The MJU 840 Olympus digital camera is a stylish, little camera that should fit into a pocket. The MJU 840 has 8 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom lens. The lens being that bit longer than standard can help you to get in that bit closer when you need to. The camera is not over burdened with features and should appeal to someone looking for a simple, point and click model.
Image Quality Olympus MJU 840 test shots
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
Looking at my first test shot taken with the Olympus MJU 840 digital camera, the first points I notice are the colour and brightness of the photo. The colours have plenty of depth without being overpowering, while I also like the brightness of the picture.
In terms of sharpness the photo is not as sharp as some digital cameras manage and I would rank this camera in the middle rank when it comes to focusing. Sun glare is handled well, but I would like to have seen a bit more definition in some of the more shady areas of the shot.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
The second test shot runs along similar lines to the first one. The colours are very strong. This gives a very powerful blue sky. I would say the sky is a darker shade of blue than it was at the time the picture was taken.
Focusing is again about average. The picture is sharper in the centre with the focusing slipping out towards the edges. This is true for many cameras.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
I like the way this photo looks. Focusing is softer than with some of the other cameras I have reviewed recently. This should not be a problem if you are planning to print at say 7 x 5 inches, but if you blow the photos up to be larger than this the prints are likely to have a soft feel to them.
Outdoor 4 (Building)
This is another decent photo. Again I like the colour and brightness of the shot. Focusing is much better than with the Olympus FE-310 digital camera I reviewed recently.
Outdoor Portrait
By using a white balance setting of cloudy the outdoor picture takes on a slight orange colour caste. Without changing the white balance the original picture was rather dull.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
Using the flash has created plenty of light. The MJU 840 does well to ensure that although the photo is bright there is still plenty of colour left in the picture. Many digital cameras blast out the skin tones when flash is quite strong, but here the camera manages to preserve them.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
Without the flash this Olympus digital camera struggles to produce a sharp focus. The lighting I use for this photo is quite good and to be honest I am disappointed the camera is unable to produce a sharper picture considering the conditions. This means that once the light begins to dip you will nearly always have to revert to flash.
Colours
Colours have been strong through my test shots. In places you may feel they are too strong.
Macro
My macro test shot is roughly in line with my expectations. It is certainly bright, but it lacks a bit of definition. As with other Olympus digital cameras the MJU 840 gives the photo a small purple tinge in places.
ISO 400
At ISO 400 the camera produces another bright photo. Noise levels are quite acceptable and there is still plenty of detail in the shot.
ISO 1600
When you push ISO up to 1600 the camera really starts to struggle and most of the detail has been lost to noise. I would only use this setting when there is no other way to grab a picture.
Overall
I found the pictures produced by the Olympus MJU 840 digital camera to be colourful and bright. Focusing could be a shade sharper in places, but overall I am happy with the picture quality.
Shutter Lag
I was able to take a single photo in 0.3 seconds and five photos in 8.37 seconds. These are average times. With flash times increase to 0.43 seconds for a single shot and 16.43 seconds for five photos. The time for a single photo is quite fast. The time for five photos is about average.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Style: The MJU 840 is just about small enough to slip into a pocket. The front of the camera slopes away giving it a look that is different to so many similar digital cameras. It is available in black, silver, pink and blue.
Dimensions: 96.4 x 56.5 x 24mm
Weight: 130g
Batteries: Lithium ion. A battery and charger are supplied with the camera.
Memory cards: Olympus have built enough memory into the MJU 840 for about 8 photos. It is compatible with xD picture memory cards.
Click here to save money on xD cards.
Ease of use rating: Good. This is an unfussy digital camera. Most of the key controls can be found on the back of the camera and you should not have to dip into the menu system too often.
Points I like:
Design - ease of use
Where it could improve:
Lowlight without flash
Alternatives
If you are looking for a waterproof Olympus digital camera that is also shockproof to drops from a small height try taking a look at the :
Olympus MJU 1030 SW.
Verdict:
The Olympus MJU 840 digital camera may not be top drawer, but it does the job it sets out to do well enough.
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
| Olympus MJU 840 Summary |
| Description: | 8 megapixels and a 5x zoom lens |
| Ease of Use: | 9 |
| Features: | 7 |
| Colour: | 8 |
| Macro: | 7 |
| Indoors: | 8 |
| Value for Money: | 8 |
| Style: | 8 |
| Movie Mode: | 8 |
| Image Quality: | 8 |
| Build Quality: | 8 |
| Total: | 79 |
| Verdict: | "The MJU 840 may not be the perfect digital camera, but it does a decent job on the whole. It is easy to use and I found it took bright, colourful snapshots. This camera is part of the Olympus weatherproof range." |
| Review Date: | March 2008 |
| Click for: | Specification Sample Images Features |
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