Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 170 QD 35mm Film Camera
- Battery Type: 1 x 3V Lithium Battery (CR123A)
- Film Type: 35mm
- Zoom Lens: With Zoom Lens
- Zoom Range: 38 mm - 170 mm
- Camera Type: Point and Shoot
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Cheese! A great little point'n'shooter...
Pros
Amazing durability, compact size and weatherproofing!
Cons
Beware the glowing reviews of optics. There are "good", not "great".
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Highly recommended as an all-round camera for snapshooters, or as a pocket shooter for seasoned pros...
I bought the Oly Stylus about 10 months ago after hearing rave reviews about this little unit all over the place. (It was the "perfect storm" of a favourable article in Popular Photography and a great sale price on the camera that caused my credit card to mysteriously float out of my wallet...)
I bought the basic black version that ships with a nylon neckstrap and a CR123 battery (there is also a kit version that ships with a custom pouch and costs about $10 more).
My first impression was "this is it???" It is a small camera with a lot of plastic. (Indeed, I have had non-photographically sophisticated friends remark at the "cheapness" of this camera.) However, looks are deceiving.
The plastic is of high quality. I normally carry this camera in my jeans pockets, sometimes along with keys and coins. It does not scratch easily. I have also left the camera out in sun on a few occasions (e.g., at the beach)and the plastic has not faded.
The overall build quality of the camera is excellent, and this is the reason why I like the Epic so much. I have not treated the Epic gently. I have used it in torrential thunderstorms, I have dropped in sand at the beach, I have taken it into the Pacific Ocean where it was repeatedly splashed with salt water, I have sat on it, I have left in my car through freezing temperatures and on and on. Yet, it still works perfectly! What more do you want?
The optics of the camera are good, but I wouldn't say that I have been "wowed" by the pictures. The fast lens (2.8) coupled with high speed film (800) has enabled me to take some dim light shots that would have otherwise been impossible with any other point and shoot camera. (Good thing too, because the flash is anemic.) The pictures are certainly acceptable, and colour rendition is superb. However, I have not noticed that the pictures are particularly sharp (certainly not akin to Leica lens-quality pics.)
The spot-metering function is a neat (and rare) trick among this class of camera. I have only used it a few times, but it has come in handy when shooting tricky scenes (such as backlit objects). I suspect that many owners don't know, and don't care, about the spot metering capability.
A major attraction for me was the "weatherproofness" of the camera. The battery and film compartments are lined with rubber seals. A firm (but reassuring) push is required to close the compartment doors.
As with most point and shoot cameras, the built in flash is woefully inadequate. Do not try to illuminate objects more than 8 feet away or so. The flash is placed immediately above the lens, which is smack in the middle of red-eye land. Unfortunately, the red-eye function downright annoying - it comprises of a "disco-like" stroboscopic burst from the flash. I have never used the red-eye reduction function.
For me, the Epic serves its purpose well. As a take-anywhere camera that I'm not afraid to bang up.
btw, if you want one, buy one soon. The Epic is the last of decent, affordable fixed-lens point and shooters.
I bought the basic black version that ships with a nylon neckstrap and a CR123 battery (there is also a kit version that ships with a custom pouch and costs about $10 more).
My first impression was "this is it???" It is a small camera with a lot of plastic. (Indeed, I have had non-photographically sophisticated friends remark at the "cheapness" of this camera.) However, looks are deceiving.
The plastic is of high quality. I normally carry this camera in my jeans pockets, sometimes along with keys and coins. It does not scratch easily. I have also left the camera out in sun on a few occasions (e.g., at the beach)and the plastic has not faded.
The overall build quality of the camera is excellent, and this is the reason why I like the Epic so much. I have not treated the Epic gently. I have used it in torrential thunderstorms, I have dropped in sand at the beach, I have taken it into the Pacific Ocean where it was repeatedly splashed with salt water, I have sat on it, I have left in my car through freezing temperatures and on and on. Yet, it still works perfectly! What more do you want?
The optics of the camera are good, but I wouldn't say that I have been "wowed" by the pictures. The fast lens (2.8) coupled with high speed film (800) has enabled me to take some dim light shots that would have otherwise been impossible with any other point and shoot camera. (Good thing too, because the flash is anemic.) The pictures are certainly acceptable, and colour rendition is superb. However, I have not noticed that the pictures are particularly sharp (certainly not akin to Leica lens-quality pics.)
The spot-metering function is a neat (and rare) trick among this class of camera. I have only used it a few times, but it has come in handy when shooting tricky scenes (such as backlit objects). I suspect that many owners don't know, and don't care, about the spot metering capability.
A major attraction for me was the "weatherproofness" of the camera. The battery and film compartments are lined with rubber seals. A firm (but reassuring) push is required to close the compartment doors.
As with most point and shoot cameras, the built in flash is woefully inadequate. Do not try to illuminate objects more than 8 feet away or so. The flash is placed immediately above the lens, which is smack in the middle of red-eye land. Unfortunately, the red-eye function downright annoying - it comprises of a "disco-like" stroboscopic burst from the flash. I have never used the red-eye reduction function.
For me, the Epic serves its purpose well. As a take-anywhere camera that I'm not afraid to bang up.
btw, if you want one, buy one soon. The Epic is the last of decent, affordable fixed-lens point and shooters.
