Customer Reviews

Olympus Stylus Epic QD CG Date 35mm Camera

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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

I purchased an original Olympus Stylus when it was first released in 1990. Enamored with it's small size, and rave reviews I plunked down my [money] and was off.

Fast forward to 1999 - Averaging 2 rolls of film a month for 9 years, my Stylus began to sound a bit tired and was going through batteries at a quick pace. I began to look for a different camera and was certain I would just replace it in kind. However, with more rave reviews, the new Olympus Stylus Epic was released and I made the decision to replace my trusty little camera with the new version.

The size of this camera is absolutely wonderful. In the point-and-shoot 35mm category it has been the smallest affordable camera to come down the pike in a long time. It is easy to take with you anywhere, and if having a small, easily tote-able camera will get ANYONE to take pictures, it is well worth it. You don't take the pictures if you don't have your camera with you - with this camera, there are no excuses for not having it with you.

The pictures I've taken have been nothing short of fantastic. Always a clear image, colors are rendered appropriately, even spectacularly. The lack of a zoom has never been an issue, here In fact, I purchased a Stylus Zoom thinking it would enable me to take better close-ups, but quickly found out the closer I get to the action myself, without relying on a zoom lens, the better my pictures are. I returned the zoom camera without a regret. (If you REALLY need to zoom in, odds are you would be better off with an SLR and a real zoom lens, or a telephoto lens - we have those too - the size of this camera is much more practical!)

We've given two or three of these as gifts to family members and have a number of extended family members who have purchased this camera based on it's size, and the fantastic pictures we've happily passed around. Everyone is thrilled!

I don't think you will be disappointed should you decide to chose this camera!

This camera is one which has consistently received lavish praise from photo magazines such as Popular Photography for its ease of use and its superb Zuiko lens, which is comparable in quality to 35mm Single Lens Reflex (SLR) fixed focal length wide angle lenses. I've borrowed one belonging to relatives and am quite impressed with how it easy it is to use, as well as the fine pictures that it produces. Admittedly, it is a bit small, so those who are comfortable using larger point and shoot cameras or SLRs will have to try to hold it steady. Otherwise, you'll get blurry pictures. My favorite point and shoot camera is the Yashica T4 Super with its 35mm Carl Zeiss Tessar f3.5 T* lens, but the 38mm Zuiko lens on the Stylus Epic is just as contrasty and sharp. Furthermore, the Stylus Epic is at least $50 cheaper than the Yashica T4 Super. Those who want high quality pictures from an inexpensive point and shoot camera should strongly consider buying this petite gem.

I've been shooting pictures since I was about 8, almost 30 years. I've owned several cameras, my first real one being a Canon AE-1 that I bought in high school. I upgraded to the EOS line in the early '90s and still shoot that line in film, but added medium format (Hasselblad) for portrait and wedding work (part time). Earlier this year, I got a digital and decided that I would invest a lot of time into that medium. But I wanted a film camera that, like my digital, had a good lens, was small and lightweight, and shot quality prints.

I researched for several weeks all potential reviews on P&S cameras. My wife has an older Pentax that was alright, but I had decided that the zoom lenses are often slow and not sharp enough. I debated between getting a Yashica P&S off ebay, getting the newer zoom camera by the same maker, or getting this Olympus. I decided on the Olympus and am glad I did, though I'm sure the Yashicas are fine cameras.

Working the camera is a snap. Open the lens cover, and shoot. I think the default setting is for fill flash, but the settings button cycles around -- so just use it for several rolls of film and get used to it. It does, however, reset to the default setting after you turn it off by closing the door on the lens, which is a minor problem. There's no need to wait for the lens to pop back in, since it is fixed focal length (though auto-focus -- keep in mind the difference).

You may not believe me when I say this, but this camera will take better pictures in low light situations than all cameras except SLRs with the most expensive lenses. Having to use the rest of a roll of film and not particularly caring about picture quality, I took this camera to a recent night-time high school football game. Now football in Texas is big, and stadium lighting is pretty good, but it is never good for anything other than expensive, fast lenses, and fast film, right?

Wrong. Well, partially wrong. This camera, armed with 200 (yes, that's 200 -- something I almost never shoot) film shot nighttime moderately lighted pictures that came out GREAT! The angle is wide, so the content leaves something to be desired, but this wide open apeture lens will definitely do the job when you need a fast, quality lens.

There is a red eye reduction feature in the flash cycle, but I haven't tried it. My applications for this have been mainly outdoor, and the pics I've gotten are very sharp and as good as my SLR's. The guy I sold my AE-1 to won a national award with a pic he made with that camera. I recently asked him if he could do the same with this Olympus. He simply asked me when I wanted to bring it over!

