Customer Reviews

Olympus Stylus 600 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this Olympus after my Canon S400 died (yet another victim of the "memory card error" problem). In addition to its compact size, I started to really enjoy its continuous shooting mode to take action shots of my kids in their various sports events like swimming and running. The old Canon used to be able to shoot about 6 or 7 shots in burst mode before it would pause for several seconds while it stored the pictures on the memory card. When I went looking for a replacement (I ruled out all Canons), I found this Olympus. In terms of size, it closely matched the S400, but I was mostly interested in its continuous shooting function.

The Olympus web site claimed the Stylus 600 could shoot continuously until the memory card filled up. I was skeptical, but I ordered it along with an xD memory card. When I got it, I put the camera in continous shooting mode, and held the shutter down to see how many shots I could get before the camera paused. It kept going and after collecting 50 shots, I quit. The Olympus demonstrated to me that it can shoot several seconds' worth of action shots without having to pause. AMAZING! I can't wait to start shooting my kids' next sporting events!

I have had wonderful experiences with previous Olympus Stylus film cameras and I'm hoping this digital camera will hold up as well as the film cameras. So far, I'm loving this one!

I was excited when I first bought this, my third Olympus digital. I upgraded from the D-540 because I wanted more megapixels, was intrigued by all the extras (which I agree are cool), and wanted to pass on my old camera to my son so I'd get better pics of the grandkids in Australia.

Okay, I should have read the specs more carefully. The camera comes without a memory card. No problem, I had a couple of 128 xd cards from my old camera. Didn't realize they'd only hold about 40 high resolution pics with 6MPs. Bought a 1G card for $80. No problem. The price I paid for a 6MP camera was unbelievable. With the 1G card, I can take about an hour of video. Wish it had sound, but hadn't really considered it as a selling point anyway. I can also store about 400 SHQ still photos. Super!

Loved the huge LCD screen, didn't think it would be a problem not to have a viewfinder, as I rarely use one. BIG MISTAKE! When I tried taking pictures in bright outdoor light, I discovered it was impossible to see what I was shooting. So my whold Australia trip is documented by photos I took blind. Some are good, but only by chance. I had to shoot multiple shots of everything outdoors, hoping I'd get at least one decent photo.
And yes, I tried all the settings, including beach and snow, landscape, landscape portrait, etc.

I've scoured the internet for reviews of this camera that mention this problem, and can only consider that others haven't used it in bright summer light, as it came out in September in the northern hemisphere, and most buyers haven't taken summer outdoor photos. Or maybe my camera is defective. Hope to read more here in coming months.

I've loved my previous two Olympus digital cameras. I can't tell you how disappointed I am with this otherwise exceptional camera. And it appears that most manufacturers of cameras in this price range are leaving off the viewfinder. Comments from other users will be gratefully appreciated.

UPDATE: This is the response I received from Olympus NOT SATISFACTORY! "Unfortunately, the camera does not have a viewfinder, and as any LCD screen the monitor of this camera may not be visible when exposed to bright sunlight."

I was not as careful as I thought when I researched this purchase. The camera is awesome, but I really wanted to be able to take short movies (with sound!) and voice annotate photos for later reference. The model below and above this one (the 500 and the 800) both have sound. This one does not. I guess something had to be left out to get it as small as it is. I am returning it for a Stylus 800. A little bigger (bad) and 8 megapixel (unnecessary), but it will do the job for only a little more money.

The good: Takes decent pictures for a camera in its price range. It is small. It is weatherproof, which is a very nice feature. Looks nice too. The large LCD is nice for taking pictures.

The bad:
Very poorly designed LCD in that it uses a very thin piece of plastic to protect it. It is VERY easily broken and takes very little pressure to bend the plastic covering. If you buy this camera, do NOT carry it in you pocket. My screen broke durign very normal and non-abusive use, carrying it in my pocket. Due to the fragile nature and poor engineering of the LCD, I would not recommend purchasing this camera.

