Olympus Stylus 400

[Guest DG795]

Olympus is marketing their Stylus 400 Camera as water resistant, dust resistant, and all around weather resistant. has anyone ever used this camera? does it live up to its avertised durability? If so, I think this camera would be excellent for the often wet and dusty environment of a fire scene...any thoughts?

[x635 4,066]

I was curious myself about this product. It's nice and small too.

[EMTbravo 312]

From PC Magazine. Saw it in Best Buy the other day, It's actually quite similar to my Canon Digital Elph, which is very study and I love.

The Olympus Stylus 400 ($499 list) is an elegantly styled, beautifully crafted 4-megapixel digital camera designed to be used in any weather. Although it comes with only a basic set of features, its outstanding ergonomics and very good image quality will appeal to users who want a camera that looks as good as the photos it takes.

While the Stylus 400 is not truly waterproof (don't even think about immersing it!) and the 3x zoom lens is unprotected when extended, the camera's ports, compartments, and sliding lens cover are lined with rubber seals that effectively keep out rain and moisture. The handsome, all-metal body is compact and weighs only 7 ounces; it slips easily into a shirt pocket.

 

 

Point-and-shooters will be happy to find only a handful of buttons, all conveniently positioned for easy one-handed use. Most are identified by icons rather than words, which can be confusing at first—especially since there are two separate menu buttons, each of which activates different functions.  

The camera offers six resolutions (ranging from 640-by-480 to 2,272-by-1,704) and three compression levels. It can capture brief 15-fps QuickTime movies at 320-by-240 or 160-by-120 but has no audio-recording capability.

Since it's a fully automatic point-and-shoot model, the Stylus 400 has no manual white balance or exposure settings. But it does have exposure compensation, four white-balance presets, four flash modes, and five scene modes. Its only special effects are panorama, black and white, and sepia tone.  

Shooting is simple and trouble-free. Boot-up takes about 3 seconds, and the recycle time between shots is 3 to 5 seconds (depending on whether the flash and LCD viewfinder are activated). Our simulated daylight test shot was excellent, displaying accurate colors, sharp focus, and a wide dynamic range. Our flash test shot was overexposed but acceptable, with decent colors.

The Stylus ships with Olympus's Camedia software, a battery, a recharger, and a 16MB xD-Picture Card memory card. Sophisticated photographers will be frustrated by the lack of features and manual control, but those looking for simplicity will like the Stylus 400's great looks and very good image quality.