Olympus Stylus 300 3.2 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

Weatherproof design and an all-metal exterior allow you to use the Stylus 300 in conditions from driving rain to windy snowstorms.

The Stylus 300 is made for automatic point-and-shoot possibilities, and the camera offers some basic scene modes (landscape, night, portrait, and self-portrait) and white balance settings (daylight, overcast, tungsten, and fluorescent). The menu system accessed through the 1.5-inch LCD continues the Olympus tradition of a well-mapped-out software system.

The Stylus 300 is just the right size--compact enough to carry anywhere, but not so small that it's hard to operate.

With the 3.2-megapixel resolution, you'll be able to capture enough image detail to print decent 11 by 14 print enlargements. But the best thing about more pixels is the amount of stored pixel information, which enabled us to crop images on our PC without losing much clarity or sharpness. At the highest quality setting, you'll get 2,048 x 1,536 pixel images, but you can also step down to lower pixel ranges--from 1,600 x 1,200 to 640 x 480.

You can also record small QuickTime videos, though we found the movie mode to be fairly basic compared to some of the other new releases of 2003. Since there's no built-in microphone, your movies will be silent, and you can't utilize the zoom while filming. Choose between 320 x 240 for 16 seconds and 160 x 120 for 40 seconds.

If you're looking for pure point-and-shoot pleasure, the Stylus 300 is the camera for you. It's nicely automated and ready to snap pics in a flash. We were also quite happy with the battery life, though you might want to invest in an additional battery (model LI-12B) as well as a higher-capacity XD card for safety's sake. --Agen G.N. Schmitz

Pros

• All-weather exterior means never having to worry about rain, sleet, or snow
• Great automatic point-and-shoot features
• Fast start-up time

Cons

• No manual controls
• Movie mode doesn't have sound, short video length

Optics and Resolution
Featuring a 3.2-megapixel CCD sensor, the Stylus 300 delivers images up to 2,048 x 1,536 pixels and crystal-clear prints up to 8 by 10 inches (and medium quality up to 11 by 14). A high-quality Olympus 3x optical zoom (and 4x digital zoom for a seamless 12x total) gives you the ability to fill your pictures with sharp detail and vibrant color. It features an Olympus aspherical glass lens with a focal range of 5.8-17.4mm (35-105mm equivalent in 35mm photography).

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on xD Picture Card memory cards. The card's small size (about the same as a postage stamp) helps reduce the size of the camera. The included 16 MB card will store approximately 20 images at 2,048 x 1,536 pixels (at HQ, JPEG setting). Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB storage-class connectivity, which means the camera can be connected to any USB-based computer running Windows 98 Rev2Me/2000/XP or Mac OS 8.6 or later without installing any software.

Movie Mode
In addition to taking still photos, the Stylus 300 can also record movie clips of up to 40 seconds without audio. The QuickTime Motion JPEG format offers a limited resolution, which is great for capturing a short movie that can be e-mailed to friends and family, but is no replacement for a true camcorder.

More Features
The Stylus Digital cameras offer basic point-and-shoot simplicity for flawless picture taking. For photographers who want optimum results in a wide variety of settings, the easy-to-use scene modes provide fully automatic exposure adjustments for portrait, self-portrait, and landscape portrait.

Other controls include digital ESP multipattern and spot metering, auto white balance, multiple flash settings, and exposure compensation. The camera comes with a built-in flash that offers four settings to provide the widest range of options.

The lightweight and ergonomic metal body of the Stylus 300 provides all-weather protection from the elements and can even endure a downpour.

Power, Size, and Contents
The camera is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It measures 3.8 by 2.2 by 1.3 inches and weighs 5.8 ounces. This package includes the Stylus 300 digital camera, 16 MB xD Picture Card, rechargeable lithium-ion battery and charger (LI-10B), self-timer remote control (RM-2), USB and AV cables, wrist strap, and CD-ROM with Camedia Master software and USB drivers for Windows and Mac.

Product Description
Forgive the Stylus 300 Digital but it just can't help being noticed. Try to take a picture and its elegant, all-metal appearance is sure to draw attention. Amazing features like QuickTime movie mode and a powerful lens will keep its audience captivated. And its easy-to-carry size and all-weather reliability will enable it to consistently perform its digital duties with stunning poise and grace. No matter where the Stylus 300 Digital may roam, it's destined to be the star of the show.