I still have my first digital - a 2Mp Olympus. I always liked the shooting modes that Olympus seemed to excel with in these small digitals, especially the night mode, as it would produce nicely balanced good color shots for indoor photos.
The 600 goes way beyond that, with a small size, LARGE screen (2.5" is big anyway, but looks huge on this camera), and TWENTY-FOUR scene shooting modes.
I'm thinking the auto-slide lens cover should be more durable than the hand-sliding cover on my older Olympus, which broke and has required personal babying (no loaning) ever since.

Back to the shooting modes: no full-auto mode is EVER going to be perfect because there are too many considerations, but these shooting modes are great help for those of us who are a bit challenged in selecting optimal settings in manual cameras. Users who are having issues with specific types of shooting conditions need to try these out, because they appear to work great when used as titled. They include well-executed standards such as "Indoor", and special goodies such as "Candle", "Cuisine", "Behind glass", "Fireworks", "Beach/Snow", "Reducing Blurr", and 3 different underwater modes including a macro. If you're uncertain about a scene mode from its' title, just wait about 5 seconds and it will describe on-screen what the mode is intended for. "Auction" example: "Captures 3 pictures sequentially at different exposures in the appropriate size for e-auction." Sweet!

Another surprise is the Super Close-Up mode, signified only by the "S" next to the flower. Select it and prepare to be amazed: you normally have to spend twice this much money to have this level of close-up capability in a digital. In fact, it takes close-ups that approach the older full-size 5mb Nikon Coolpix I use at work.

A big plus on this Stylus 600 camera is speed: fast start-up, fast sequential pictures. (Still has the typical 3/4 sec delay in single-shot pics if you haven't done the half-shutter pre-focus step.)

This is a Superb always-have-it-with-you camera, as long as you don't need what it DOESN'T do. No, the video doesn't have sound. If you need that, bump up or down to another model. I chose to use a video camera when I need video with sound, because all compact still-cameras in this price range are going to compromise video resolution and frame-rate enough that I prefer the real thing. No, it doesn't have the manual settings that professional fotogs can't live without. No, there is no viewfinder, so yes, it would be a pain to take a lot of high-quality pics in bright sun: if you need to do it, either be frustrated or rig a sun-shield to help you see the screen. This was a design trade-off due to small real-estate on the camera's back: losing the viewfinder to get the huge 2.5" screen. For me it was worth it, because I can see enough in the daylight to aim the camera and snap several shots. I can sort through and crop/delete later, and the big screen makes it easy to zoom in and check out the details.

Brian at UltimateSyntheticOil.com

I've had my Olympus camera for 4 months now and have taken over 1000 photos. I must say that while I'm thrilled with its superfast startup time, compact size and ease of use, I'm very unsatisfied with the photo quality.
Outdoor photos are quite good - when good light is available. Indoor photos are a very poor though. The flash makes close images very bright and background images very dark. It can't seem to blend the two together. I've tried every setting on the camera with little success.
One other let down is when taking a close up of someones face with the flash, you can notice the moisture on someones face - even when you can't with the naked eye. It stands out like bright spots, ruining a perfectly good shot.

My camera before this was a 4 year old 2.1MP Kodak and quality wise (forgetting megapixels) is was a better camera.

I bought this camera camera because of its size and durability. Had I known the picture quality was so bad, I'd have picked a different model.

If I had my time again., I would not buy this camera.

This is my fourth digital camera... and my 2nd Olympus digital camera...

Pros: Light and small, huge view screen on the back, good clear pictures on screen, but I didnt love the way they came out on paper (even when I took it to a photo center). Super zoom, all 26 settings ensure that you get the right shot... you just have to know which one to use on the spot =0)

Cons: I got this camera for Xmas and after my recent trip to Hawaii it no longer wants to zoom. It hasn't even been 6 months! It takes pics with the normal zoom just fine but when I try to zoom in the lens automatically turns in and the camera turns off. I'm not sure why, I kept it in a case the whole time didn't take it near the water/sand, and have not had any accidents. Other than my recent experience it has been great.

