Olympus µ[mju:] 400 Digital
(Also known as the Olympus Stylus 400 Digital)
Review Date: 6th October 2003
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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.
ISO 64 (100% crop) |
ISO 250 (100% crop) |
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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.
Original 100% Crop |
Sharpened 100% Crop |
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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.
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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.
Digital ESP metering |
Spot Mode metering |
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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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