Olympus [mju] mini DIGITAL S Digital Camera Review

18 May 2005 12:00AM by Ian Andrews | Olympus [mju] mini DIGITAL S in Compact Cameras

BUY NOW OLYMPUS mju mini Digital S

Olympus [mju] mini DIGITAL S Digital Camera Review: Olympus [mju] mini DIGITAL S For those of you that never have a camera when you need one, this little gem from Olympus may be just the thing you need! Small enough to go in a pocket or handbag and robust enough to survive in there, it produces surprisingly good pictures for it’s size. Ian Andrews sees how it performs.

As you will see from the specifications, the MJU Mini S packs a lot into a small, but robust little case, a case made of aluminium that is splash proof from all directions. To say it will fit in a pocket in this case means a trouser or shirt pocket with ease, and with no awkward bits protruding, it is comfortable in there. I had to look for it a couple of times!

Handling
The camera is surprisingly easy to use with the minimum number of controls making life easy. Despite the small size of the buttons, I found them easy to operate even with my large fingers. Of the six control points, only the on/off button is recessed and a little more deliberating in it’s use, but this is a plus point in as much as it won’t get accidentally turned on in that pocket. A neat thumb dial on the right side of the top controls the mode, selectable from still pictures, movie pictures and playback. The third control on top of the camera is the shutter release.

The back of the camera has a rocker switch for the zoom control, a for way selector with central OK button and another button on the far side of the screen for a ‘Quick view’ while using the camera in picture taking mode. The remainder of the rear of the camera is taken up by the huge (in comparison) ‘Hyper crystal’ LCD screen. There is no viewfinder on this camera, which I personally found very odd, and composition is performed entirely on screen.

From pressing the on button, the camera was ready to use inside a second with the lens popping out of the front and the LCD screen fully awake. Again, the zoom took less than a second to go from one end to the other and although only a 2x zoom, it was adequate for a camera of this type and size.

Optical quality
It was an Olympus pocket digital camera that has to take the blame, a few years ago, for getting me into digital photography. That was a two-megapixel model and things have come on a fair stretch since then. This one is less than half the size and has more than twice the resolution! Although the pictures came out a little over sharp for someone who always shoots RAW, the results were nice for a straight out Jpeg.

Olympus [mju] mini DIGITAL S Digital Camera Review

Tests showed that the files produced for this little marvel would stretch well above A4 size and in good light would even go to A3. The sharpness fell of a little towards the edges of the frame, as you would expect, but was still not noticeable to the eye at A4 size. Chromatic aberration is well controlled at the centre (0.212pxls), again falling off at the peripheries (1.33pxls) but still just inside the acceptable limits (1.5pxls).

Close up ability of this little camera is good

In the box

Camera
Strap
LI-30B Lithium ion battery
LI-30C Battery charger
16MB xD-Picture Card
USB cable
AV cable
Software CD-ROM (OLYMPUS Master)
Instruction manual
Warranty card

The one addition I would like to have seen would have been a soft case for the camera, although the enamel finish does seem hard wearing.

Olympus [mju] mini DIGITAL S Digital Camera Review

Verdict
For anyone who would like to carry a camera wherever they go, this offering from Olympus should certainly be looked at. It is small, stylish (I like the look of it and my wife loves it!), comfortable to carry and produces the goods. The flash is a little lacking in power on party nights but is ample for small group photos. If I didn’t already carry an SLR everywhere, it would be on myshopping list!

Pros
Small size
Splash-proofing
Metal body
Good picture quality

Cons
Lack of conventional viewfinder ( I can’t help it, I consistently put this camera up to my face and anyway, two hands and nose equal a tripod!)
Lack of soft case (available separately)
Price (SRP although well discounted in ePHOTOzine shop)

