Overview
The Olympus MJU 5000 is a stylish digital camera. It has 12 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom lens. It will fit into larger pockets. It also scores well for ease of use.
Why Buy The Olympus MJU 5000
The MJU 5000 has a touch of extra style compared to many digital cameras. There are also one or two extra features over more basic models such as image stabilisation.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
12
5x
2.7 inches
96.3 x 57.0 x 24.6mm
125g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
3cm
No
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
xD Micro SD
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom):
Pin sharp? No, but focusing is sharp enough in this type of shot, unless you are planning to take poster sized prints. Some definition is lost from the boats where they are caught by the glare of the sun. The bright light also gives the blue lines on the boats a purple tinge.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom):
This is always a difficult photo for a compact digital camera owing to the distance of the scene. The MJU 5000 does o.k., but plenty of other cameras manage to produce a bit of extra sharpness. How much this matters to you depends of the size of prints you wish to make and just how demanding you are.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom):
You can see that the extra zoom a 5x lens can give you over the more basic 3x zoom lenses. This help to bring you in that bit closer. As I have seen in the first two photos the MJU 5000 produces quite bright images. Focusing and definition is better with the zoom fully extended.
Outdoor 4 (Building):
Overall I would give the MJU 5000 around 7.5 out of 10 for focusing. Here focusing slides as you move towards the right hand side of the picture. Although this camera is not perfect when it comes to producing crystal clear images this should not be much of a problem unless you are planning to really push up print size.
Portraits
Outdoor Portrait:
Colours and brightness work well in combination. With the subject close to the camera there are no issues with focusing.
Indoor Portrait with Flash:
I am a bit disappointed with this shot. The light from the flash unit has produced too much pink in the skin tones across the centre of the face. The lighting is also a bit uneven. Areas away from the centre could do with some extra lighting.
Indoor Portrait without Flash:
The MJU 5000 has handled the conditions very well. A lot of digital cameras, especially cheaper ones struggle when the light is anything less than perfect. This test suggests you should be able to take natural light portraits when there is sufficient window light.
Macro, Colours and Noise
When using a digital compact camera like this one for close up shots all you can really ask for is a bright, clear photo. The MJU 5000 does exactly that.
Most of the leading digital camera brands now offer similar colour balance and depth. I found no problems with colour apart from the purple tinge showing in the first picture where the sun strikes the blue lines on the boats. This is a problem I have noticed with other Olympus digital cameras.
There is nothing much to report here. As you step up the ISO rating picture quality falls away as is true of all compact digital cameras. The MJU 5000 is roughly average when it comes to noise in lower light.
Summary
The MJU 5000 is mid range when it comes to picture quality. Pictures could be a shade sharper, but if you like the features and style of the camera the issues are not serious enough to put you off buying.
Style
Olympus has rounded one of the corners. This helps to distinguish the MJU 5000 from many other cameras. It will fit into a larger pocket. It is available in blue and black.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.34 seconds
10.13 seconds
0.53 seconds
11.16 seconds
2.58 seconds
Ease of Use
There is nothing that stands out as being difficult.
Points I Like
Style - ease of use
Where it Could Improve
As with other cameras in this series the pictures could be a touch sharper.
Verdict
Overall I like the Olympus MJU 5000. While I cannot come up with a hatful of reasons why this camera is a must buy, it is a likeable enough point and shoot model.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
Top Rated Cameras in this Category
Panasonic DMC FS30 Rating 85/100
I really like this camera. It offers some extra zoom and takes excellent snaps. I found it easy to use and struggled to find anything I did not like about it. If you are looking for a smaller compact camera with some extra zoom then this one is a good choice.
Read Review: Panasonic DMC FS30 Review
Pentax Optio i-10 Rating 79/100
The Optio i-10 looks radically different to other digital cameras. It has a design based on vintage SLRs. In my tests I found more distant shots lacked sharpness. Aside from the design the features included in this camera are fairly standard.
Read Review: Pentax Optio i-10 Review
Related Pages
Olympus MJU 5000 Review Olympus MJU 5000 Specification Olympus MJU 5000 Sample Images Olympus MJU 5000 Features
Review Date
March 2009
