Olympus MJU 810 Review

The Olympus MJU 810 is one of the very few digital cameras to offer protection from inclement weather. It has a weatherproof outer shell that protects it from normal levels of rain. In addition to this the MJU 810 is one of the increasing number of digital cameras to offer image stabilisation. In this case digital rather than optical stabilisation that is available.

Aside from these features the camera is an eight megapixel model with a three times optical zoom lens. In terms of features it is a regular point and shoot camera, but with its build quality and style it is a clear step up from a typical compact model.

It is with a level of relief that I can report the MJU 810 did well in my tests. I have experienced some very mixed results with other cameras in the MJU series, but I was able to take some decent shots with this camera. I wish I knew why there was such a gulf in quality between the different cameras in this range.

The first outdoor scenic shot gets us off to a promising start. Focusing is not far away from the best similar compact digital cameras. Looking at the building in the picture both the brickwork and the tiles on the roof are sharper then most other digital cameras have managed. The MJU 810 also manages to retain almost all of the sharpness up to the edge of this photo. The boats in the foreground show a pleasing level of detail and the darker areas of the shot are also handled well.

Looking at the second outdoor shot it is very similar in quality to many other cameras. This is taken without using the zoom lens at all. This does cause the photo to become softer as you move out towards the edge.

Minor signs of purple fringing show up in the third outdoor scenic shot. This is where a thin purple line is added to the edges of very light objects where the sun or another bright light catches the edge. This is something I have noticed with other MJU cameras. It is not a major issue here, but it is still worth mentioning.

In all the test shots including the dedicated test for colours the colours have a natural feel to them. They are vivid without being overbearing and no individual colour dominates. The blues and greens in the scenic shots are just about right.

The outdoor portrait shot was taken with the white balance control set to cloudy. This helps to add a bit of warmth to a photo taken on an overcast day. Compared to other cameras I feel the MJU 810 loses a bit of detail on the lighter areas of the face.

Indoors there are mixed results. The portrait shot is disappointing and the camera is unable to produce a sharply focused image. By contrast for the shot of beer bottles taken in almost complete darkness the camera has no problem focusing. The camera is placed much closer to the bottles in this shot than the camera is for the portrait. This suggests that once you are outside the effective range of the auto focus illuminator the camera may struggle in lowlight situations.

The macro shot is very good. I particularly like the level of brightness the camera manages to achieve. The shot is also clear and sharply focused.

The MJU 810 allows you to set the ISO sensitivity level as high as 3200. This can help when taking photos in lowlight. I found that the camera handles ISO 400 fairly well in comparison to other models, but long before you reach ISO 3200 the picture shows substantial deterioration in quality.

I was able to take a single shot in 0.47 seconds and five photos in 14.68 seconds. Both of these times are slower than I would like to see.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The three times optical zoom lens has a focal length equivalent to 35 - 105 in 35mm format. The lens has a maximum aperture of f2.8 (wide) and f4.7 (tele). There is also a five times optical zoom.

The 2.5 inch LCD screen is made up of roughly 230,000 pixels. I found the screen to work better than most digital cameras in lowlight.

There are a wide variety of predefined scene modes that you can use. When you select a scene mode the camera picks up on the type of shot you are about to take and uses what it believes to be the optimum settings. The scene modes available are Portrait, Landscape with Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Scene, Night Scene with Portrait, Indoor, Candle, Self Portrait, Available Light Portrait, Sunset, Fireworks, Museum, Cuisine, Behind Glass, Document, Auction, Shoot & Select 1, Shoot & Select 2, Beach and Snow.

In addition to the scene modes there is a panorama function. This helps you to stitch together panoramic type shots. This is only available if you use an Olympus brand memory card.

The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 5.2m. This is when the zoom lens is not being used. By using the zoom lens the range of the flash falls progressively to 3.2m. The flash modes available to you are Auto (automatic activation in low and backlight), red-eye reduction, fill-in (forced activation), off (no flash).

For close up photography the camera offers two macro modes. The first can focus from 30cm away from the subject. Super macro mode allows you to get closer at 10cm. For normal focusing you can choose between spot and iESP focus modes.

If you would like to appear in a photo there is a self timer available. It can be set to a delay of approximately ten seconds. A histogram is also available for helping to get the exposure levels right.

Among the more advanced settings you can access are light metering (ESP and spot), exposure compensation (+/- 2 EV with 1/3 EV steps), ISO sensitivity (64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200) and white balance (tungsten, overcast, sunlight, fluorescent light 1,2,3). Continuous shooting is also available. This allows you to take up to 12 shots at a maximum speed of 4.2 frames per second.

Shutter speeds work in a range between ½ and 1/1000 seconds. Although these are controlled automatically by the camera you can increase the shutter speed times available by placing in the MJU 810 in night scene mode. The camera can then set a shutter speed of up to four seconds.

After a photo has been taken you can apply a number of effects and features to it. You can change the levels of brightness or saturation and also the colour to black and white or sepia. Smaller copies can be made and the image can be cropped as well. If red eye in a picture is a problem there is also a feature that tries to fix it.

Movie mode records sound, but you cannot zoom in and out while the movie is being recorded. The maximum resolution is 640 x 480 and the maximum speed is 30 frames per second. The duration of a movie is only limited by the capacity of the memory card.

Olympus supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the MJU 810 to a television set, computer and PictBridge compatible printer.

I must admit that I do not find the menus on Olympus digital cameras quite as intuitive as other makes. A big plus point though is the fact that Olympus have made help text available alongside many of the menu options. This helps you to understand what the different options do.

Most of the key controls are at your fingertips anyway. These are controlled by a series of buttons and a control dial on the back on the camera. Here you will find controls for zoom, flash, self timer, macro, accessing the menu and reviewing and deleting images.

You can pick up a Olympus MJU 810 for around £215. This compares to around £210 for a Panasonic DMC FX01, £215 for a Casio Exilim EX-Z850 and £265 for a Sony DSC N1.

It is not easy to find cameras to compare the MJU 810 to. For a start there are very few slim, stylish models offering eight megapixels. On top of that this is the only weatherproof series of digital cameras I am aware of. Based on my reviews of other models in this series I would say that the MJU 810 offers the best value for money out of the ones I have tested in the last year.

The MJU 810 has an attractive design and the build quality of the camera appears to be good. There are enough curves in the design to stop the camera from looking like an identikit rectangular model. It comes in a dark silver, almost grey colour.

It has dimensions of 97 x 56.2 x 22.7 mm and weighs 145g.

Power is supplied to the camera by a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Olympus supplies both a battery and charger with the MJU 810.

There are 28.4mb of storage built into the camera. Therefore no memory card is supplied as standard. I was able to take 17 photos before the storage was full. Therefore it is advisable to pick up a high capacity card to go with the camera. The MJU 810 is compatible with xD Picture cards.

Click here to save money on xD cards.

User guide
LCD screen performance in lowlight
Style and design

Indoors in lowlight

On the whole the Olympus MJU 810 offers good picture quality. Weatherproof digital cameras are few and far between so this one is clearly an option if this appeals to you. With digital image stabilisation and help text to guide you through the menu system this camera has some worthwhile extra touches as well.

Olympus Mju 810 Front View

Olympus Mju 810 Back View

Olympus Mju 810 Top View

Sample Menus

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Olympus MJU 810