Olympus Stylus Digital 810 Review

By: Steve's Digicams


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Olympus Stylus Digital 810


Review posted 5/25/2006



Click on the Stylus 810 to take a QuickTime VR tour


The all-weather Stylus 810 is a stylish and durable digital camera that delivers premium features, advanced performance and enhanced usability in a sleek, compact point-and-shoot body that's less than one inch thick. The large 2.5-inch LCD and Bright Capture Technology dramatically improves composition, capture and review of images in low-light situations. The 3x optical zoom lens provides the equivalent of 35-105mm focal length in 35mm photography, and a Super Macro Mode that captures details from as close as 4 inches.

Olympus' exclusive TruePic TURBO™ Image Processor, coupled with a 8-megapixel image sensor, produces crisp, high quality photos. 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 inclusion of 28 shooting modes offers versatility across a variety of shooting situations. And a built-in Help Guide provides on-the-fly instruction - a handy alternative to toting around a user manual.

The Stylus 810 features Digital Image Stabilization Mode for capturing crisp, clear pictures - free from the blur sometimes caused by camera shake or moving subjects - with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speed.

With a new Help GUIDE function, the Stylus 810 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 810 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 810 can take hundreds of shots between charges. Connecting 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 810 to any PictBridge-enabled printer.


Stylus 810 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.
  • Digital Image Stabilization to prevent image blurring
  • 28 shooting modes - 24 are preprogrammed Scene modes
  • 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 @ 30fps with audio, length limited only by memory
  • Add voice memos to still pictures
  • Enhanced flash working range with ISO 1600
  • ISO sensitivity; Auto, 64 - 3200 (3200 SQ1 size)
  • Built-in all-weather speaker and microphone
  • ~28.4MB 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 810 is available now with an estimated street price of $429.99 (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

Olympus Stylus Digital 810

Olympus Stylus Digital 810

Olympus Stylus Digital 810Olympus Stylus Digital 810

Olympus Stylus Digital 810

Olympus Stylus Digital 810





Olympus Stylus Digital 810

The Stylus 810 compared in size to a standard CD.




Olympus SP-320 Zoom

Olympus SP-320 Zoom

The Olympus SP-320 Zoom and the Stylus 810.




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Features & Controls


Stylus 810 Specifications

Imager 8.0 Megapixel (effective), 8.3 megapixel gross, 1/1.8" (1.4cm) CCD
Lens 7.4 - 22.2mm (35 - 105mm equivalent in 35mm photography), 6 lenses in 4 group, 4 aspherical lenses
Zoom Seamless to 15x (3x optical and 5x digital combined)
Aperture Range f2.8 - f4.7 (not adjustable)
LCD 2.5" (6.4cm) Color LCD, approx. 115,000 pixels
Focus System CCD Contrast Detection
Focus Range Normal mode: 23.6" - infinity (0.6m - infinity)
Macro mode: Wide: 11.8" - infinity (0.3m - infinity),
Tele: 19.7" - infinity (0.5m - infinity)
Super Macro Mode: 3.9" - 23.6" (10cm - 60cm)
Focus Mode iESP Auto, Spot AF
Shutter Speed 1/1000 sec. - 1/2 sec. (up to 4 sec. in Night Scene Mode)
ISO Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600*1, 3200*2 (equivalent)
(*1Works with Bright Capture. *2 Works with Bright Capture. Image size is automatically changed to 2,048 x 1,536.)
Metering Mode Digital ESP Multi-Pattern, Spot Metering
White Balance iESP2 multi-pattern auto TTL, Pre-set (Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten, and Fluorescent1, Fluorescent2, Fluorescent3)
Exposure Compensation ±2 EV steps in 1/3 EV steps
Recording Modes Still Image: JPEG
Movie: Quick Time motion JPEG
Adjustment Resolutions 3,264 x 2,448, SHQ/HQ
2,560 x 1,920, SQ1
2,304 x 1,728, SQ1
2,048 x 1,536, SQ1
1,600 x 1,200, SQ2
1,280 x 960, SQ2
1,024 x 768, SQ2
640 x 480, SQ2
Shooting Modes 24 shooting modes; Auto, Program Auto, Scene Preset (1. PORTRAIT, 2. LANDSCAPE, 3. LANDSCAPE+PORTRAIT, 4. NIGHT SCENE, 5. NIGHT+PORTRAIT, 6. SPORT, 7. INDOOR*1, 8. CANDLE*2, 9. SELF PORTRAIT, 10. AVAILABLE LIGHT PORTRAIT*2, 11. SUNSET, 12. FIREWORKS, 13. MUSEUM, 14. CUISINE, 15. BEHIND GLASS, 16. DOCUMENTS, 17. AUCTION*3, 18. SHOOT&SELECT1, 19. SHOOT&SELECT2, 20. BEACH&SNOW), Digital Image Stabilization Mode*1, Movie

(*1Works with Bright Capture. *2 Works with Bright Capture. Image size is automatically changed to 2,048 x 1,536. *3 Image quality is limited to 640 x 480.)

Panorama Modes Up to 10 frames automatically stitchable with OLYMPUS Master software when using Olympus brand xD-Picture Card
Sequential Shooting High speed; 4.2 frames per second up to 12 frames in SQ1 mode
Shooting Assist Functions Histogram, Frame Assist
Movie Mode QuickTime® Movie with Sound
640x480/30fps, SHQ
320x240/30 fps, HQ
160x120/15fps, SQ
Image Processing TruePic TURBO™ Image Processor
Pixel Mapping Automatic Pixel Mapping (APM) available via menu setting
Noise Reduction Set automatically at shutter speeds of 0.5 second or longer
Image Playback Still Image; Single, Index Display (4/9/16/25), Up to 10x Enlargement, Slide-Show, Rotation, Calendar, Album, Histogram
Movie: Normal, Reverse, Frame-by-frame
Playback Edit Effects Still Image: Black & White, Sepia, Resize, Rotation, Red-Eye Fix, Brightness, Saturation, Frame, Title, Calendar
Movie: Frame Index
Direct Printing Options PictBridge and DPOF
Flash Built-in
Flash Modes Auto (for low light and back lit conditions), Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-In, Off
Flash Working Range Wide: 17.1 ft. (5.2m), Tele: 10.5 ft. (3.2m)
Selftimer 12 Seconds/Auto
Setting Memorization On/Off (Hold changes/Reset to default settings)
Date/Time Calendar Simultaneous recording into image data, Automatic up to 2099
Memory 28.4MB internal memory
Removable Media Card xD-Picture Card (16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512MB or 1GB)
Outer Connectors Multi-terminal (USB connecter, Audio/Video output, DC input*) *Optional DC coupler (CB-MA1) is required
Auto-connect USB 2.0 Full Speed (USB mass storage)
Weatherproof Equivalent to IEC Standard publication 529 IPX4
System Requirements Auto-connect USB: Windows 98SE/ME/2000PRO/XP with USB Port, Mac OS 9.0-9.2x/OS X 10.1-10.4 with USB port Software: Windows 98SE/ME/2000PRO/ XP, Mac 10.2 and higher
Operating Environment Operation: 32° - 104°F (0° - 40°C), 30% - 90% humidity
Storage: -4° - 140°F (-20° - 60°C), 10% - 90% humidity
Power Supply Li-12B Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery, AC Adapter (D-7AC) with the optional DC coupler (CB-MA1)
Size 3.8"W x 2.2"H x 0.89" D (97.0mm x 56.2mm x 22.7mm)
Weight 5.1 oz. (145g) without battery and media card


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Features & Controls



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