Overview
The Olympus MJU Mini Digital S is a five megapixel digital camera with a two times optical zoom lens. The biggest attraction of this camera is its design. Apart from another Olympus camera in this series you will not find another model that looks similar to the MJU Mini Digital S. It is available in a range of four colours and it has a sloping design rather than the typical rectangular shape. It is small enough to fit into a small bag or pocket.
It is a relatively straightforward digital camera and is likely to appeal to someone who is looking for a combination of something different in terms of style, but is still easy to use.
Image Quality
The MJU Mini Digital S produced a fairly standard set of photos. The most outstanding feature was the colours the camera managed to produce. Although the colour test shows a very deep blue the colours in the scenic shots have a very natural look to them.
Running through the test shots starting with the outdoor shots. The scenic shots show that you will be able to take pleasing landscape style shots with this camera. The colours are natural and the camera copes well with contrasting areas of light and dark in the shot. The limitations of the length of the zoom lens are evident in some of the shots though.
Indoors the portrait shot is well lit and in focus. This is something that many digital cameras struggle badly with. The only disappointment is the level of red eye despite the picture being taken with the flash mode set to red eye reduction. With the flash being positioned close to the lens it will be difficult to work around this problem.
The indoor shot taken in very poor light is well lit again, but this time the camera has been pushed beyond its limits and is unable to focus properly. This is an extreme test, but if you compare sample test shots taken with other cameras you will notice that a number of them can cope with these conditions and are therefore more likely to perform well in very low light.
The macro shot produces an acceptable result. The image is clear and well focused.
Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
Shutter lag is the time it takes to take each picture. A constant criticism of digital cameras is the delay in between clicking the shutter button, the picture being taken and also the camera being ready to take the next picture. From a pure shutter lag view the MJU Mini Digital S took a picture and recorded it in 0.49 seconds. This is a slow time.
In terms of recycling times I was able to take five pictures in the space of 12.48 seconds. That works out at a rate of 2.51 seconds per picture. I am not claiming that this is the most scientific tests, but it should give you an indication of the recycling speed of the camera. This is a slightly slower than average time. My test is carried out indoors under standard conditions and it is possible that you would see better results outside.
All in all the shutter lag time is slow.
Features
One of the drawbacks of the stylish design is that Olympus could only squeeze in a two times optical zoom rather than the standard three times. The zoom has a focal length that is the equivalent of a 35-70mm in 35mm format. This is supported by a four times digital zoom. For shooting close ups the standard macro mode lets the camera focus from twenty centimeters away. There is a super macro that gets you to within eight centimeters, but this reduces the size of the subject you can capture to 44.3 x 33.2mm.
For composing images and accessing the menu system there is a 1.8" LCD screen. There is no room for a viewfinder.
As well as the automatic shooting mode there are a wide variety of scene modes available. These help you to take the best possible shot in differing conditions. The scene modes available are 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 and Fireworks. All you need to do is select the most appropriate scene and the camera controls the internal settings to take the optimum shot.
For taking photos when the light is poor there is a built in flash unit with a maximum range of 3m. This falls to just over 2m when the zoom lens is in use. You can choose to set the flash on, off, let the camera decide if flash is required or to use red eye reduction.
Once you have taken an image there are a number of ways you can edit the shot. These include changing the colour to black and white or sepia, softening the focus and giving the shot a fisheye effect. You can also crop a photo and create low resolution copies suitable for emailing.
You can shoot short movies. The duration is only limited by the capacity of the memory card. The highest resolution available is 320x240. Movies can be recorded at a rate of 15 frames per second.
More advanced features include Digital ESP and spot metering, exposure compensation (+/- 2 EV in 1/3 steps) and white balance (Tungsten, overcast, sunlight, fluorescent light 1,2,3). Shutter speeds range between 1/2 - 1/1000 seconds. In night scene mode this increases to four seconds. Sensitivity ranges between 64 and 400. This increases to 640 for indoor and candle shooting modes. There is also a histogram available before and after a shot is taken.
There are also two pictures in one and panoramic functions available. Continuous shooting is available too. This feature lets you take up to four shots at a rate of 1.1 frames per second.
Olympus provides all the necessary cables and software to connect the MJU Mini Digital S to a television set, computer and PictBridge compatible printer.
Ease of Use
There are no real problems with ease of use. A dial on the top of the camera sets the camera mode (still image, movie or review image). There are buttons on the back of the camera to control zoom, the flash setting, macro mode, self timer and scene selection. The menu system is not quite as straightforward as some you might find elsewhere, but with a small amount of practice you will soon find your way around.
Cost
You can pick up a Olympus MJU Mini Digital S for around £180. This compares to around £220 for a Canon IXUS 50, £205 for a Pentax Optio S5z and £215 for a Nikon Coolpix S1. Owing to its unique style it is difficult to find similar digital cameras to compare this one to. All the other models listed here are standard five megapixel, ultra compact digital cameras.
Style
The MJU Mini Digital S is one of the few digital cameras that can rightly claim to have a style all of its own. It has a sloping design with curved rather than the normal sharp edges. The design is quite clever though as the camera fits well in the hand. With dimensions of 95 x 55.5 x 27.5mm it is slightly wider than the slimline ultra compact digital compacts, but it makes up for this elsewhere are can fit into a small pocket. It is lightweight too, weighing in at 115g.
It comes in four different colours and you can choose between Lagoon Blue, Enamel Black, Champagne (Gloss Beige) and Pink.
The camera body is made out of metal and is weatherproof.
Batteries and Memory Cards
Power is supplied by a rechargeable lithium ion battery. A battery and charger are supplied by Olympus with the MJU Mini Digital S. A rechargeable battery helps to keep down running costs, but be aware that picking up a spare battery is expensive. You do not necessarily need a spare battery, but you will need to make sure that the battery is fully charged before setting off to take any important shots.
Images are store on xD Picture cards. A 16mb card is supplied with the camera. I was able to take fourteen shots before the memory card became full. Therefore I would advise you to pick up a high capacity card to go with your camera.
Click here to save money on xD cards.
Points I like:
Natural colours
Design and style
Where it is not so hot:
Red eye
Shutter lag
Short zoom capability
Summary
The Olympus MJU Mini Digital S is one of the most stylish digital cameras you are likely to find. It is a very neat little camera that is very easy to carry around with you. The design is backed up by good picture quality and if you are looking for something different then this camera is worth careful consideration. The shutter lag time is a big negative though.
Olympus MJU Mini Digital S Front View
Olympus MJU Mini Digital S Back View
Olympus MJU Mini Digital S Top View
Sample Menus
Click for: Specification
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