The Olympus Stylus 600 Digital is an all-weather
digital camera with rubber gaskets in the sensitive
areas to protect against the elements. Note that
this camera is not waterproof, so don't go dunking
it into water. Startup is average at about 2 sec.
and shot to shot time is fast at under 1 sec.
Autofocus is fast and precise even in low-light
situations.
STYLE
-
Colours: overall silver
with dark grey backplate
-
Looks: modern, fashionable
FEEL
-
Needs a bit more space
at the back for thumb
-
Needs non-slip rubber-coating,
especially if this camera is going to
be used in wet conditions
DIMENSIONS &
WEIGHT
-
Compact: fits in a pants pocket, coat
pocket or small handbag
-
Dimensions: 97W x 55H x 26.5D mm /
3.8W x 2.2H x 1.0D in.
-
Weight: light at 128g / 4.52 oz (without
battery and media card)
-
Takes 1 Li-ion rechargeable battery
SPEED OF OPERATION
-
Average startup with lens extending
about 14 mm (0.6 in.) and LCD turning
on in about 2 sec.
-
Shot to shot time in about 1 sec.
Included in the box is a Li-ion rechargeable
battery, and a battery charger. It takes approximately
2 hrs to recharge a fully depleted battery.
Controls
The top of the camera has only the Power Button
and the Shutter Release Button. All the other
controls are found on the back.
The back is taken over by an extra large 2.5
in. LCD monitor, and the controls are on the right
side, a bit crowded together (there is just barely
enough space for the thumb to rest). There is
no Mode Dial but instead there is a convenient
Scene Button: press it and you get to select from
24 easy-to-use Scene Modes, plus Movie.
You can record movies without sound at SHQ (640
x 480), HQ (320x240) and SQ(160x120) all at 15fps,
limited only by the amount of your memory card.
At SHQ (640x480), you'll be able to store approx.
6 sec. of movie in the Internal Memory, or approx.
1 min. 53 sec. on a 128MB xD-Picture Card. You
can zoom during movie recording.
FUNCTIONS ACCESSIBLE
BY CONTROL BUTTONS (clockwise starting from
the Zoom buttons)
4 Way Arrows (Exposure Compensation,
Flash, Self-timer, Macro)
-
MENU/OK
-
Easy Print
-
Erase
SEQUENTIAL SHOOTING
-
Normal speed: 1.3 frames per second
up to the full capacity of the memory
in HQ mode
-
High speed: 4.3 frames per second up
to 12 frames in SQ1 (160 x 120) mode
-
You select a Sequential Shooting mode
on the Camera tab of the Mode Menu.
EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
/ HISTOGRAM
-
Exposure compensation is directly
accessible by using the UP ARROW key.
Once it displays, use UP and DOWN ARROW
keys to dial in a value.
-
A live Histogram can be displayed
on screen in shooting mode by repeatedly
pressing the DISP button until the Histogram
displays. You can also display the Histogram
in Playback mode.
-
Once set, the Exposure Compensation
Indicator conveniently stays displayed
on screen until it is reset to "0"
-
Range: -2 EV to +2 EV (13 steps in
1/3 EV increments)
-
The screen brightness will increase
or decrease to reflect the value you
use
-
Note: the exposure compensation value
selected is retained even when the camera
is turned off (so remember to reset
to "0" after using it or the
next time you turn the camera on, your
shots may be over- or under-exposed.)
LCD & Menus
There is no viewfinder but an extra large 2.5
in. LCD monitor with a standard 115,000 pixels
resolution. We'd prefer more resolution on the
LCD monitor. The refresh rate is adequate but
not as fast and smooth as we'd like. You can manually
adjust the LCD monitor's brightness in SETUP to
display a brighter image.
The LCD monitor also gains up in low-light to
display a brighter image to allow you to compose.
This is by far the very best "gain-up"
implementation we have seen in any digital camera
that also has this feature. Kudos to Olympus
engineers.
There is no AF-assist but I've found auto focusing
to be quite fast and precise in most low-light
situations, even better than some digital cameras
with AF-assist.
The Menu structure is the traditional Olympus
"wheel" structure with a Mode Menu and
3 Shortcut Menus, which means that all functions
are accessed thru the Menu.
Advanced photographers will be glad to know that
they can display a live Histogram.
MENU
- Standard Olympus "Wheel" Structure
Menu: Mode Menu and 3 Shortcut Menus: ISO,
White Balance, Image Quality
MODE MENU: Camera Tab
- Set shooting related functions
- Light Metering: ESP, Spot
- Drive (Single, Normal, High Speed)
- Digital Zoom (On, Off)
- AF Mode (iESP, Spot)
- Panorama
MODE MENU: Card Tab
- All Erase
- Format
- Backup (Copy images from Internal Memory
to memory card)
MODE MENU: SETUP 1 of 3
- RESET
- Language (English, Français, Español,
Portugues)
- Power ON using SCENE Button (Yes, No)
- Power ON Setup (pic to display on Power
ON)
- Record View (displays picture just taken
for about 3 sec.)
MODE MENU: SETUP 2 of 3
- File Name (Auto, Reset)
- Pixel Mapping
- LCD MOnitor Brightness
- Date / Time
- Dual Time Setup (for those who travel
frequently across time zones)
MODE MENU: SETUP 3 of 3
- Video Out (NTSC, PAL)
- Histogram (On, Off)
- Frame Assist (None, Horizontal/Vertical
Grid, Diagonal Grid)
ISO 1 of 2
- Auto, 64, 100, 200
ISO 2 of 2
- 400
- 800, 1600 (at SQ1 1600x1200)
IMAGE QUALITY
- Ships from factory set to HQ (2816x2112)
WHITE BALANCE 1 of 2
- Auto
- Daylight
- Overcast
- Tungsten
WHITE BALANCE 2 of 2
- Fluorescent1
- Fluorescent2
- Fluorescent3
EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
- -2 EV to +2 EV (13 steps in 1/3 EV increments)
- Stays active even when camera is turned
off and on again
FRAMING GUIDE
- Program Auto shooting mode
- +0.3 Exposure Compensation
- ISO 64
- xD-Picture Card used
- Space for 348 pictures
- Image Quality: SHQ (2816x2112)
- Self-timer ON
- Flash OFF
- Super Macro ON
HISTOGRAM
- You can display the Histogram in Recording
and Playback modes
- Cannot display both Framing Guide and
Histogram
The Olympus Stylus 600 Digital is overall
a well-built digital camera. The camera is light
and compact. Operations are fast and the many
Scene Modes make this a very easy-to-use and operate
point-and-shoot digital camera. More advanced
photographers will welcome the live Histogram.
