Overview
The Olympus MJU 7040 offers something different to the majority of digital cameras. Innovations include the ability to charge the MJU 7040 by attaching it to a computer and a generous 2GB of built in storage. Other features include High Definition movies and a 7x wide angle lens. The LCD screen is 3 inches in size. This is another step up on more basic cameras.
As you will see from my review of picture quality there were two important issues that stop me from being able to recommend this camera. That is a shame as the MJU 7040 scores well for ease of use and I like the features it has as well.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
14
7x
3 inches
94.5 x 55.5 x 25.9 mm
144g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
2cm
Yes
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD / SDHC
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
The MJU 7040 handles sun glare quite well. This gives it the chance to show as much detail in the lighter areas of the shot as possible. Overall focusing is not as sharp as I would expect it to be. This is especially true for my second test shot where the lens is zoomed out completely and my third shot where the lens is fully extended. It fact this shot is some way below what I feel to be acceptable.
Another quite serious defect is the darker areas that creep into the corners of my test shots. There is very little you can do to overcome this problem and it is likely to blight shots taken with the MJU 7040. As the quality of lenses has improved over the years it is quite rare for this problem to be so noticeable.
Portraits
I really like the colours the MJU 7040 manages to inject into my outdoor portrait. They help to create a vivid photo with a degree of warmth.
The indoor portrait taken using flash is the complete opposite. As I have noticed with other Olympus digital cameras a lot of the colour gets washed out of the shot by the light from the flash unit. Although there is always a danger of this when using flash it is normally less marked with other brands.
I much prefer the indoor portrait without flash. The colours have a much more natural look to them. You will need to ensure there is as much light as possible for this type of flash free shot as noise can soon start to appear in the photo as lighting levels fall. This takes the edge of the definition
Macro, Colours and Noise
For my macro shot there was a problem with the camera reflecting back on to the subject of the shot. This is not a problem if you are photographing subjects without a shiny surface, but it can be a problem with subjects such as jewelry.
Colours are a matter of personal taste. My thoughts are that the colours are lighter than some other brands produce.
As ever you will find noise appearing in darker areas, but the MJU 7040 does not appear to have an issue with noise in bright conditions.
Summary
The issue with sharpness and darkness creeping into the corners of the shots are difficult to overlook. Therefore I would be inclined to look elsewhere.
Style
The MJU 7040 has a slightly different look to the majority of cameras. This is mainly down to silver banding at the top and bottom of the camera. The lens unit is slight raised.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.29 seconds
23.28 seconds
1.59 seconds
26.19 seconds
2.79 seconds
Ease of Use
I like the fact that Olympus display current settings on the right hand side of the LCD screen. To change a setting you just scroll down and select the setting you want to change. This helps to make the MJU 7040 very easy to use.
Points I Like
Ease of use - USB battery charging - 2GB of built in memory - built in manual
Where it Could Improve
Shutter delay - picture quality
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 7040 Review Olympus MJU 7040 Specification Olympus MJU 7040 Sample Images Olympus MJU 7040 Features
Review Date
March 2010
