Olympus µ[mju:] 410 Digital
(Also known as the Olympus Stylus 410)
Review Date: 31st May 2004
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this
Review were taken using the SHQ 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, the ISO range available on the µ[mju:]
410 Digital is 64-500, 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 500. 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
50 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:] 410
Digital does suffer from some chromatic aberrations, especially
in high-contrast photographs with the sun in the frame or
just outside it. The good news is that chromatic aberrations
are very well controlled, and only a couple of the sample
photographs that I took showed any signs of this problem.
Overall Image Quality
The Olympus µ[mju:] 410 Digital delivers punchy, well-saturated
images straight out of the camera. ISO 64 produces photos
with very little noise, whilst photos taken at the higher
ISOs 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. Chromatic aberrations are virtuall non-existent and
when they do appear they are better controlled than on many
other digital cameras. Overall I was very impressed with the
images that the camera delivered during the review period.
|
RSS
Feeds