So far I find myself favoring the Canon models and the Sony models (if you don't mind a slightly larger camera).

This is my second digital camera. I started with an HP 318 - a nice starter camera. When I decided to step up I did not research well enough. I get some very good shots with the 600, but the lack of a viewfinder on a sunny day is an insurmountable problem. It is worse than shooting blind because all you see in the viewfinder is your own reflection. As a side note, Olympus tech support was totally unsympathetic and suggested I try to find a 3rd party clip on shading device for the unit. I could not find one.

I am also frustrated with the color quality. Photos looked washed out and lacking in vibrance. Many require color adjustment after I download them. I have read the manual from cover to cover, tried numerous techniques, but I feel this camera is lacking in basics. I have gotten some great shots, but on the whole, I would not recommend this camera. For the same price, or a little more, you can do much better.

I love this little camera. I have just come back from a trip across four continents, and I can tell you that I could not have wished for a better camera. Now, I don't want to mislead you, the photos will turn out blurry at first. If you use the anti-shake feature, you are limited in HOW the photos come out (resolution, megapixels, color). My advice to fix that problem (if they are blurry, then it is the PHOTOGRAPHER'S problem, not the camera) is to follow the camera's suggestion on how to hold it. It really does make a difference.

I only put the camera in my pocket a few times, and never had any problems, though I do know that cracks are a possibility with this camera. Most of the time, I put it in a camera carrying case, which with the camera, a spare full battery, and an extra memory card, it was all able to fit in the palm of my hand. I don't remember what the brand of the case was, but it's probably nylon and I bought it at Target.

The screen is pretty amazing. It's 2.5 inches, which is really great and easy to use. You are not squinting like you would with other cameras. In fact, the resolution on the screen is less thant that of the camera's abilities. Yeah, it's that great! Just about everybody on my trip this summer wanted my camera -- they spent their money on Kodaks and Sonys, but my photos came out the best, and my camera was ALWAYS ready to be used. Yes, it is hard to see in the daylight (most of the time in the desert it was hard to see), but that has got to be expected in the bright sunshine. Especially if your back is to the sun.

The camera is All-Weather (I think all Olympus brand cameras are). In my travels this summer, I was able to use it flawlessly in the pouring freezing rain, in the snow, and in the desert. It has it's temperature limits, but chances are you'll be within them. They are wide.

As can be expected because it is a longer exposure time, the night mode can be difficult to use, especially without a tripod.

For batteries: buy ONLY the Olympus and Maxell brand batteries. I got an average of 500 photos on each (though Olympus lasted a little longer), and that was with looking through the photos several times. People will say that with these being rechargeable batteries, you shouldn't buy, however, they last SIGNIFICANTLY longer, and will be cheaper in the long run. Especially since this is a camera without an optical viewfinder, using alkaline batteries would be absolutely foolish, and lithium would be good but the same performance would not be gained.

If you buy it, only buy the Type M XD memory cards. It comes both Fuji and Olympus, but the catch is that if you want to use the panoramic function, you have to have an Olympus. Looking on [...], I was able to get my Olympus 1 GB cards for [...] each, they are normally twice as much.

So far, I have taken about 5500 photos and it's working just as great as it was when I took it out of the box.

I work in a photo lab, and I would recommend the Stylus 600 to all my customers. I actually have several friends that plan on buying it, and my apartment is decorated in photos I took with this camera and an older, 35mm model (Stylus 150). I took down my posters because my photos are that great.

We recently purchased this Camera to replace a Sony Water Proof Model. I was impressed with the Large Display and the many Different functions available. Also Purchased the underwater housing for Diving shots and have been impressed with the picture quality both above and bellow the surface. Not quite sure what all the negative reviews are about perhaps it is not the camera but the person taking the pictures that has the problem.