Monday, Nov 5, 2007 - Here's what I receive
in the box:
Stylus 830 (Black)
No memory card
Li-Ion rechargeable battery LI-42B (3.7V 740mAh)
Battery Charger LI-40C with Power Cord
Wrist Strap
USB and A/V Cables
Documentation: Quick Start Guide Instruction Manual (English, French and Spanish versions)
Software CD: Olympus Master 2. [Note that the Advanced Manual
is now optional and can be purchased online.]
The Olympus Stylus 830 features 5x optical zoom, Dual Image Stabilization, Face Detection, Shadow Adjustment, Perfect Shot Preview, a 2.5-in. (230K) LCD that gains up very well in low-light -- all in a fashionably elegant body which is slim enough to slip into your jeans pocket. Oh, and did we mention it is also splashproof due to its all-weather capability?
The unique weather-proofing is a hallmark of the Stylus line of easy-to-use digital cameras and means that you have a digicam that you should be able to use almost anywhere and anytime -- even when the weather turns a bit inclement.
It is important to note that "all-weather"
does not mean "waterproof." What the Olympus Stylus 830 has are
rubber gaskets throughout the interior to ensure
that water, moisture or dust does not get into
the sensitive parts of the camera in normal use.
Outwardly visible are rubber gaskets lining the
battery and Terminals compartments. Note that the Stylus 830 features underwater scene modes but I have not been able to find the availability of an optional underwater case.
There are a series of optional premium leather cases that add to the fashion element of this camera. Or, carry it in an optional neoprene armband case when you are out jogging.
The Stylus 830 is mainly a point-and-shoot digicam. Performance is quite good though image quality is average. I find that my pictures are not as sharp or detailed as I expected even at ISO 64.
Note that the specifications online list ISO 80 as the lowest ISO but this is a mistake: it should read ISO 64.
The Olympus Master 2 software is very user-friendly. It displays all info on one screen, including
very complete EXIF info. You can do image editing,
resize, crop, insert text, brightness & contrast,
color balance, tone curve, gamma, auto tone correction,
hue & saturation, monochrome & sepia,
sharpness & blur, distortion correction and
red-eye reduction.
The Olympus Stylus 830 is well
designed, fast in operations and the all-weather
feature means that you can use it most anywhere.
Improvement suggestion: image quality gives results
that are good enough for most snapshooters, but
more advanced photographers would prefer at least
one quality level up. The LCD gain up feature
is easily the best we've seen and its many Scene
Modes make it point-and-shoot simple to use.
