Olympus Stylus 120 35mm Camera w/ Zoom

by Olympus

Product Details

Product Manual [1.95mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 1.6 x 4.6 x 2.4 inches ; 8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008O2YQ
• Item model number: STYLUS120Z
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,041 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
  • #56 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Film Cameras > Point & Shoot Film Cameras
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 18, 2003

Product Description

Manufacturer Product Description

Get closer to getting the pictures you want with the compact Stylus 120. Its impressive 38 - 120mm zoom lens lets you perfectly frame your subject or zoom in closer from far away. Your photos will come out crisp and clear, too, thanks to Olympus' advanced optics. And with a host of automatic features, a new camera shake indicator, and all-weather reliability, the Stylus 120 makes delivering these appealing results easier than ever before.

Usually, a big zoom means a big camera. But the Stylus 120 features an ultra-compact, stylish design that fits easily in a pocket. A rugged, splash-proof design lets you brave the elements to get the shot.

An 11-point multi-wide autofocus system recognizes off-center subjects and adjusts accordingly, for superior detail in a variety of compositions. With 3 unique optical sensors, the Stylus 120 can easily recognize and overcome difficult backlight and indoor light conditions. Smart flash variable power. Auto color balancing. An intelligent flash helps to reduce red-eye, neutralize fluorescent lighting, ensure natural skin tones and more.

Innovative new camera shake indicator prompts user to steady camera when shake is detected and selects a faster shutter speed to reduce image blur. Auto film load, advance and rewind. You only have to think about what to shoot next.

Product Description

With this Olympus Stylus 120 35mm Camera you get a versatile 38-120mm zoom lens and a camera that is still compact. The powerful lens features aspherical and extra-low dispersion elements for sharp details and vibrant color. Camera also features all-weather design, a shake warning, an advanced 11-point auto focus system, a 6-mode variable power flash with red-eye reduction and auto color balancing, quartz date/time imprint, electronic self-timer with remote control option, a strap and a detailed manual.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best value in its class, June 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Olympus Stylus 120 35mm Camera w/ Zoom (Electronics)

I'm an experienced hobby photographer who's spent many years helping people select the best camera for their needs.
This is an unusually good one for most people's needs.
The difference between a great camera and merely a very good one is versatility -
and versatility is achieved by striking a good balance between capability (features), ease of use (automation) and choice
(manual overrides for when the automation makes a bad decision, which they all do from time to time).
This model strikes a very good balance, and offers an unusually good lens - key to great picture quality - in this price class .

Pro's - 1) Unusually high quality lens, both in terms of construction (aspheric lens elements) and materials (ED glass),
makes for very high quality pictures across the entire zoom range. 2) Stepless zoom - most cameras in this class "step",
that is, they restrict you to a handfull of pre-determined points in the zoom range. So instead of, say, a "38-120" lens

as advertised, you actually have a "38, 50, 70, 90, 120" on these other cameras (Canon, Minolta, and many others).
The Stylus lets you zoom to any point in its range, which makes it easier to frame your picture accurately. 3) Multi-zone
metering detects and automatically corrects for backlight (putting the sun in the picture won't ruin your shot). 4) Spot
metering option let's you tell the camera that you want to concentrate on a small area (your friend's face) under difficult

lighting conditions. 5) Focus lock let's you focus on your subject and then reframe (your friend's face again, next to the
small tree in the foreground - you want your friend in focus, not the tree). 6) Flash modes for just about every conceivable
need in a point and shoot camera. 7) Relatively high shutter speeds for a lens-shutter camera (1/630 second vs 1/400 or so on
some other makes) 8) Advanced flash control adds the right amount of flash when needed, not too much, not too little
9) Small, lightweight, reasonably rugged, weather-resistant, clearly laid out controls, clamshell design protects lens when
closed.

Cons - 1) Zoom range doesn't go truly wide - you won't get a large group in without backing up. This is common to almost all
point and shoot cameras - most people will buy a longer lens rather than a wider one, thinking that "bigger is better". For
people who would rather get the group shot, or that shoot indoors a lot, try the Stylus 100 Wide, which has a true wide
angle lens in it (28-100mm instead of 38-120mm). 2) Clamshell design can develop problems with the electrical contacts (but
other designs can develop problems with their lens covers, so
you're trading one for another here, in my experience). 3) Red-eye reduction is oversold - they all have it, but it's more
annoying than effective. To avoid red-eye, have your subject look just to the side, not right at the camera.

In short, as a "second" camera for the enthusiast, or a "main" camera for the mainstream user, this one's hard to beat.
For the record, I have no relationship with any company or person in the industry.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little camera, packs quite a punch, December 21, 2004

By 

Jack B. Nimble "The Nimble" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olympus Stylus 120 35mm Camera w/ Zoom (Electronics)

I bought the Stylus 120 right before taking a month long trip to Europe over the summer, and I have yet to see a single thing wrong with it. It takes GREAT pictures, and it is quite resilient. I dropped it a couple of times,it was constantly banged around, and yet it always functioned faithfully. The only thing that I can complain about was completly my fault: the manual focus got knocked around when I wasn't paying attention, and so a couple of pictures were out of focus. I would HIGHLY recommend this camera to both amateurs (I never even read the directions, the camera is that simple) and pros alike.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for a while, December 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Olympus Stylus 120 35mm Camera w/ Zoom (Electronics)

This camera has sharp pictures, ease of use, and a good zoom. However, it suffers from a design flaw. To turn the camera on or off, you must slide the lens cover to one side. This design is fragile and thus vulnerable to breaking. We have fixed it once within the first year of use. Recently, it broke again. Fixing it again is more than it is worth, especially given that such a repair would only be temporary. Instead, we are looking for a new camera--one with a traditional (and sturdier) on/off switch.