Olympus µ[mju:] 400 Digital
(Also known as the Olympus Stylus 400 Digital)
Review Date: 6th October 2003
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this
Review were taken using the default HQ 2272x1704 mode, which
gives an image size of just under 1Mb and allows around 65-70
images to be stored on a 64Mb xD-Picture Card memory card.
Noise
As mentioned previously in this Review, the ISO range available
on the µ[mju:] 400 Digital is 64-250, but unfortunately
you can't choose which ISO speed to use. Instead the camera
selects what it thinks is the most appropriate speed for you.
This is OK when the ISO is 64, but not so good when it's 250.
The camera will always try to keep the subject sharp at the
expense of greater image noise.
Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality
60 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening
applied in Photoshop. As you can see, the out-of-the camera
images are a little soft and will benefit from some sharpening.
Chromatic Aberrations
As with most digital cameras, the Olympus µ[mju:] 400
Digital does suffer from some chromatic aberrations, especially
in high-contrast photographs. Only one of the sample photographs
that I took, however, noticeably suffered from this problem.
I was standing under a tree with the sun positioned just to
the left of the main subject in the photograph. Consequently
the edges of the leaves at the top of the frame exhibited
some purple-fringing.
Metering: Digital ESP vs Spot Mode
OK, so maybe this isn't strictly related to image quality,
but it is a good example of when the Spot mode on the µ[mju:]
400 Digital comes in useful. The first image was taken with
the camera set to Digital ESP metering mode, where an average
reading of the scene is calculated. As you can see the main
subject is horribly under-exposed as the camera has been fooled
by the bright sky. The second image was taken with the camera
set to Spot mode, metering off the red brickwork of the church
tower, which results in a much better exposure with detail
in the sky and the building.
Overall Image Quality
The Olympus µ[mju:] 400 Digital delivers punchy, well-saturated
images, especially in bright outdoor conditions, which is
where this camera will see a lot of use. ISO 64 produces photos
with very little noise, whilst ISO 250 photos are noticeably
noisier but still acceptable. The images could benefit from
a little more in-camera sharpening, but unfortunately this
can't be changed, so it will have to be done on your computer
using Photoshop or an equivalent software package. Overall
I was impressed with the images that the camera delivered.
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