Olympus Stylus 500 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

by Olympus

Product Details

Supplementary Guide [1.30mb PDF]

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Product Manual [10.94mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 7 x 7 x 4 inches ; 7 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0006PIQE6
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,548 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 24, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer The Stylus 500 is the next in Olympus' best-selling Stylus series of premium point-and-shoot digital cameras. Featuring an impressive 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD that is as bright as it is big, 5.0-megapixels of image resolution, and a compact, durable, all-weather body, the Stylus 500 demonstrates that power and elegance can co-exist in a stylish package that delivers brilliant images.

Designed to Do More
The bright, clear 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD with 215,000 pixels of high resolution puts the Stylus 500 in a class of its own. Because it is a HyperCrystal LCD, it delivers a high contrast image and 160-degree wide-view radius. So gather your friends around--your photos are viewable from above, from the side, and from below. And while conventional LCD screens appear dim against bright light, the HyperCrystal LCD provides excellent visibility in any light condition--on the beach or on the slopes.

The Stylus 500's super-sized 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD is much larger than the 1.5-inch displays common to other cameras in its class.

The Stylus 500 Digital combines a 5.0-megapixel CCD sensor with Olympus' exclusive image processor, TruePic TURBO, which significantly enhances image quality and delivers faster overall processing speeds for rapid startup, shutter release and playback. TruePic TURBO allows the Stylus 500 to capture information from all 5.0 million pixels with pixel "micro-smoothing" that delivers clearer and more color-accurate photos, even at lower resolutions. The result is high quality prints that can be cropped and printed to 11 x 14 inches and larger. The fast startup of less than one second and nearly instant shutter release time ensures high-speed response so you are always ready to take great pictures.

The compact, all-weather Stylus 500 can go virtually anywhere you can. The body is constructed of durable, lightweight metal with rubber gaskets throughout the interior to ensure that rain, sleet, snow or sand won't get in the way of great photos.

Delivering Style
The Stylus 500 represents the next generation of the Stylus line. In addition to the durable, all-weather construction that made the Stylus famous, the Stylus 500 boasts a new flat-surface body design that takes the series in a new direction.

The look of the Stylus 500 is all about clean lines. Smooth, rounded edges make the camera comfortable to hold and easy to handle, and at a compact size of 3.9 x 2.2 x 1.2 inches (W x H x D), it fits snugly into a pocket and will not crowd a backpack. The circular lens barrier tucks away inside the camera body with a snap when powered on, and protects the lens with an impenetrable seal when closed, leaving the camera face smooth and flat. The back of the camera features a simple, functional design that emphasizes the large 2.5-inch LCD.

Designed for Excitement
The Stylus 500 offers advanced features with point-and-shoot simplicity for taking flawless pictures. Designed to perform during a variety of occasions, 23 easy-to-use shooting modes can be accessed through the camera's menu, providing fully automatic exposure adjustments for shooting Portraits, Landscapes, Fireworks, and more. The camera's shooting modes now include two new underwater shooting modes and two Shoot & Select modes, which enable users to shoot rapid sequences of frames then select the best shot from the series and delete the rest.

The Stylus 500 will change the way you view your digital camera. Now instead of simply capturing images with the Stylus 500, you can think of it as a "portable photo album" that goes wherever you go. With a new Album Function, photos can be easily organized into photo albums stored on the camera's xD-Picture Card. Create up to 12 individual albums of 100 images each, in the order you want to show them, and take your photos everywhere--your photo album will no longer be confined to your coffee table.

Intelligent Design
Olympus photos are known worldwide for sharp, vibrant image quality. This is achieved through a number of key technologies, such as Olympus' high-quality all-glass lens (with aspherical lens elements), designed specifically for digital cameras. The lens provides the equivalent of 35 to 105mm, f3.1 to f5.2 in 35mm photography, with 12x combined total zoom (3x optical and 4x digital) to bring the action closer, and a Super Macro Mode that captures details as small as the wings of a butterfly.

The Stylus 500 also features an all-weather speaker and microphone, enabling users to narrate images with personalized audio captions. With its QuickTime Movie Mode, the Stylus 500 can record movies of any length, limited only by the size of the memory card in the camera.

