Olympus MJU 1040 Review

The Olympus MJU 1040 is a pocket digital camera. It has 10 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom lens. It comes in four colours: black, silver, red and yellow.

The MJU 1040 is relatively cheap when compared to some pocket sized cameras. I also like the way the camera looks. It is one of the most stylish cameras you will find in this price bracket.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
With a 10 megapixel digital camera you can make some very large prints. Looking at all my test shots with the MJU 1040 I would suggest keeping to 8 x 11 inches or under. There are issues with the images as illustrated in my first test shot.

The biggest problem I noticed for my outdoor shots is the amount of detail lost in dark and light areas. Sun glare is a problem at this time of year (autumn), but the level of loss with the MJU 1040 is high.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
As the scene gets more distant focusing gets softer. Although this is a common occurrence the softness is quite noticeable with the MJU 1040. Perhaps I'm asking too much here when taking the price of the camera into account.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
In this photo the loss of detail in lighter areas is quite pronounced. I would also have expected to see more colour in the sky. This would have helped to increase the impact of the photo.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
There is a touch of blue fringing where the sun catches the edge of bright parts of the photo. Focusing is o.k. without being pin sharp. There is also a loss of sharpness as you move towards the edge of the photo.

Outdoor Portrait
For a snapshot camera the outdoor portrait is good. There are no problems with sharpness. A touch more light and a touch more colour may have helped the photo, but compared to other similar cameras the MJU 1040 does well here.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
The built in flash unit is able to produce the power needed to light the photo. Sharpness is in line with expectations. The MJU 1040 does not have an especially powerful flash and you will need to make sure you are not too far away from subjects in poor light in order to illuminate the scene.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
Noise shows up in this photo. This takes the edge of the definition and if blown up into larger prints you are likely to see this problem quite clearly. The MJU 1040 captures more light and creates a brighter picture than many cameras manage.

Colours
Colours are a matter of personal taste, but looking at my tests shots I would like to have seen a bit of extra colour here and there.

Macro
My macro test shot produced a bright and well focused shot. It may not be absolutely top drawer, but it is better than many cameras at this level are able to produce.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
Noise does creep in quickly when the light is low. Even at ISO 400 noise is quite noticeable. Although you will still be able to produce snapshots this is not really a camera for taking photos in lowlight.

Overall
Well, the MJU 1040 is not fantastic, but picture quality is inline with what I would expect from one of the cheaper pocket cameras. The distance involved in sweeping landscapes are a bit much for the camera's tiny lens to handle, but the camera works much better for closer in shots.

Shutter lag times are good without being exceptional. A single photo took 0.35 seconds and five photos took 18.88 seconds. With flash times increased to 0.47 seconds for a single photo to 19.64 seconds for five photos.

To turn the camera on and take the first photo took 2.47 seconds.

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

This is one of the most stylish Olympus Digital Cameras I can recall reviewing. It has an unfussy design with a sliding lens cover. It is available in black, silver, red and yellow.

89 x 55.5 x 20.3mm

108g

Lithium Ion. Olympus supplies a battery and charger as standard.

48mb of memory has been built into the MJU 1040 by Olympus. This is enough for roughly 20 photos. The camera is compatible with both Micro SD and xD cards.

Click here to save money on SD cards..

Very good. This really is a point and shoot camera. There are not too many features to get you lost and it's simply a case of turning the camera on and clicking away.

Style - ease of use

Loss of detail in light areas on sunny days

The Canon IXUS 80 IS has dropped in price compared to when it was first introduced and offers good quality for a very reasonable price.

A fantastic camera? No, but the Olympus MJU 1040 puts up a solid showing. The camera is one of the best looking at this price point and will slip easily into a pocket. Picture quality could go up a notch or two here and there, but I think this camera offers fair value for money.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menu

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 1040