Since the body of the 820 has not changed from the 810, it has the same durable build and very comfortable feel. Thanks to the well placed controls and ergonomic design, one-handed shooting was a breeze. The menus are easy to navigate and the one touch buttons on the back are very convenient allowing you to adjust flash, macro focus and metering with just one touch.

One of the two big upgrades for the 820 is the new larger 2.7 inch "HyperCrystal" LCD screen, which is more than adequate in any shooting situation. Outside on a bright day, you will get a little glare or reflection because of the shiny screen surface, and indoors it will gain up in low light situations to make framing your shot easier. The screen is still very prone to fingerprints but is easy to clean, as are the previous models. This model is water-resistant, meaning it can be used in the rain or get splashed by the pool, but it can not be submerged in water.

Shooting performance was very similar to what we saw with the 810, only a little slower on the single shot delay, and making up for that with the time it took from start up to the first picture taken. From power up to first image captured measured approx. 2.4 seconds, this includes the time it takes to extend the lens and boot up. Shutter lag was 1/10 of a second when pre-focused and 6/10 of a second including autofocus. Using single exposure mode, the shot to shot delay averaged about 3.5 seconds without the use of the flash and about 3.8 seconds with the flash, depending on subject distance and battery power. The Stylus 820 offers a High-Speed Continuous mode. When using this mode, the image size is reduced to SQ1 (2048x1536). I was able to capture 11 frames in only 1.4 seconds. At this point the buffer filled and the camera took several seconds to save and clear it. Our tests were done using a standard (not High Speed) Olympus 512MB xD-picture card, SHQ quality, preview off, flash off, and all other settings at default (unless otherwise noted.) Times may vary depending on lighting conditions, camera settings, media, etc.

The overall image quality produced by the Stylus 820 is good for this level camera. It produced images that were sharp, well exposed, and had very vivid color. The new 5x telephoto lens was a welcome addition. I did see slight chromatic aberrations (purple fringing) and on the wide angle end there is some barrel distortion. When using low ISO settings (200 or less) there is very little, if any, noticeable noise in the images. The built in Digital Image Stabilization is a very useful tool on this camera. Automatically setting an ISO for you, helps stop motion blur in your photographs. The Bright Capture technology chooses a higher ISO which will add noise into your image, but can be very useful.

Image quality of the pre-set portrait mode shots were very nice. The flash adjusted well, not overexposing the subject and the color was not blown out. Shooting indoors was very easy, as long as you adhere to the limits of the flash. With a max range of 12.8 feet (at ISO 800), you have more than enough room to fit in a group of people or shoot with mid-telephoto under these restrictions. You will not, however, be able to light up a large room.

The Stylus 820 also has the ability to record high-quality video at resolutions of 640x480 (30fps), 320x240 (15fps) or 160x120 (15fps). The 5x optical zoom is available to be set before you start recording, but while recording you are not able to zoom in and out. Image stabilization was removed from this model, increasing the image quality of the videos.

The Stylus 820 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 batteries 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 testings revealed it to be typical with similar models . I was able to capture a large majority of our sample images and conduct all of our other tests only charging the battery towards the end. 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.

Bottom line - The Stylus 820 is a welcomed addition to this "water resistant" Olympus line. It offers excellent image quality, a variety of scene modes, and a very useful in-camera guide to help the user along. With a very comfortable feel and an incredibly small size, it is a perfect little camera for on the go. Starts fast, but is a little more sluggish when it comes to overall shooting performance. With a price range around US$250, this is an excellent camera for this price range.