Designed to be Approachable
Connecting the Stylus 500 to a computer is easy with the USB Auto Connect feature, which connects directly via USB 2.0 cable and requires no software. Or, if you prefer, forget the computer altogether. The power of PictBridge technology enables photos to be printed directly from the Stylus 500 to any PictBridge-enabled printer, such as the Olympus P-10 Digital Photo Printer, without using a computer. Printing and sharing images has never been easier, and the P-10's photo lab-quality dye-sublimation printing produces archival-quality prints in rich color.

Olympus Master software provides the ultimate in digital imaging management. An intuitive user interface makes downloading to your computer quick and simple, and images are searchable by date or keyword in the Calendar View. And with one-click editing tools, such as red-eye reduction, images can be touched up before printing or emailing. Online support, templates, firmware upgrades and other user services are just a mouse-click away.

Product Description

Take on more photo opportunities and see each one more clearly with this durable, compact digital. Fully featured, its designed for greater user satisfaction while youre shooting and afterwards

2.5 HyperCrystalTM LCD A greater concentration of richer pixels and a larger monitor with 160-degree tilt ease image-viewing during shooting and playback even in bright sunlight

All-Weather Construction Its tightly-sealed metal body allows for outdoor use, even on a rainy day

32MB xD-Picture Card Card Included

Vibrant and Colorful Images The 5.0 megapixel CCD, 3x optical, 12x total zoom capability helps capture details up close, or at a distance

TruePic TURBO Image Processor Exclusive Olympus technology enables smoother, more accurate images with accelerated startup and shutter release times

23 Selectable Shooting Modes Adapt instantly to any shooting situation: landscape, indoor, sport, sunset, night scene, underwater anytime

QuickTime Mov

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing LCD screen, long battery life, May 13, 2005

By 

Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olympus Stylus 500 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

I've had good experiences with Olympus in the past, so I picked up this camera when I wanted to get into the 5 MP range. This is an outstanding value. The LCD screen is like none other I have ever seen. It is huge. I loved it when I first saw it, and I didn't realize until after I got the camera home that it doesn't have a normal viewfinder at all. The only way to take a picture is with the LCD screen on. That alarmed me because I worred about battery life, but the battery life has turned out to be very long. I've used the camera on many occasions without having the charge the battery. It's long lasting and reliable.

I like that I can charge the battery outside the camera, so I bought an extra battery and always keep my spare one charged up. Some other camera have to be charged with the battery inside, which makes keeping a spare harder.

This is super-light and small. It can be tucked into my purse and it takes up hardly any space at all. I adore the size.

One good test of a camera is how easily people unfamiliar with it can take pictures. I know that I never read the manual. It was immediately obvious how to take pictures or movies or review the old pictures, and other people have picked up on the use of this camera instantly, too. The on screen menus are informative and easy to follow without a manual. There are no obscure codes or symbols to decipher.

In the higher-end camera segment, this 5 MP with a sleek design is an exceptional buy. Highly recommended.

80 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Reviews are True, March 18, 2005

By 

Happy Helper - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olympus Stylus 500 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

This 5.0 MP digital camera is so advanced, it's simple. That's usually a contradiction in the camera market, but Olympus has come up with a definite winner with this offering. Read the reviews and you'll come up with the conclusion that this camera offers a lot for the money, even though you'll probably not use 80 percent of the features. No problem, because the user friendliness of this camera makes it difficult to take bad photos/moving pictures in the "auto" modes. I purchased this camera to replace my Olympus C-5050 (internal battery died and memory feature lost). Because I had several xD cards already invested, my choice was basically limited to Fuji and Olympus. I was also looking for a smaller/lighter camera that is easier to use and has minimal shutter lag (this camera is super quick in all that it does, including shutter lag).

I'm very satisfied with this camera and although I have not used the Canon's, Sony's, Fuji's, HP's, etc., comparative reviews have stated that the picture quality (accuracy and natural tone/colors) of this specific Olympus digital camera is very good. Study for yourself via the internet and you should not be too disappointed with the findings and its value for the money (or your purchase).

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great camera, February 21, 2005

By 

J. Griffin (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olympus Stylus 500 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

I first bought the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1 and was very unhappy with it. The pictures were dark and the red eye was terrible. I exchanged it for the Stylus 500 and after using it for a couple of weeks I am thrilled with this camera. It takes great pictures, it's pretty quick and is very easy to use. Also, compared to the Sony the 2.5 LCD is MUCH clearer. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that wants high quality images and an easy to use camera.