First, THE GOOD:

The first thing you're gonna notice about this camera is it's apearance. It's simply GORGEOUS! It's called the STYLUS for a reason! It's STYLISH! It's hands down the most attractive looking camera I've seen, it just looks cool. You're bound to get compliments any time you whip it out among company. The shiny aluminum case is no just very classy looking, but also makes for a durable and sturdy frame.

The Stylus 300 Digital by Olympus is very well made, and feels firm and durable in the hand. It does'nt feel flimsy at all. You get the feeling that if you dropped it on a sidewalk a few times it would probably survive with little more than a dent (Although I wouldnt try that!). Also, it's supposedly made for all-weather use, so you should be able to take pictures in driving rain if you wanted to. You'l notice that all the ports and connectors are protected by rubber covers and all the little compartments with plastic doors (for example the little cover that you flip up to put in a memory card) covering them are sealed with rubber rims to keep out water. This is a great camera for anyone who tends to be a bit clumbsy or who wants to be able to have take pictures in bad weather.

The camera is also pretty small. It may not be the smallest camera out (when compared to other super-tiny models) but it's pretty damn small! It's about the size of a pack of cigarretts! It's actually smaller than my wallet!

The camera is also very well designed. There is no lens cap to loose or have to remember to put on. Instead a door slides over the lens and protects it. This same door/sleave is used to turn the camera on/off. Turning it on is as simple as flipping the door over. Start up is very quick! I was able to turn the camera on, take a picture, and turn the camera back off and in my pocket in about 10 seconds! It's pretty responsive. It's pretty quick taking pictures too, the wait time between pictures is very short (shorter than my 35mm), not quite as fast as would be wished for though.

Olympus also through in a remote control! This is great for self portraits or when you want to actually be IN the pictures you're taking. The battery life apears to be pretty good, and a lithium Ion battery is included as well as a charger. Also included is a 16 MB memory card. I wish there was a little built in memory or a larger card had been included for the money. The card technology is either a new one I am not familiar with or a proprietary one - it's called "XD picture card". The 'card' is a TINY (about the size of thumbnail).

USB is supported (as expected) and you can ussually plug the camera right in and windows (XP and ME) will automatically recognize it as a removeable drive. This is great as you can even use you're camera's memory to carry around or transfer other types of files as well which might be useful in a pinch. It also supports video out so you can view pictures on your TV.

Finally there is also a movie mode that lets you take 16 second video clips. The down side is that this is in quicktime format (I would much prefer MPEG or AVI). Another thing is that the length is ALWAYS limited to 16 seconds - even if you have a 128 MB card in there, you can only take 16 second clips... that's just dumb. If I have enough memory why cant I take longer clips? Come on Olympus, release a firmware patch to allow us to take longer clips or use a different video format. There is also no sound, which is a feature that IS present in models made by cannon and Kodak (who provde both built in mics, built in speakers, and the time of your movie clips is only limited to memory restraints). This is a significant drawback if this featureset interests you, but isn't enough to weigh down the rest of the quality present.

The interface is also pretty easy to use and supports plenty of features. It's not QUITE as easy as the Kodak DX4330, but most people will find it pretty simple with a minimal learning curve.

All in all, this is a GREAT camera. While you're probably going to want to buy a bigger memory card, you'll probably be VERY happy with this as a choice. The only cons are the lack of support for video features - the lack of sound and the time restraints are both unexcusable considering the price.

Still I give it a 5 star rating for the quality of construction and the over-all design. Im very happy with this camera, they just need to add sound to the next version. Heck, if they would just release a patch t allow video clips to use MPEG or even just allow us to take longer clips, then I would call this the ONLY CHOICE in digital cameras for the price range.


Great camera...With the looks of fine jewelry.   April 16, 2003
Roy Chan (Long Beach, CA USA)
38 out of 43 found this review helpful

Pros: Weatherproof with excellent photo quality, Small design, easy to use, excellent resolution, great features, Stylish(cute), metal housing.

Cons: Shutter lag is a little slow, No manual controls, Movie mode doesn't have sound, short video length.

Summary: have to admit that this is the only digital camera I've ever owned, so consider all of this novice information. I just went into Best Buy and Curcuit City and asked, "What is your best compact model?". Both recomended the same. I purchased this one from CC, along with a 3-year replacement warranty. I figured I would just return it if not completely satisfied. They offer a 30-day no questions deal. I think I'll keep it, though.

