Sheila

I have been reading a lot of good things about the olympus stylus. I have a bulky canon camera with 300 zoom lense. It takes great pictures but I am worried about taking it to Spain because of size. I want to take great pictures. Is the olympus stylus a good substitute for my canon. It will be lighter to carry and less noticeable to thiefs. I would appreciate your advice. Thanks

kam

What size lens does the Olympus Stylus have? I'm also in the market but fairly stupid about such things. My Minolta SLR weighs much too much.

Robin

Hi Sheila-- <BR> <BR>An ironic coincidence: my husband had his Canon SLR stolen in Peru, and had to depend on his Stylus Epic for the remainder of the trip. He got great photos! <BR> <BR>BUT, I don't really feel that even a really good point-and-shoot, which the Olympus is, is a substitute for a "real" camera, if you are really into photography. We carry one SLR and one point-and-shoot EACH these days. That's definitely overkill, but we're only recently married, and haven't gotten over the "his" and "hers" stage yet! Seriously, I think there is a place for a small unobtrusive camera (not only because of thieves, but also to shot candid street scenes) as well as your big equipment. But it's your trip-- what are you willing to carry? <BR> <BR>That's my two cents...

Caitlin

What I can tell you is that I have found the Stylus Epic Zoom 80, which is the first P&S I've evr owned, quite satisfying, and it has taken good pictures. I went with it for the size/weight/unobtrusiveness issue as well, and while you obviously can't be as precise as with an SLR, you can take pretty decent pictures, particularly if you're willing to play with fill flash in the sun and override the flash for a lot of daytime use, including indoors. <BR> <BR>I don't know the weigtht/dimensions of the 140, but the 80 is *so* small and light that I'm sure it's pretty good, too. <BR> <BR>Kam, the Epic Zoom 140 has a 38-140mm lens, and the 80 a 38-80mm. If you care more about a wide angle than a long lens, I believe they make a 28-80mm version as well. <BR> <BR>As an adjunct, I definitely recommend one of the lightweight mini tripods that stow to about four inches--great for nighttime shots.

Sheila

My canon gets so heavy. I took it to Italy last year. I would really love to have one that is really lightweight that shoots great shots. I looked at the olympus stylus 140 and it weighs 9 oz without the batteries so it is very light. It is also weatherproof which is a great asset. I have heard so much about the pickpockets in Spain that I don't want to have a big camera around my neck even though I am sure they can tell that I am a tourist. I would just be really upset if I came back with no good photos. I wanted to get ideas of people that have used this camera overseas. Thanks for everyone's ideas so far.

Jan

Hi Sheila - I bought an Olympus Stylus Zoom 115 for my 11-year-old son to take to France & Italy in April while I carried my Nikon 6006 slr. Many days of the trip, especially in bad weather, we only took "his" camera because of its relatively light weight, concealability etc. The pictures from both were great; my only criticism is that unlike the "crisp" feel of the Nikon shutter, I never know exactly when the photo is being snapped on the Olympus Stylus. Good luck! Jan

Robin

Even though I lobbied for taking the big camera, I can absolutely vouch for great photos from the Stylus. We both have the fixed focal length (non-zoom), but we've gotten some terrific pictures, and others not so great, just like any camera It appears to do a little polarizing automatically, which helps. My only complaint is with portraits-- moderately close up shots aren't always in perfect focus. Possibly this is better with the zoom. But I'm a huge believer in the quality of the line. <BR> <BR>If you can afford it, why not buy one to try before your trip? I'm sure you won't be horribly disappointed, and it will give you a feel for the advantages and compromises.

Sheila

I looked up olympus.com and apparently they have just added a new feature to the stylus 80 and 140 that lets you know that your shot has been made. This might be an asset. If I decide to invest, I will take several rolls of film before my trip. I just can't decide if I want to spend another $300 for a camera since my canon and lenses were expensive. Anyway, thanks everyone and if and when I buy one I will be sure to report back.

Caitlin

Sheila, if you're willing to sacrifice some lens length in your lightweight camera, you can go for the Stylus 115 for under $200 and the 80 for under $150 from somewhere like cameraworld.com (very reputable store), or a little bit more for the DLX versions (quartz date and panorama). If you're used to a 300mm lens, you might not like going with so much less, but you can do a lot with an 80mm lens.

chris

I swear, you guys are going to make me buy a camera (smile). Okay, here I go to olympus.com.

Chris

I am also now looking at the Olympus Stylus 140 zoom, but in the deluxe package. One of the features is panaroma. All I know is that it let's you flip a switch mid-roll for this purpose; however, I am not sure why I am flipping this switch. <BR> <BR>Does this mean that it allows multiple formatted pics, such as wide prints for wide shots? The Olympus web site provides no information on that feature. <BR> <BR>Thank you.

