Cameras
Camcorders
Cell Phones
Components
Desktops
HDTV
Home Theater
GPS
Laptops
Monitors
MP3 Players
Networking &
Printers
Storage
Print
Digg
Twitter
Facebook
More…The compact Olympus Stylus 820 (about $250, list) seems like an odd duck in Olympus's digital camera lineup--and a duck out of water. It's water-resistant, meaning that it'll survive raindrops and occasional splashes, but if you accidentally drop this point-and-shoot in a birdbath, you may be shopping for a new camera for your ornithological outings.
Olympus Stylus 820
Pricing
$124.00 - $129.95 From 2 Vendors Get Best Prices »
- Spec Navigator
- Digital Format
- Display
- Exposure
- Image Processor
- Lens
- Shutter
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Exposure Controls
- Dimensions
- Power
- Flash
- Lens Features
- Connectivity
- Other Features
Image Processor
| Number of image sensor pixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image sensor | CCD |
| Maximum horizontal image resolution | 3264 |
| Maximum vertical image resolution | 2448 |
| Image sensor quantity | 1 |
| Image format | JPEG |
| White balance | 0 |
Exposure Controls
| Maximum shutter speed | 2000 |
| Minimum shutter speed | 0.5 |
| Bulb setting | 0 |
| ISO equivalencies |
|
| Exposure settings | 0 |
| Exposure compensation range | 0 |
| Number of scene modes | 24 |
2.5
0 User Reviews Be first to review »
$124.00 - $129.95
From 2 Vendors
Get Best Prices »
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Cameras »
Pros
Water resistant
Extra-long zoom (5X)
Cons
Marginal battery life
Buttons are very shiny and very slippery
Bottom Line
This camera is only water-resistant, unlike Olympus' dunkable Stylus SW models. Its buttons emphasize style over function.
Olympus Stylus 820 Compact Digital Camera
Stylus 820 Review, by Alan Stafford November 27, 2007
If you're really worried about your camera surviving the elements, you should probably be looking at Olympus's Stylus 770 SW and Stylus 790 SW, both of which are waterproof to a depth of 10 feet; they're also shockproof from a height of 5 feet. Or, if you're looking to save money, you could consider Olympus's FE series, including the FE-280 we reviewed at the same time; it costs about $50 less.
The Stylus 820 does have a 5X zoom lens, which is 2X longer than those on the other Olympus models (and most other compact cameras). But it has the same in-camera Help Guides as on the FE-280, which present descriptions of photographic tasks; when you pick one, the camera adjusts settings appropriately. Like the FE-280 and the Stylus SW series, you can get the Stylus 820 in a few different colors; the 820 comes in bright red, baby blue, black, and silver.
The control buttons on the back of the camera are very slippery; compared to the 15 other cameras we tested in the same group, I found the 820's buttons the most difficult to press. In addition, the buttons are really shiny, and as a result, I found the text on them hard to read. The zoom button is a thin rocker switch about the width of a piece of linguine; the camera's mode dial sits just below the telephoto end of the switch, and the ridges around the edge of the mode dial makes pressing the zoom uncomfortable.
The Stylus 820 takes a pretty good picture, though. In its test group of 16 compact cameras, it earned the highest scores for color accuracy and exposure quality. On the other hand, its marks in distortion and sharpness tests, despite its 8-megapixel sensor, were below average. Judges overlooked those problems and gave it the highest score for overall quality in that test group (the image quality score in our test reporttakes all the scores into account, not just the single overall quality score). The camera lasted for 221 shots in our battery life scores, or about 70 shots below the average for our test group.
The Stylus 820 is flashy, but if you're going to pay for its weatherproof features, you might as well opt for one of the Stylus SW models and get true protection from the elements.
For an overview of similar cameras, see our chart of Top 10 Compact Cameras.
--Alan Stafford
Show Less 
0 Comments | 0 Topics | Print Only This Review
PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
-
78
-
70
-
72
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Cameras
78
71
69
79
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 121.75 |
| Battery Life Score | Good |
| Image Quality Score | Very Good |
| Image Quality, Color | 68.1 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 52.9 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 65.7 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 57.9 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 69.1 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 62.6 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 43.3 |
| Number of Batteries | 1 |
| Number of Shots | 221 |
User Reviews
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
Shop for the Olympus Stylus 820
| Merchant | Price | Merchant Rating |
|---|---|---|
| BrickHouzeGirlz | $124.00 Buy Now » | |
| shopkingcamera | $129.95 Buy Now » |
Cameras similar to the Olympus Stylus 820
We recommend these Cameras for their similarities to the Olympus Stylus 820 in features, specs, ratings, and user interest.
- Before you buy
- How to Buy a Digital Camera
People who looked at the Olympus Stylus 820 also looked at:
Pricing
$124.00 - $129.95 From 2 Vendors Get Best Prices »
Start New Topic Don't see the answer to your question? Ask it here!
Featured APC Accessories
-
APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
-
APC Smart-UPS Loaded with cutting-edge features, unique battery life predictor, unbeatable on-line efficiencies and software agents allowing remote UPS monitoring. Get 10% off your entire kart purchase!