Picture quality is amazing, both on my television screen or printed via PC. I will never own another 35mm again. I have 2 Olympus SLR's(OM 2000) and 3 lenses. You'll probably see them on Ebay soon. Great cameras, but I just got tired of carrying the units around, which later led me to not using them at all. I was going to purchase a high quality compact 35mm to replace them--glad I waited.

Construction seems to be very durable. The entire housing is made of metal and almost has a jewelry-like look to it. It's hard to see in advertisments but the "OLYMPUS" logo on the front of the camera is holographic, and changes colors at different angles to the person viewing it.

It is sold with a 16MB memory card that stores anywhere from 99 images in the lowest pixel mode, to 6 in the super high quality mode. I noticed they had larger capacity cards at the store, but I wanted to see what I needed before I started purchasing extras.

The zoom feature is very nice. The manual says the maximum is "a maximum of approximately 15X". This is when optical and digital are combined, however that works.


All Weather   August 13, 2003
36 out of 39 found this review helpful

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If you're looking for a digital camera for all weather situations, this (or the Stylus 400) is it. Otherwise, move on. There are better choices in the market for the money. Yes I know, if you're looking at this, you've already decided on the minimum megapixels and optical zoom capabilities...

This camera is compact with a metal casing. It fits well in the pocket and feels good in the hand. And it takes decent pictures outdoor too. However, the slow shutter delay can make you miss your shots. In addition, don't expect all pictures taken in low light (indoor) to be sharp. I consider myself as a pretty well versed photographer, and I've ended up with some blurry shots. You'll have to hold the camera very still while waiting for the shutter to finally snap. Please note that you won't know that the shots are blurry until you've uploaded them onto your computer - the camera screen is too small for checking this.

This camera is good for toting around (small, rugged, and all weather) in case you want to take a quick snap shot for the collection and sharing of your memories. However, my brand-new camera broke down electronically one week after purchase (second day of usage; and no, it wasn't the battery) while on work assignment off the shores Puerto Rico (and no, it didn't get wet... much). Luckily, I had my professional Nikon SLR with me. It took the Olympus America Inc. repair shop in Hauppauge, NY one month to repair it - they didn't have the parts on-hand. I didn't return the camera to the store because I needed the all weather feature (note that there are no features for adjusting f-stops, and such). By the way, I also have an all weather Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom, which uses regular film (film image resolution is still far superior to digital). OK, gotta stop messing around and get back to work now...


Great Little Camera   April 16, 2003
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

I purchased this camera a couple of weeks ago and couldn't be more happier with it.

I bought this camera for its size (small and compact)and I am delighted. I'm a point and shoot type of guy and love to take photos but hate to carry a camera. After buying the Stylus 300, I took a 5-day trip to the desert with it in a small carrying case on my belt. After five days of hiking and climbing, I didn't even know I was carrying a camera on my belt. If you carry a cell phone on your belt, you won't notice the Stylus 300 there.

Compared to my previous digital camera (Kodak 4800)this camera is a dream to carry. In addition, the battery life appears to be much better than the Kodak. I bought an extra battery for the trip and took approximately 150 photos during the five days and didn't run out of battery life.

A couple of small gripes. First, the camera doesn't allow you to date stamp a photo. I like to use the date stamp on occasion and the Stylus 300 won't allow you to do it.

Second, there is a setting that allows you to reset the camera's settings when you shut the camera off. Or you can choose to keep your setting when shutting down. I would have like to see a chose to lock certain settings and have the camera reset the remaining settings you don't wish to lock.

Third, the camera doesn't come with a carrying case. I bought one for less than $10 that worked fine but an Olympus case would have been nice.

However, these are minor issues that do not distract from the overall performance of the camera. I am very happy with the Stylus 300 and would recommend it to those "point and shoot" folks that don't like the hassle of carrying a camera around all day.


Olympus Stylus 300   March 24, 2003
Bonita Atwood (Redding, CA United States)
22 out of 23 found this review helpful

I am very pleased with the Olympus Stylus 300. I have owned other digital cameras and this one is by far the the best. Small and compact, lots of features, easy to use and produces high quality photos. No fumbling around with lens caps with the built in slider. The camera is weather resistant and has a nice big display for viewing photos. It is everything I wanted in a digital camera and not overpriced.