Overview
The Olympus MJU 750 is a seven megapixel digital camera with a 5x optical zoom lens. It also has a weatherproof body. The MJU 750 is just about small enough to fit into a pocket. Image stabilisation is also available. This combination of features is more or less unique and in terms of specification at least I can see this camera appealing to a wide range of potential buyers.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
7
5x
2.5 inches
96 x 54 x 24.3mm
120g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
3cm
No
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
xD
Image Quality
Overall I don't feel that the test photos I have taken with the MJU 750 are anything special. It's a great shame as I think a stylish, weatherproof digital camera is likely to appeal to so many people. I have now reviewed a number of cameras from the Olympus range and I have to say that the results are somewhat mixed.
Working through the outdoor scenic shots focusing in the first shot is inconsistent. The brickwork on the building is in sharp focus. In fact it is better than the majority of the cameras I review manage. Focusing does tend to weaken as you move away from the centre of the photo, but not to any great degree. The focusing problem in this picture is around the outer edges of the boats and other objects. Here the camera adds a fuzzy line that makes areas of the photo look anything but sharp.
Other factors worth mentioning in this test shot are purple fringing and the loss of detail caused by glare of the sun. Purple fringing creeps into some of the fuzzy areas mentioned above. This is where a purple line is added around light coloured objects. Normally this is only seen with super zoom digital cameras where the lens is offering 10 or 12x magnification. As for the glare of the sun, this is something that can be difficult to avoid at this time of the year, but most other cameras I have tested have coped better than the MJU 750. There is a significant loss of detail from the boats.
Moving onto the second photo it is one of the darkest I can remember taking of this scene. I cannot come up with any reason at all why the photo should be this dark. It really does detract from the photo. I believe the darkness also contributes to the fact the focusing falls away quite seriously towards the edges of the photo.
The third outdoor shot is also a shade darker than normal. Focusing is roughly average in general, but the fuzzy edges to objects reappears as does some purple fringing. I can also see a fair degree of noise in the skies of photos two and three. This is another area where the MJU 750 seems to struggle where its competitors do not.
I consider these outdoor scenic shots to be some of the most straightforward you will take with your camera. Therefore it is a serious concern to have to highlight the number of problems with each photo that I have.
It comes as something of a relief to me that looking at the colours I have no complaints. The strength of the colours produced by the MJU 750 is roughly average when compared to other digital cameras. This means that the colours are neither washed out nor overpowering. There is also a good balance to the colours with no single colour dominating at the expense of others.
The outdoor portrait is my favourite test shot. To be honest I would like to see the MJU 750 add a touch more colour in the skin tones, but other than that it is a very acceptable shot.
Sadly more problems arise with the indoor test shots. These test shots are a portrait and a shot of some beer bottles. Both shots are out of focus. Although the indoor portrait is taken under normal house lighting I do not consider this setup to be especially demanding and believe all digital cameras should be able to produce a decent photo with the help of the flash. The conditions in which the beer bottles are photographed are more demanding, but again the majority of digital cameras are able to cope well. Taking these results into account I have serious doubts about the ability of the MJU 750 once the light gets low.
The macro shot is another where a bit more light is required. Other than that it is a fairly standard close up shot. There is a loss of clarity around the very edge of the watch and I can also see a hint of purple fringing creeping in.
As much as I would like to I cannot finish on a high note. I have tested the MJU 750 at ISO 400 and ISO 1600. In both photos there is a clear deterioration as noise levels reach high levels.
Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
I was able to take a single photo in 0.39 seconds and five photos in 10.13 seconds. These times are just a shade above normal.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Features
The 5x optical zoom lens has a focal length equivalent to 36 - 180mm in 35mm format. The maximum aperture of the lens is 3.3 (wide) / 5.0 (tele). There is also a 5.6x digital zoom feature.
For composing images there is a 2.5" LCD screen. This is made up of around 215,000 pixels. There is no room for a viewfinder.
The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 3.8m. This falls to around 2.7m when the zoom lens is in use. The flash modes you can use are automatic, red eye reduction, always on and always off.
