Olympus Stylus Digital 800 Review

Click on the Stylus 800 to take a QuickTime VR tour

The Stylus 800 delivers power, performance and enhanced usability with an array of innovative technologies: Bright Capture Technology for low-light photography; a HyperCrystal™ LCD for high-contrast viewing; metal, all-weather construction for protection against the elements; manual exposure and aperture settings for creative control and versatility; as well as an 8.0-megapixel image sensor for stunningly high-resolution prints.

There are times when you want to photograph subjects in low light without having to use a flash - such as when trying to capture the softness and warmth of a candlelit dinner, or natural skin tones in subdued lighting. Olympus' new Bright Capture Technology makes it possible to clearly compose subjects on the LCD, and with high sensitivity options (up to ISO 1600) and an enhanced auto-focus, even action photos can be captured in low levels of ambient light.

Viewing images under the glare of sunlight is also improved thanks to Olympus' exclusive HyperCrystal™ LCD technology. The HyperCrystal technology enables clear, high-contrast images - even when composing subjects with the sun at your back. Images are viewable on the 2.5-inch LCD from 160-degrees, so photos can be composed from a range of angles and viewed by several people at once.

The Stylus 800 combines an 8.0-megapixel CCD image sensor with Olympus' exclusive image processor, TruePic TURBO™, which significantly enhances image quality and delivers faster overall processing speeds for rapid startup, shutter release and playback. TruePic TURBO enables the Stylus 800 to capture information from all 8.0 million pixels with pixel "micro-smoothing" that delivers clearer and more color-accurate photos, even at lower resolutions. The result is superb high-quality images that are consistently sharp and vivid even in large-format prints. The fast startup of less than one second and nearly instant shutter release time ensures a high-speed response so you are always ready to take great pictures.

The addition of manual Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes, combined with 19 fully automatic pre-set scene modes, gives users versatility and control for optimal performance in any situation. Users can express their creative vision - adjusting the f-stop for detailed portraits with softened backgrounds, or slowing the exposure speed to create the blurred effect of motion - or simply select the appropriate scene mode from 19 choices for point-and-shoot simplicity. In-camera editing features such as Red-Eye Fix, Sepia and Black & White give users the ability to edit photos on the fly.

With a new Help GUIDE function, the Stylus 800 makes every last one of its features accessible, even to novice users. By simply pressing the GUIDE button on the back of the camera, users can access images and brief descriptions of each of the camera's functions and scene modes. And the new Shooting Guide serves as a quick reference, walking users through the camera settings with explanations of which features should be used for the situation, along with instructions for how to make the necessary adjustments.

The compact, all-weather Stylus 800 can go virtually anywhere you can. The body is constructed of durable, lightweight metal with rubber gaskets throughout the interior to ensure that rain, sleet, snow won't get in the way of great photos. And with its new optimized battery design, the Stylus 800 can take hundreds of shots between charges. Connecting the Stylus 800 to a computer is easy with the USB Auto Connect feature, which connects directly via USB cable and requires no software. Or, If you prefer, forget the computer altogether. The power of PictBridge technology enables photos to be printed directly from the Stylus 800 to any PictBridge-enabled printer.

Stylus 800 Features at a Glance:

• 8-megapixel effective CCD and 3x optical zoom lens
• Durable all-metal (all-weather) body lets you shoot in almost any weather condition
• Built-in Help GUIDE for easy operation.
• 24 shooting modes, including aperture priority and shutter speed priority
• 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD with 215,000 pixel resolution and 160° viewing angle
• Bright Capture Technology for enhanced previewing and image quality in low light
• Movies at 640x480, 320x240 or 160x120 with audio, length limited only by memory
• Add voice memos to still pictures
• Shutter speeds from 1/2000 to 1/2 second (up to 4 secs in night mode)
• Enhanced flash working range, 21.3 ft. with Program Auto (W), 42.0 ft. with ISO1600 (W).
• Remove red-eye or easily convert your color photos into sepia or black-and-white with built-in editing features
• ISO sensitivity; Auto, 64 - 1600 (800/1600 SQ1)
• Built-in all-weather speaker and microphone
• ~21.3MB of internal memory + xD-Picture Card slot
• Auto-Connect USB for quick and easy image transfer to computer
• Direct printing to any PictBridge compatible printer
• Lithium rechargeable battery and charger included

The Stylus Digital 800 is available now with an estimated street price of $449.99 (U.S.). It includes: Wrist Strap, USB Cable, Audio/Video cable, Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery and Charger, Quick Start Guide, Basic Instruction Manual, Warranty Card, CD-ROM with OLYMPUS Master Software, and reference manual.

Physical Views

The Stylus 800 compared in size to a standard CD.

The all-weather Stylus 800 and the 5-megapixel Stylus 500

Stylus 800 Specifications