Claye

Great little camera. Have used the 140 on two different trips to europe. No problems at all. Used 800 speed film last time and was very satisfied. Best feature to me is the clamshell on/off function. Can keep it in a pocket without worrying about hitting a button and the camera trying to operate.

dan woodlief

Which Canon camera do you have? I also feel that no point and shoot is likely to be as useful as an SLR, but if you use the SLR on completely auto mode anyway, some probably come close. The Stylus does have a good rep. The reason I asked what camera you have is that another option is to get another lens (a lighter and smaller one). 300 mm is not necessary for most photos during European travel. Even 200 mm is overkill for a large percentage. I use a 28-105 zoom for about 80-90% of my photos when traveling and a 70-210 for most of the rest.

Sheila

I have never used 800 film. Is that better for inside churches, etc? I have always used 400 and had good luck except in some of the darker churches. Is there a problem with blurring your pictures using the 800? Thanks

tom

sheila - <BR> <BR>the Kodak 800 max film is remarkably good (for a print film). Color is only very slightly less saturated than 400 film, and graininess is only very slightly worse than the 400 (not noticeable on the typical 4x6 print). <BR> <BR>there will actually be LESS chance of blurring than with 400 film, since 800 film uses a faster shutter speed. it will increase the chance of getting a useable photo in a darker room or church. <BR> <BR>But since P&S cameras generally don't display the shutter & aperture info, it's hard to say what your results will be ..."your mileage may vary". Any hand held exposure under 1/30 second runs risk of blurring. <BR> <BR>I generally have my son use 800 Max in his P&S. When I need a very high speed print film (rare), I'll use 800 also. But generally I stick to the slower speed slide films, and use a tripod or monopod when necessary. <BR> <BR>for you slide film users out there, kodak E200 push processes up to +3 stops with quite good results ...kodak recommends an actual EI of 800-1000 when pushed +3. At recommended EI320 (+1 push) it looks excellent. I use E100S, E100VS, & E200 nearly exclusively now.

Sheila

To Dan: I have a EOS Rebel G Canon with a 38 to 80 lens. I also have a 300 zoom extra lens. Even without the extra zoom the rebel is bulky and quite noticeable. It takes great pictures but on my trip to Spain, I was just thinking about a smaller point and shoot like the olympus stylus 140. I would still have the zoom and hopefully good pictures. I am trying not to be a target for pickpockets and was also thinking with it being weatherproof that that was a great asset. You never know when a shower will come along. Thanks again everyone for ideas.

dan woodlief

Sheila, I guess you may want a P&S then because the Rebel is pretty light in weight compared to other Canons. In fact, because of this some photographers say it makes a good camera to take along when you don't want to weigh yourself down. I personally would take both cameras. A lot of people, myself included, take an SLR or two with a P&S when less bulk is wanted (eg., going out to eat at night). Do you know anyone who has one? You could borrow and compare.

Caitlin

For Chris: <BR> <BR>The panorama function lets you take "wide" shots, which are usually printed up on 4x10(?) paper. Basically, the camera blocks out bars across the top and bottom of the frame so you're left with something that's a lot wider than high relative to standard 35mm negs. The part of the frame that is blocked out is shaded in the camera's viewfinder, so you can see what will be visible when you compose the shot. Obviously, you're not making your lens angle any wider, so you're not changing what you can get into the frame, but the panorama frame alters the composition in a way that can be pleasing when you're looking for those sweeping shots and have limited options and aren't going to take the time to really crop your own prints, by cutting out the extraneous matter at the top and bottom of the frame. I tend to regard it as a bit gimmicky, but you can also look at it as another way to do something different with a little P&S, if it's your one camera. I got the DLX version of the Epic Zoom 80 because my boyfriend was (inexplicably, to me) excited by the panorama idea, and I have to say that he took a couple in Paris this spring which look pretty neat and made it into the album.

chris

Caitlin, <BR> <BR>Regarding your Epic Zoom 80, if you simply had this as your only camera, do you feel that you are giving up much if you did not have the Zoom 140 instead? <BR> <BR>One nice gentleman sent me a recommendation that I consider a Pentax IQZoom 928M point & shoot because because he did not have to lug his SLR around and due to the fact that the 28mm captured great wide landscape. <BR> <BR>I guess my question is this, if I were to buy only one p and s, would I have greater flexibility from a 28mm-90, or a 38mm-140mm? <BR> <BR>Comments from all are welcome. Thank you.

MarkJ

I went through a similar dilemma last year, new SLR or p&s. I went to a local camera shop and looked at various p&s. Had it narrowed down to the Pentax 928 and the Rollie 28 - 90. Then I looked at the Cannon Rebel 2000. This is the lightest SLR I've seen and with the 28-80 lens it is still light and I can put it in my rain coat pocket. It takes great pictures. Don't get me wrong it is larger than a p&s but it isn't terribly heavy. May still get a p&s for times when I'm not planning on taking pictures but want to have something "just in case". Good luck!!!