Specifications of mju mini DIGITAL S

Type		Digital camera with 4.6cm/1.8” HyperCrystal LCD monitor.
Colours		Lagoon Blue, Enamel Black, Gloss Beige.
Image sensor
Image sensor		1/2.5’’ CCD with 5.4 million pixels.
Effective pixel number		5.0 million pixels. (The actual number of pixels used in image processing.)
Filter array		Primary colour filter (RGB).
Media
Storage media type		Removable xD-Picture Card (16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512MB and 1GB).
Lens
	Optical zoom	2x.
	Structure	5 lenses in 3 groups, 3 aspherical lenses.
	Focal length	5.8 – 11.6mm (equivalent to 35 – 70mm lens in 35mm format).
	Maximum aperture	1:3.5 (wide) – 4.9 (tele).
Digital zoom		1x – 4x (8x seamless zoom when combined with optical zoom).
LCD monitor		1.8’’ /4.1 cm HyperCrystal TFT LCD monitor with 134,000 pixels offering 160° wide viewing angle.
Focusing
System		TTL autofocus with contrast detection.
Mode	Auto	iESP autofocus, spot autofocus, AF lock.
Working range	Standard mode	0.5m – infinity.
	Macro mode	0.2m – infinity.
	Super Macro mode	From as close as 8cm, shooting size 44.3 x 33.2mm.
Light metering
Mode		Digital ESP metering, spot metering.
Function		Histogram in playback and shooting mode.
Exposure
Exposure control		Programme AE.
		Scene programmes (Portrait, Night Scene, Night Scene with Portrait, Self Portrait, Self Portrait and Self Timer, Beach and Snow, Cuisine, Indoor, Landscape, Landscape with Portrait, Behind Glass, Candle, Sunset, Fireworks).
Shutter speed		1/2 – 1/1000 sec (night scene 4 sec).
Compensation		Yes, up to +/- 2 EV in 1/3 steps.
Sensitivity
	Auto	ISO 64 – 400 (640 for indoor and candle shooting).
	Manual	ISO 64, 100, 200, 400.
White balance
Mode	Auto	Full-auto TTL ESP.
	Pre-set	Tungsten, overcast, sunlight, fluorescent light 1,2,3.
Flash
Built-in flash (Built-in)	Modes	Auto (automatic activation in low and backlight), red-eye reduction, fill-in (forced activation), off (no flash).
	Working range	0.2 to 2.2m (tele ) / 3.0m (wide).
	Guide Number	5.4.
Sequence shooting		Approx. 1.1 frames per second up to 4 images in HQ mode.
Processing
Image processing		TruePic TURBO, pixel mapping, noise reduction.
Function shooting		2 in 1 function, panorama function.
Editing
Still image edit		Re-size, rotation, trimming, black & white, sepia, fisheye, softfocus.
Motion picture edit		Index.
Recording system
Still image		JPEG (DCF: “Design rule for Camera File system”), Exif 2.2 support, DPS, Print Image Matching III support, DPOF support.
Motion picture		QuickTime Motion JPEG®* with sound.
Voice recording		WAVE format.
Number of storable frames (approx., with 16MB xD-Picture Card)
Still picture mode		2,560 x 1,920	SHQ: 4
			HQ: 13
		2,048 x 1,536	SQ1: 20
		1,600 x 1,200	SQ2: 24
		1,280 x 960	SQ2: 38
		1,024 x 768	SQ2: 58
		640 x 480	SQ2: 90
Motion picture mode		Up to memory card capacity (15 frames/sec.) With 16 MB xD-Picture Card this is approx. 41 sec. in HQ (320 x 240 pixels) 1 min 35 sec. in SQ (160 x 120 pixels).
Power supply
	Rechargeable battery	Rechargeable lithium-ion battery LI-30B.
	AC Adapter	Optional AC adapter: D-7AC connected via power coupler. AC 100V – 240V, 50 – 60Hz; DC 4.8V.
Interface		DC input terminal via power coupler, USB and audio/video multi terminal.
Other features
DPOF setting		Single-frame print reservation, all print reservation, number of prints, date/time display.
Direct printing (DPS)		PictBridge support allows direct printing with compatible printers.
Multilingual menu		English / French / German / Spanish. Additional languages can be downloaded through OLYMPUS Master software from the Internet.
Weatherproof body		Camera is not damaged by water spray from any direction.
Self-timer		Yes.
Date/time/calendar system		Up to year 2099.
Size

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