2March2010
Olympus Mju 300 Point and Shoot Digital Compact Camera Review
Posted by Rob_Nunn under: reviews.
Watch a Flickr slideshow of shots tagged with “Olympus Mju 300″.
(The photographs below have been processed with Adobe Camera RAW, Photoshop, and the black and whites have been created with Niks Silver Efex Pro.)
You know I like to cover cutting edge technology over here on the robnunnphoto.com blog, so here’s a little beauty I got from our local car boot sale for about fiver a few months ago – the Olympus Mju 300d Digital Compact Camera. It’s from 2004, but it’s small, weather-resistant, takes nice enough photographs, and fits in your pocket.
I’m not going to talk much about specifications in this review, your camera-phone probably has more megapixels, but check out the links at the bottom of the post for the technical stuff. Just look at the photo’s and ask “are they good enough?”.
The Olympus Mju 300d offers an equivalent 35 – 105mm zoom lens, with a variable aperture from f/3.1 to f/5.2, but I’m not really bothered about that. What I’m after is point and shoot functionality, which the Mju 300 has in spades.
Let’s start with the body. It’s got a shiny metal look (even though it’s mostly plastic) with the usual Olympus lens cover that also acts as the on-off switch. I like this. It means that the little camera can sit in your pocket quite safely, it doesn’t need a case, and it’s weather sealed to see off the odd light shower while you’re out shooting.
The Mju 300 Digital uses a li-ion rechargeable battery that has never gone flat while I’ve been out taking photographs. I charge it every couple of weeks, and that seems enough to cover the light use I give it. This camera is always with me when I don’t have my dSLR – in my jacket or trouser pocket, ready to fire into action if a photo opportunity arises.
I always shoot in the default automatic mode, the only time I go into the menus is to format the memory card. What I’m after with this point and shoot, is simple, intuitive photography. It’s refreshing not to have to worry about ISO’s, apertures and shutter speeds. I just let the camera do all the thinking.
The Mju does have a few things that you’ve got to work around. With such a tiny sensor and lens, perspective distortion seems amplified when you’re shooting wide and close to your subject. The viewfinder and led screen are really, really, small – you’ve got to squint to look at either, and worst of all it uses XD memory cards.
My Mju 300 Digital has a 16mb XD card, which’ll hold about 40 photos (!), but it can take up to a 256mb card, so I’ll have to get one off eBay or Amazon soon.
I feel a bit odd writing a review of this great little camera, six years on from its original release. Yes, it’s old tech and the viewfinder is small, but the form factor is great, and if I drop and break it I won’t be heart-broken, after all, it cost me less than the price of a CF mempry card to buy….
In conclusion, if you see an Olympus Mju 300 Digital (sometimes referred to as the Stylus), going cheap, check it works then snap it up – it’s a wicked little camera that will probably take better photographs than your camera phone, you can have it on you all the time, and you won’t worry about using it in difficult situations of if its raining.
Cheers, Rob.
Here’s a review of the Mju 300 at Steve’s Digicams.
30April2009
Canon EOS 350D / Digital Rebel XT First Look Video
Posted by Rob_Nunn under: reviews.
Apologies for the quality and my ineptitude in showing off the camera – but I just had to share this with everybody!
Cheers, Rob.
2January2009
No Light-Meter, No Optical Focusing Aids, Only Three Shutter Speeds, Meet My Beirette PR10MAT Viewfinder Film Camera…
Posted by Rob_Nunn under: reviews.
Two weeks, two new Film Camera’s, but this one’s a bit different (to say the least!)
The Beirette PR10MAT Viewfinder camera offers a F2.9 45mm fixed lens, three shutter speeds and no in-camera metering or optical focusing methods. It is however compact, light and inconspicuous. Did I mention that the body is clad in leather?
I’ve shot a short video so you can have a look at this intriguing little camera from the old GDR – I can’t wait to have a go with it!
2January2009
Say Hello To My Praktica LTL 3 Film SLR
Posted by Rob_Nunn under: reviews.
OK, OK, I’ll admit it. Whenever I go to the car-boot sale these days I’ve got my eye’s peeled for old film cameras, and if the price is right (under a tenner) and it seems to work, I’ll splash the cash!
It’s not even that I shoot lots of film, I’ve still got half a roll left in my Minolta SRT 101, I just like the look and feel, and this year I’m going to get some Black and White Film to see what it’s like to shoot with that.
Anyway, I’ve done a short video showing the LTL 3 to introduce you to my new East German camera.
30July2008
Comparing Digital and Film Photographs (No Editing!)
Posted by Rob_Nunn under: reviews.
So I’ve got my vintage Film SLR, my Minolta SRT 101, and my superb Fujifilm S5700 Digital Bridge / Super-zoom, but what is the real difference?
When I went for a short walk around Fort Brockhurst the other morning, I took several shots that were similar (but not identical) with both cameras, so here they are, unedited, for you to decide.
