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Olympus Stylus Epic QD CG Date 35mm Camera

Olympus Stylus Epic QD CG Date 35mm Camera

List Price: $119.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Small Little Camera
Review: My previous camera was a Canon Sureshot 80. I lost this at Six Flags on a rollercoaster ride. I picked Epic Stylus because it was very small and easy to carry around. This camera fit in my pockets even when I was wearing jeans. Becuase of its size it allowed me to have a camera available whenever Kodak moments arrive. The sleek design and the clam shell design keep the lens protected. The first roll I took turned out really great. This is a great no hassle camera. Well work the $.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Professional level point n shoot
Review: By far the best point n shoot camera. Results are crisp, sharp, and have better color resolution than any zoom model. Handles slide film neatly. Only competitor in point n shoot range is the Yashica T4 Super.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Camera in Amazon
Review: After you do photography for a while you start to understand that all that matters in a camera is the lens. The Olympus Epic had the best lens out of all point-and-shoot cameras (and most of SLR zoom lenses) here as of June 2000.You may ask are there better lenses in P/S cameras? The answer is yes; for example Ricoh GR1 has slightly better lens. The price is $450, and it is unavailable in the US. The only P/S camera in Amazon with comparable optics is Lomo Automatic, but it is very strange camera - you have to read the reviews and decide for yourself if you like Lomo. It is much easier and cheaper to construct high quality fixed focal lens than zoom lens which is the reason for high lens quality in Olympus and Lomo. Unfortunately, this creates the only problem I experienced with Epic. Its fixed focal length is 35 mm (this means that camera has 1.5 larger field of view than human eye, so everything looks 1.5 times smaller than in real life) which requires moving really close to the object to fill the frame. So, it is not very good for portraits, but excellent for buildings and landscapes. The bottom line: as many advanced amateurs and pros believe the camera has the best quality/price ratio in the world

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Handy Camera
Review: This camera is very small and sometimes hard to keep track of.Lightweight and easy to use.The only problem I have had so far and mabey a big problem is the red eye.I haven't had the camera very long and may still need to learn where to use the flash and where not to.Fact is every picture i took indoors with this camera has turned out with horrible red eye.I will keep experimenting with the flash but as far as convenience is concerned the camera is very easy to pack around.As a matter of fact you can lose it if your not careful it is so small.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Clear pictures
Review: The Epic QD CG is the Epic model that I bought, with the quartz date imprinting (which I've never used) and the attractive metallic "champagne gold" finish that aren't in the base model, but without the "panoramic" image-cropping in the more expensive DLX model.

The f/2.8 lens is sharp and bright, and the camera is small enough to carry in my pants pocket. But the feature I like best is the accurate exposure system. The default automatic mode uses fill flash effectively. You can also force the flash off or on, or combine foreground flash with long exposure for night scenes.

The flash is bright enough to reach 27' with ISO 400 film, and its brightness is automatically reduced to prevent overexposure of subjects as close as 1.1'. The flash is close to the lens, so you should use the red-eye-reduction mode when the ambient lighting is dim and your subject's pupils are dilated. Using this mode, I have never shot a subject with red eyes.

If you don't absolutely need a zoom lens, this is a handy camera that takes great pictures.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: the best camera is the one in your hands
Review: and often, the Stylus Epic is in your hands. But more than its pocketability, what makes the Epic click (sorry, bad pun) is the lens. It's one of the rarest in the current generation of P&S cameras because of its large aperture (2.8). then there are the clever touches. ability to detect fluorescent lighting, six flash modes including slow sync (an SLR feature), a spotmeter, weatherproofing. If I have a complaint, it's that the camera resets to all auto when you switch it off. But then, it is a point and shoot, isn't it?

It is not without a few caveats: hold it steady, TO AVOID BLURRY SHOTS, especially when shooting in the Night Scene mode, where the initial flash freezes the action, but then the camera leaves the shutter open for the ambient exposure, often too long, resulting in streaks and double images. Not even its speed will compensate for sloppy handling. Also, those suggestions about shooting in spot mode whenever possible are correct. The camera is just much more accurate and faster focusing when concentrating only on the central sensor.

Outdoors, the camera performs better with forced (FILL) flash, as it prevents ugly shadows from forming under eyes and chin of subject. In fact, I believe FILL flash mode should be the default mode for cameras of this type.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's there when you need it!
Review: I recently purchased this little point-and-shoot to replace my original Stylus, the black Infinity that I carried with me for about 10 years or so. Some months ago my son "borrowed" it, and I finally realized that I was never going to see it again. Using my SLR was a real pain, due to size and weight and accessories, and I found I wasn't taking very many pictures. I was so happy to find that this model's still available! I did check out a couple of the the zoom-model Styluses, but decided that for my purposes I wanted something really dependable and simple and quick -- that also wouldn't eat up batteries. Also it's the smallest and lightest.

