Reviews

A well-built slimline digicam with some useful features for snapshooters but rather small controls.Featuring the slim, ‘Splashproof’ metal body that characterises the Olympus Mju series of cameras, the new Mju 820 combines an 8-megapixel CCD imager with a 5x optical zoom lens and 2.7-inch HyperCrystal LCD screen. Available in black or silver, it is targeted at point-and-shoot photographers and includes a range of features that make picture-taking easy.

A shockproof, waterproof digicam that will suit adventurous snapshooters.In the new Mju 770 SW, Olympus has brought photographers its toughest model to date. Underwater rated to 10 metres, the 770 SW goes twice as deep as last year’s 725 SW model and adds a ‘Crushproof’ rating against loads of up to 100kg as well as being ‘Freezeproof’ to -10ø‚ °C. Like its predecessor, it can also withstand drops of up to 1.5 metres. Otherwise, many of the features of the new model are identical to the 725 SW.

A solidly-built shockproof, waterproof camera that will suit many active photographers.Sought-after successor to the Mju 720 SW, the Mju 725 SW is now even tougher, offering underwater shooting up to five metres. Shockproof and Waterproof, it also resists sand and dust, making it an ideal camera for active photographers. A new Underwater Snap mode has been added to the available Scene Program modes, along with “Nightproof” capabilities and an extended battery life.

A stylish, high-resolution, slimline digicam with a good feature set for snapshooters.Packed inside the stylish black metal body of the Mju 1020 is a 10-megapixel CCD imager that is only marginally larger than the sensors in the 8-megapixel Mju 840 and Mju 850 SW models, although we don’t have its actual dimensions. While the difference in maximum output file sizes between the Mju 1020 and its ‘sisters’ is relatively small (3648 x 2736 pixels in the 1020 vs 3248 x 2436 pixels in the other models) Olympus is asking a lot from this tiny imaging chip.

A stylish and affordable, slimline digicam with features to appeal to point-and-press snapshooters.Offered in three contemporary colours – Mirror (silver), Phantom (black) and Hot Chilli (red) – the Olympus Mju 1040 is designed for snapshooters and comes with a 10.1-megapixel CCD image sensor and retracting 3x optical zoom lens. Features to suit its target market include a new ‘Intelligent Auto’ (iAuto) function for point-and-press picture-taking and Face Detect and Shadow Adjust technologies that aim to deliver sharp, correctly exposed pictures in most situations.

A high-resolution, pocketable digicam with some handy functions for point-and-shoot photographers.The 10-megapixel Olympus Mju 1000 offers some handy functions to make everyday picture-taking easier and more successful for novice photographers. Equipped with the company’s proprietary ‘Splashproof’, ‘Shakeproof’, ‘Nightproof’ and ‘Editproof’ technologies, it comes with 20 pre-set scene modes plus a built-in Guide Function that helps users to choose the correct camera settings. However, manual controls are limited and some settings reduce image resolution.

An affordably-priced slimline digicam for snapshooters and travellers.At $150 less than the Coolpix S8, Nikon’s Coolpix S9 looks like a good buy. Although its sensor resolution is lower, at 6-megapixels it is still high enough for snapshots, which will be the main application for this camera. Both cameras have 3x optical zoom lenses, although the S8 covers a slightly wider angle of view. Both sport 2.5-inch LCD monitors, although the S9’s resolution is lower than the S8’s – and it shows! Other specifications are similar and both models come in smart-looking, well-built metal cases.

A stylish and pocketable digicam for point-and-press snapshooters. The C-Lux 3 is the latest Leica-branded camera to emerge from the on-going partnership between Leica and Panasonic. Essentially a re-badged Panasonic FX37, it has the same image sensor and 5x optical zoom lens, the same monitor and identical controls. In the past, the main difference between the Leica- and Panasonic-badged models was the superior software package supplied with the former. But no software was included with the review model.