Overview
The Olympus MJU 7000 is marketed as a digital camera for travelers and holidaymakers. This is due to its longer zoom lens in a relatively small body. It has 7x zoom and 12 megapixels. In terms of ease of use this is a relatively straightforward point and shoot digital camera. Olympus has also included a large 3 inch LCD screen and image stabilisation.
Why Buy The Olympus MJU 7000
The extra zoom in a smaller body certainly is likely to be very useful. You should also find the camera easy to use.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
12
7x
3 inches
96.4 x 55.9 x 25.3mm
132g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
2cm
No
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
xD Micro SD
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom):
The MJU 7000 gets off to a solid start. On the whole I am happy with the level of detail in the picture, although I can see this dips in shady areas. For example the name on the front boat is not as clear as it could be.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom):
Focusing is about average when the zoom is not being used. Landscape shots like this one take smaller digital cameras outside of their comfort zones, but as long as you do not look to go overboard in terms of print size the MJU 7000 should be able to produce acceptable landscape shots.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom):
You can see the advantage this longer lens offers over the more standard lenses on other compact digital cameras. Focusing is true towards the centre of the shot, but there is slippage as you move towards the edges.
Outdoor 4 (Building):
As with other Olympus digital cameras in this range focusing is not as pin sharp as other brands such as Canon manage. If on the whole you are looking to produce snapshot sized prints this should not be a big deal. The difference in quality becomes noticeable as you increase print size.
Portraits
Outdoor Portrait:
This is the most straightforward of my test shots. The colours have a very natural look to them. I have used face detection focusing to ensure the photo is sharp. I would like to have seen the MJU 7000 make the face a touch lighter as I feel the wall in the background looks lighter than the face.
Indoor Portrait with Flash:
A lot of the light has been concentrated on the face. This gives slightly uneven lighting. It also leads to some of the light reflecting directly off the face back into the lens.
Indoor Portrait without Flash:
The result without using flash is a touch dark. Noise levels have been controlled fairly well, but as with most digital cameras you only need light levels to dip slightly for flash to be required for this type of photo.
Macro, Colours and Noise
I think this shot works really well. The level of definition is very good indeed. In super macro mode you can get in as close as 2cm from the subject. This is likely to be close enough for the vast majority of your macro requirements.
The colours produced by this camera take on a lighter, more natural look than some cameras offer. Here and there I would like to see a little more punch to the colours.
Olympus manages to ensure that colours remain more or less true when you boost the ISO ratings. Inevitably noise creeps into the picture, but to no lesser or greater degree than you see with other brands.
Summary
The MJU 7000 sits somewhere in the middle rank when it comes to picture quality. There is nothing that really stands out as a big issue.
Style
There is noting especially striking about the MJU 7000, but it is a pleasant enough looking camera. It is compact without being a truly slim camera. You can choose between silver, black and blue versions.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.3 seconds
9.98 seconds
0.47 seconds
13.3 seconds
2.69 seconds
Ease of Use
The menu is cut into a few different sections, but each one is easy enough to find your way around. Help text is also available for menu options.
Points I Like
Ease of use - smaller size for longer zoom - good sized screen
Where it Could Improve
Nothing really stands out
Verdict
The Olympus MJU 7000 offers something different to a lot of digital camera with its longer lens and compact size. It appears to have few, if any, major drawbacks and does a decent enough job. If you would like a smaller camera with some extra zoom it is well worth considering.
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.
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Related Pages
Olympus MJU 7000 Review Olympus MJU 7000 Specification Olympus MJU 7000 Sample Images Olympus MJU 7000 Features Nikon Coolpix S630 vs Olympus MJU 7000
Review Date
June 2009
