/Menu button. This is more convoluted than is necessary and complicates the simple interface.
Ease of Use (6.0)
The degree of complication in the Stylus 800 depends on what you are doing with the camera. Using the camera as a point-and-shoot is a simple operation that is aided by the shortcut buttons located to the left of the LCD screen. However, when users try to utilize some of the camera’s more advanced features, the ease of use is impaired by overly complex menus that lack adequate titling for many of the features. Additionally, the small buttons and inconsistent confirmation procedures often lead to incorrect selections and frustration.
The Stylus 800 is a feature-laden camera with several advanced options, including shutter and aperture priority modes, and some intricate technologies. Olympus acknowledges that the Stylus 800 is for less advanced photographers but does not provide an adequate manual. Instead, the camera is shipped with a flimsy Basic Manual, which contains scant information about the camera, along with an advanced PDF manual on CD-ROM. The advanced manual is difficult to navigate and hardly user friendly; also as it is on a CD-ROM, users must become dependant on a computer when trying to understand their camera. Olympus has attempted to provide an on-the-go manual through the camera’s built-in guide, accessible via the guide button to the left of the LCD screen, which does help alleviate confusion at times, but the guide only touches on a few basic techniques and is of little use to people other than very literal beginners.
Transferring images to the computer is relatively simple, as Olympus’ software automatically loads when the camera is connected via a USB cable. Recharging the battery, though, is a more complicated affair and requires the user to remove the battery from the camera and use the supplied charger, unless they purchase the optional AC adapter.
