Released 12 years ago, the Olympus Stylus 1 is a feature-packed superzoom camera which can still produce some stunning shots, despite its diminutive 1/1.7″ sensor.
Styled on the company’s hugely successful OM-D E-M5 mirrorless compact system camera, the Stylus 1 employs a 12MP BSI CMOS sensor coupled with a 28-300mm equivalent lens with a constant F2.8 maximum aperture.
There’s also a bright electronic viewfinder and flip out rear screen.
Here’s some JPEG images straight out of the camera from a walk around Vauxhall and central London.
The Stylus 1 takes about two seconds to start up and is ready to take a shot immediately thanks to its nifty flip-open lens cap.
The zoom length really adds versatility to a day’s shooting,
The camera is super light with great ergonomics.
The maximum 300mm zoom range – which is backed by optical stabilisation – lets you pick up loads of detail from afar.
At night, the small sensor begins to struggle but can still produce useable images. This is at ISO 2000.
More about the camera
I had a heap of fun with this camera. It’s super light, starts up quickly, packs an almighty zoom, has plenty of manual and creative options and can take high quality images if the light is good.
It definitely shows its age when the sun goes down (although there is a built in flash) but as a carry-everywhere point and shoot or travel camera, it’s a winner.
Shop around and you can pick one up second-hand around £300-£350.
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