I worked in Egypt for several years doing archaeological drawing, and visited practically every temple, tomb, museum, marketplace, and anything else interesting in the major cities and elsewhere. My old Stylus produced hundreds of great photos, and I'm looking forward to another decade or so of having this little guy with me at all times.

When was the last time you said, "Damn, I wish I had my camera!"? No excuses with this one. Get one. You'll see. And DO READ THE LITTLE INSTRUCTION BOOK -- it has many good tips, especially for that red-eye problem.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Forget the BIG ZOOM. Go with this little guy
Review: Let me start off by saying that I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to photography. All things considered, I would much rather shoot film than digital. I primarily shoot in B+W, with an SLR, process my own film, and if I need a digital copy, I'll have the film scanned. I own a terrific little digi-cam (Canon S330), but I never fell in love with the format.

That being said, I wanted to compliment my SLR system with a small 35mm camera to carry with me all the time. I considered a Lomo, but decided against it taking into consideration the reliability issues. Since I love my EOS Elan 7e and the S330 performs commendably, I choose a Canon Sure Shot 115u. I wasn't very impressed with the first few rolls, but I wasn't expecting much from a point and shoot. After about 10 or so rolls, I did some research (perhaps later than I should have). I learned that the key to a good point and shoot was the speed of the lens. Very few point and shoots have fast lenses, and a big whopping zoom only slows down the lens more. The lens on the 115u is an f5.6 at its fastest, with zoom fully retracted. The overall choice from the research was the old Yashica T4, which is no longer available. The second choice was the Stylus Epic. The lens is an f 2.8. I bought one and boy was I surprised.

This camera is terrific! Quick is the best way to describe it. Out of the box, the instructions are simple. I was up and taking pictures immediately. The auto-focus and auto-exposure lock on accurately in the blink of an eye. The auto-flash performs an admirable job of providing enough light without washing out the subject. The flash also fires to overcome exposure issues from fluorescent and tungsten lighting. Pictures come out sharp and detailed.

But here is the secret...pop in a roll of ISO 400 (or ISO 3200 if you are adventurous) black and white or ISO 800 color film, engage the spot mode, turn off the flash (as simply described in the manual) and shoot away. The indoor photos are spectacular. The camera favors wide aperture over a slow shutter speed. Camera shake is almost never an issue. One doesn't have to feel so invasive with the flash popping off when trying to get some candid shots. The pictures develop with a true, natural lighting that so many photographers crave.

The drawbacks of this little guy are the same ones as others have said. When you close the lens cover, the next time you open it up, you have to re-set your settings; because it is small, if you are not careful, your finger can get in the way of the lens; and the buttons are difficult to operate even for people with Lilliputian digits. However, these are minor concerns.

This review may be a little hyperbolic, but I am very impressed with this camera. Just remember it is a point and shoot and not an SLR. If you want true versatility, you will be disappointed. However, I have had my Epic for a little less than a month, it has not left my side, and I have shot 15 rolls of film (even in the snow; don't forget the weather-proofing). It was exactly what I wanted. If you think you need a zoom lens, you don't.; move closer to your subject. If that doesn't help, the photograph probably wouldn't have been that good with the zoom lens anyway.

PS The 115u resides in the glove compartment of my car, just in case I ever have an accident I need to document.


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Impressive, but not perfect
Review: Several reviews enhance on how good camera is this so I'll go to the point with some examples.
1. I've taken photos with the object very close to the camera (15 inch) with the spot metering mode with candle light, tripod, without flash, ASA 400, with impressive results.
2. I've taken photos with the object very close to the camera (14 inch) with to spot mering mode with flash, without over exposure and impressive results.
So, I would support that the short (14 inch) focus capability is great and useful. If you want close photos of objects with a idiot proof little camera, I mean without zoom, tele, macro as it should be this is the choice.

3. I had met several focus problems with objects at 2m from the camera, hope that practice would help me to improove. However some photos have excellent focus and sharpness.
4. Excellent dark sunset photos with the night scene mode with ASA 100 and tripod.
5. Red eye reduction pre strobes are unconfortable, but very effective.
6. I prefer this than cheap zoom cameras.

Definitevely I support the several comments of experts telling this is incredible considering the price.



Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great little camera, but...
Review: Excellent P&S... it took clear & crisp photographs for the 3 or 4 years that it worked. It however did bite the dust after a bit of abuse (a rafting trip where it got a little wet). That was pretty disappointing.

The only problem with it is that it seemed to always want to shoot wide open regardless of the amount of light it had, so it wasn't too reliable in getting the depth of field I wanted for most people in landscape shots.




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