Olympus Stylus 300 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Title : Olympus Stylus 300 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom
Author : Olympus
Release Date : 20030108
Binding : Electronics
Regular Price : $499.95
Amazon.com Price : $ ( %)
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Editorial Reviews :
The Olympus Stylus 300 is perhaps the best go-anywhere point-and-shoot digital camera, thanks to its all-metal, weatherproof exterior. Easy on the eyes and comfortable in the hand, the Stylus 300 can also withstand water splashes, driving rain, and windy snowstorms. And though it's not waterproof, you can add the optional PT-016 underwater case for diving photos down to 130 feet underwater.
While not as Elph-in as some other compact digital cameras, the Stylus 300 is easily pocketable for on-the-go photo fun, from sightseeing to impromptu get-togethers. It’s also very quick to respond on start-up. Just slide open the clam-shell cover, and the Stylus 300 is ready to snap pics in about 3 seconds.

The Stylus 300 is made for automatic point-and-shoot possibilities, and the camera offers some basic scene modes (landscape, night, portrait, and self-portrait) and white balance settings (daylight, overcast, tungsten, and fluorescent). The menu system accessed through the 1.5-inch LCD continues the Olympus tradition of a well-mapped out software system.

We were quite happy with the exterior, providing a lot of area from the right side of the camera to the lens, which helped to eliminate fingers getting in the way of the lens. Additionally, the shutter button at the top of the camera was nicely sizeable for our chunky fingers. We were a bit disappointed, though, with the size and slipperiness of the function buttons on the back of the Stylus--the all-metal exterior was just too smooth and the buttons not rubbery enough.

With the 3.2-megapixel resolution, you’ll be able to capture enough image detail to print out decent 11 x 14 print enlargements. But the best thing about more pixels is the amount of stored pixel information, which enabled us to play around and crop images on our PC without losing much clarity or sharpness. At the highest quality setting, you’ll get 2048 x 1536 pixel images, but you can also step down to lower pixel ranges--from 1600 x 1200 to 640 x 480.

You can also record small QuickTime videos, though we found the movie mode to be fairly basic compared to some of the other new releases of 2003. Since there’s no built-in microphone, your movies will be silent, and you can’t utilize the zoom while filming. Choose between 320 x 240 for 16 seconds and 160 x 120 for 70 seconds.

If you’re looking for pure point-and-shoot pleasure, the Stylus 300 is the camera for you. It’s nicely automated and ready to snap pics in a flash. We were also quite happy with the battery life, though you might want to invest in an additional battery (model LI-10B) as well as a higher-capacity XD card for safety's sake. --Agen G.N. Schmitz

Buyer Reviews :
First, the bad: indoor, no flash pictures are poor. We took about 60 pictures this weekend for my brother's graduation, about half inside with no flash, and only 4 of them came out okay. Even the 'good' ones weren't particularly sharp when I reduced them to 800x600. We mostly took pictures of people; any movement on the part of the subject or the camera made the picture very blurry. Guess it's using a slow shutter speed to compensate for the low light, though I'm surprised that it's as bad as it is! Though, this is the only digital camera that I've used, so it might just be that I had high expectations

Besides indoor no flash shots, this camera is great. It's pretty. It has some weight to it which makes it feel more solid. It's small---it easily slips into a jeans or shirt pocket. The lithium battery that comes with the battery is great---it lasts forever. The camera comes with a charger. I used the camera off and on over the weekend (~60 pictures) and didn't run out of battery. Outdoor shots are sharp and the colors are good. The memory is pretty speedy. I transferred over 100 meg worth of pictures in just a few minutes. Oh, and since the battery is so good, you don't need to worry about buying one of those special download hookups. Just plug the USB cable into the camera and start downloading!

One thing that I particularly love (being the computer geek that I am) is that I can mount the camera as a USB drive under linux, no special software needed. I just 'mount -t vfat /dev/sda1 /mnt/usb' and copy the files over. No hassling with Windows!

In summary, if you don't mind using the flash for indoor pictures, this is a great little camera, well worth the money.

(by Jason Rennie)

Features/Technical Specs :
* First digital camera with all-weather reliability --shoot digital images under almost any weather condition
* 3.2 megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality 8 x 10 prints and medium-quality prints up to 11 x 14
* 3x optical plus 4x digital (12x total) zoom lens with autofocus
* Included 16 MB XD memory card holds 20 images at 2048 x 1536 HQ setting
* Rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery included; connects with Macs and PCs via USB port

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