Image Quality
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.
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.
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.
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
The Olympus MJU 840 is a smaller compact digital camera that should fit into most pockets. It has a slight slope to the front of the camera giving it a more unique look than the more typical, standard rectangular shape. It is available in a choice of colours: black, silver, pink and blue.
Although the MJU 840 offers the simplicity of a point and shoot camera it also has one or two extra features that make it a clear step up from an entry level camera. These include image stabilisation and a longer than standard 5x optical zoom lens. While this does not exactly put the MJU 840 into the super zoom category every little helps with additional zoom, especially on these smaller cameras.
There is also a good sized 2.7 inch LCD screen for composing photos and accessing the menu system. It also has face detection technology for sharper portrait shots.
Style | Ultra Compact |
Megapixels | 8 |
Print Ratios | 4:3, 16:9 |
File Formats | JPEG |
Memory Cards | xD |
Zoom | 5x |
Focal Length Equivalent | 36 -180 mm |
Shutter Speed | 1/2 - 1/2000 s / <> |
Aperture | f/3.3 - 5.0 |
Sensitivity | ISO 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 |
White Balance Settings | Sunlight, Tungsten, Overcast, Flourescent 1, Flourescent 2, Flourescent 3 |
ExposureCompensation | -2EV to +2EV (in 1/3EV steps) |
Viewfinder | No |
LCD Screen | 2.7 inches |
Flash Modes | AUTO, On, Off, Red Eye Reduction |
Flash Range | 3m |
Shooting Modes | Portrait, Landscape, Landscape with Portrait, Night Scene, Night Scene with portrait, Sports, Indoor, Candle, Self-portrait, Available Light Portrait, Sunset, Fireworks, Cuisine, Behind Glass, Documents, Auction, Shoot & Select 1, Shoot & Select 2, Beach and Snow, Pre-Capturing Movie |
Maximum Movie Resolution | 640 x 480 pixels |
Maximum Movie Frames Per Second | 15 fps |
Maximum Movie Duration | 10 seconds |
Macro Focus | 3cms |
Metering | ESP, Spot |
ManualControls | None |
Image Stabilisation | Yes |
Lens Converters | No |
Self Timer | Yes |
Video Out (TV Playback) | Yes |
Computer Connection | Yes |
Batteries | Lithium ion |
Dimensions | 96.4 x 56.5 x 24.0 m |
Weight | 130g |
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