The Stylus 1200's ergonomics are great as it has not changed from the previous models. Its sturdy metal body has a gentle wedge shape, making the camera extremely comfortable for one-handed use. Controls are well placed and functional, allowing your thumb to fall over them naturally. A simple mode dial lets you switch between still shots, scene modes, the Guide, Movie mode, playback and favorites which can all be controlled by your thumb. The FUNCtion button allows you to quickly change settings for Auto or Program, White balance, ISO sensitivity, Drive mode etc., without having to enter the camera menu. The upgraded 2.7" HyperCrystal LCD is very bright and easy to see in most lighting conditions, but because of its reflective surface, bright sunlight and fingerprints can be a noticeable problem.

Shooting performance was not as good as on previous Stylus models. It took a long time to start up and capture its first image in 3.2 seconds. When the camera is focused, the shutter lag is 1/10 of a second, but took 7/10 to 9/10 of a second when the camera had to focus before taking the picture. In normal shooting mode, the camera captured an image on average of one every 3.1 seconds without and one every 4-5 seconds with the flash. There is only one available continuous shooting mode, High Speed Continuous. When using this mode, the camera shoots in SQ1 (2048 x 1536), and was able to capture 24 images in just 3.5 seconds. The camera briefly displays each image, making it a little difficult to follow a moving object since there is no optical viewfinder. Our tests were done using an Olympus H 1GB xD-picture card, SHQ quality, flash off, and all other settings at default (unless otherwise noted.) Times may vary depending on lighting conditions, camera settings, media, etc.

Overall, the image quality of the 12-megapixel imaging sensor, was good when shooting in SHQ mode. Outdoors or when used in very well lit conditions the camera produced images that were very well exposed and had excellent color. When using the digital image stabilization mode, the ISO increase is noticeable in most cases due to the increase in the amount of noise in the photograph. This is a very nice option to have for shooting moving objects when you are indoors and too far away from your subject to use the flash, however I would not recommend using it all the time. The 3x zoom covers and equivalent rage of 35 - 105mm, and on the wide end of the zoom range I noticed some barrel distortion and chromatic aberrations (purple fringing) throughout in high contrast areas. Our indoor portrait shots were also very pleasing. The camera produced good color and accurate skin tones. While shooting indoors, you will need to keep within the range of flash. Olympus does not have a flash range listed, but I found that it worked best shooting within 10ft, depending on the zoom position (the range will be longer when using the wide angle of the lens).

Image quality of the 1200's video mode is good in very well lit situations, but gets grainy if you are shooting in even the slightest of dim lighting conditions, especially when using the digital image stabilization. This is a very useful feature if you do not have a tripod, as it does a great job steadying the video even with using the full telephoto zoom. The movies can be captured with audio at any of the 3 resolutions of 640x480 , 320x240 or 160x120 at 30 fps for SHQ/HQ modes and 15 fps for SQ mode.

The Stylus 1200 is powered by a 3.7v 740mAh LI-42B rechargeable lithium battery, which is charged by the included LI-40C charger. Because it charges the battery out of the camera, it's easy to charge a second battery so you always have a fully charged one ready. You can't power the camera with any other battery type so we strongly recommend the purchase of a second battery. Olympus does not specify the battery life, but our testing revealed it to be quite good. I was able to capture a large majority of our sample images (approx 100 pictures and 3 short movies) and conducted our other tests without having to recharge the battery. Exactly how many pictures you can capture is going to vary depending on how many are taken with flash, how often the lens is zoomed in or out and how frequently you review images. Lithium cells hold a charge much longer than NiMH type batteries when sitting idle and can be "topped off" whenever desired without shortening their life span.

Bottom line - The Olympus Stylus 1200 is another great addition to the Stylus line. The performance was a little slower than on previous models, but the image quality has not suffered and neither has the ease of use of the camera. This is a good deal when you consider the MSRP of US$350 or less. If you like the features of this camera and don't mind having less than a 12-megapixel imaging sensor or you would like to have a little more zoom capabilities, check one of the other Stylus models with slightly different features and prices (like the 8-megapixel, 5x zoom Stylus 830).