To help you take the best possible shots there are a variety of preset scene modes available. When you select a scene mode the camera will use what it considers to be the optimum settings for the shot. The scene modes are: Portrait, Landscape, Landscape with Portrait, Night scene, Night scene with portrait, Sports, Indoor, Candle, Self portrait, Available Light Portrait, Sunset, Fireworks, Museum, Cuisine, Behind Glass, Documents, Auction, Shoot & Select 1, Shoot & Select 2, Beach and Snow, Underwater Wide 1, Underwater Wide 2 and Underwater Macro. In addition to the scene modes there is also a panorama setting. This allows you to put together panoramic type shots. In order to use this feature you must use an Olympus brand xD picture card.
The camera has two macro modes. The first is a standard macro mode. This allows the camera to focus from 20cm away from the subject. The second mode allows you to get in closer at 3cm and is called Super Macro. You may notice a slight loss of quality if you make large prints in super macro mode.
For when you would like to appear in the picture yourself there is a self timer. This can be set to a delay period of around ten seconds.
After you have taken a photo there are a number of features available to you. These include changing the photo to black and white or sepia, making a smaller copy, reducing red eye, plus changing the brightness and saturation.
Among the more advanced features are metering (ESP, Spot), exposure compensation, sensitivity (80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600) and white balance (Sunlight, Overcast, Tungsten, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3). Two types of continuous shooting are available. The first allows you to take up to six shots at a maximum rate of 0.9 frames per second. The second allows you to take up to eleven shots at a rate of 3.5 frames per second.
Shutter speeds are set automatically by the camera. These work in the range 1/2000 seconds to 4 seconds.
Movies can be recorded up to the capacity of the memory card. The maximum resolution is 640 x 480 pixels. The top recording speed is 15 frames per second. Digital zoom is available while shooting the movie and sound can also be captured.
Olympus provides all the necessary cables and software to connect the MJU 750 to a television set, computer and PictBridge compatible printer.
An underwater case (PT-034) is also available to buy separately. This case is waterproof to a depth of 40m.
Ease of Use
With a fairly stripped down set of features the MJU 750 is quite easy to use and I think this is an area where Olympus have made improvements. A useful guide is also built into the camera. This makes a number of helpful suggestions as to how you can improve the quality of the photos you take and how you can overcome any difficulties you are having.
One other observation I have is that the control buttons low down on the back of the camera are small and packed in together. Certainly anyone with larger hands could find these fiddly to use.
Cost
You can pick up a Olympus MJU 750 for around £215. This compares to around £250 for a Canon IXUS 850 IS, £200 for the Kodak Easyshare V705 and £160 for a Panasonic DMC FX07.
Although none of the cameras I have price compared against offer a weatherproof body there are a number of similarities in specification. Owing to my concerns about the picture quality from this camera I cannot say it offers good value for money.
Style
The MJU 750 has a pleasant style. Its body has a number of sloping areas. This helps to ensure it does not look like the standard rectangular box shape I am accustomed to seeing. With a width of 24.3mm it is just about small enough to fit into a pocket.
It weighs 120g and has dimensions of 96 mm x 54 mm x 24.3mm. There is a choice of colours allowing you to buy the camera in either silver or black.
Batteries and Memory Cards
Power is supplied to the camera by a lithium ion battery (Li-42B). Olympus provide both a battery and charger with the MJU 750 as standard.
I was able to take 11 photos with the camera before the memory was full. Therefore before you can put the camera to any serious use it is advisable to pick up a larger memory card. The camera is compatible with xD picture cards.
Click here to save money on xD cards.
Points I like:
Style and colour choice
Weatherproof
Length of lens for pocket sized camera
Built in help guide
Where it is not so hot:
Picture quality
Summary
The Olympus MJU 750 is a great idea. Not only is it one of the few weatherproof digital cameras you can find, but the 5x optical zoom lens is longer than you will usually find on a camera that will fit into your pocket. Unfortunately the camera is let down by the quality of pictures it takes. I thought these were below average and had a number of significant flaws.
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Olympus MJU 750 Review Olympus MJU 750 Specification Olympus MJU 750 Sample Images
Review Date
November 2006