This camera is great value. If you want sharp pictures, this lens beats zoom lenses anytime. HOWEVER, this camera is programmed to use large apertures. In other words, bcos this camera has a big lens, it prefers to get the maximum opening to allow the image to get into the film in as short time as possible. This means the opening time is very brief, great for shaky hands bcos the "hole" is opened and closed so quickly there is no time for you to cause blurring if you have shaky hands. Having a large "opening" has its drawbacks. In photographic terms, it has reduced Depth of Field. Meaning only the person or object you are focusing on is sharp. The background or perhaps people standing behind, or in front of the main focus of the picture will be blurred.

Many people like to see their pictures sharp throughout, ie main subject plus background all sharp etc. This can be tricky with the Stylus Epic.

You would have to "force" the camera to choose a small aperture or opening to take your shots to ensure every part of the photo is sharp.

My advice is shoot when there is bright sunlight and try to use ISO 200, 400 film instead of 100 films if not shooting in bright sunlight.

===> "What? ," you say, "It doesn't zoom? No wonder it's so cheap... I'm gonna get a point-and-shoot with a zoom lens!"

Yeah, but check out the f-number on that zoom: f8, f9, even f11! What does that mean? That means you can't take pictures indoors without a flash. So? Well, when you're zoomed out to 115mm, chances are you're pretty far from the subject, so the angle between the flash/subject/lens will be very small, which means you WILL get red eye, I don't care what they say. And the smallness of the camera makes the flash really close to the lens, which virtually guarantees red-eye!

Furthermore there are some places you aren't allowed to use a flash, or places where a flash would ruin the cool lighting. You say, "But a zoom is good for protraits!" Yes, but portraits are best when only the subject is in focus and the background is blurry, and for that you need a low f-number. F9 won't give you that.

This little camera has an f2.8 lens. I use it with Fuji 800 speed film, and I can take pictures in almost any light without a flash. If I want a portrait, I stay back and plan to crop it (zoom it) later. It fits in my pocket -- I carry it like some people carry a beeper!

Great little camera -- a must have.

It's TINY, and it has an amazingly clear and crisp lens. Take this camera on vacation with you, and some relatively slow film - 100 speed will more than suffice for good daylight shots. Snap away, catching all the shots you would've missed with a bulkier camera. Take it to a quality film processing shop - y'know, a place you'd normally stay away from 'cuz they charge more than $(...) a roll for processing - and ask them nicely to zoom in when printing shots that have a subject relatively far from the camera. I worked at such a shop for a year; believe me, they'll do it, just be nice. The low film speed will translate to a tighter grain, and the blown-up shots will look GOBS better in balance and texture than they would've had they come from a more expensive, bulker camera running 400 speed film, 'cuz any less won't properly expose on a long-zoom camera. For me, it was either this or a Nikon N80 SLR outfit; I chose this 'cuz I ended up spending about a seventh of what a comparably equipped Nikon setup would've run. Granted, I have nowhere near the control over my shot, but I want clarity, not artsy stuff, and the Stylus Epic is impossible to beat for a pocket-sized, super sharp camera.

Recently I looked at over two dozen point-and-shoot models doing some research for a friend who wanted to buy a new compact camera to replace his 20-year old Nikon. Although we are really looking for a point and shoot with a short zoom capability (about 35mm-80mm) and so didn't pick this one since it is fixed focal length, I was impressed enough with it to want to make a few comments.

First of all, none of the other two dozen models had a lens this fast, at F2.8. There were a couple that came close, but you'll find, especially with the point and shoot zoom models, that the fastest the lens will go is only F3.4 or 3.8. Many of them are F4.0 or more at the low end. So if you want at least F2.8 speed, this camera is about the only way to get it.

There is one exception to this. You can buy a Rollei QZ35W for ten times the price and get an F2.8 lens also. For the extra money you also get a camera that weighs in at 18 oz. However, it has an amazing 1/8000th of a second top shutter speed, which ought to be fast enough to freeze an airplane propeller, not just a golf swing.

Well, the Rollei is a great high-end point and shoot but it doesn't fit in your shirt pocket very easily at 18 oz., not to mention it will cost you a pile of green stuff.

Two other things the Olympus has that the other models don't or usually don't have is there is no shutter lag. You hit the shutter button and there's no perceptible delay. The Yashica T4, although it has great optics, has this, and so do many of the other point and shoots out there. The problem can be prounounced enough to affect action shots. For example, you might take a picture of your child running across the living room floor only to find out that he wasn't even in the frame when the film was developed.

The final thing that is nice about this camera is the "weatherproof" aspect. This doesn't mean waterproof, however, but a few drops of water won't hurt it.

All in all a great little camera to take with you anymore.

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.