Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45934 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Olympus
• Model: MJU300
• Released on: 2003-04-07
• Dimensions: .44 pounds
• Display size: 1.5

Amazon.co.uk Review
Based on the hugely successful 35 mm Mju range, the Mju 300 Digital takes the styling that we all know and love (over 20 million sold worldwide) and brings it into the 21st century.

On the inside, Olympus's heritage in optics shines through once again as the camera boasts a superb, high precision f3.1/5.2 3x optical and 5x digital zoom (equivalent to 35-105 mm on a 35 mm camera).

On the outside, the camera has a 1.5", 134,000 pixel LCD monitor. The camera also includes a lithium-ion rechargeable battery and Olympus's new xD-Picture card technology. To protect everything the camera is cased in a brushed metal that doubles up to offer weatherproofing. Now you can take your camera to the beach or the piste without fear of water getting in.

The Mju 300 digital also boasts the usual array of user-friendly buttons and options for the beginner. A range of automatic functions such as TTL autofocus and Digital ESP (Electro Selective Pattern) light metering help ensure best results with the minimum of fuss. Using the five scene programs (portrait, self-portrait, night scene, landscape, landscape plus portrait), means that even first-time digital photographers are able to obtain impressive photos.

The camera supports full auto white balance and four pre-set white balance modes, allowing users to manually optimise the camera for shooting in light from sources such as tungsten or fluorescent bulbs. The camera also features a host of other functions and features including macro and panorama modes, 2-in-1 shooting, the recording of short movie sequences and a built-in flash with red-eye reduction.

The Mju Digital from Olympus is a camera that you would not only want to be seen with, but also want to use when no-one else is around. For the fashion conscious who want to take decent digital images this is the camera to have. --Jason Denwood

Manufacturer's Description
With the �[mju: ] 300 Digital you get it all: The latest technological innovations in a sleek, weatherproof, full-metal body for great performance and a stylish design. A precision 3x optical zoom lens and high-quality CCD with 3.2 million pixels ensure clarity and sharpness. And whether shooting in full-auto mode to capture the scene quickly or using one of the camera's special scene modes, recording panorama shots or short movies, this model matches your lifestyle while guaranteeing first-class results without a fuss.Fashions come and go but real style is timeless. This is certainly true for the Olympus �[mju: ] brand. For over ten years, the �[mju: ] has been a synonym for stylish and elegant analog cameras. Now it enters the digital age with the �[mju: ] 300 Digital and �[mju: ] 400 Digital. The flowing, elegant lines and compact, metal body of these models make sure you are the center of attraction, no matter whether you're at a chic event or low-key get-together. But they are more than lifestyle accessories for the party circuit. These models are also the first digital cameras in the world with weatherproof metal bodies so shooting may continue even after the rain has started. The versatile 3x zoom lens (equivalent to 35 - 105mm on a 35mm camera) gets you closer be it to the flirtatious smile coming from across the room or to your friends' activities on the ski slope. Operation of the �[mju: ] Digital cameras is easy. With advanced automatic modes and scene programs, you can just enjoy shooting digital while letting the camera do the work. Recording in up to 3.2 million pixels and using a small, high-precision lens constructed especially to suit each camera's CCD, these new cameras deliver high-quality images that impress even when printed in A4 format.For newcomers to digital photography, the new model comes with a selection of five scene programs (portrait, self-portrait, night scene, landscape, landscape plus portrait), and functions such as TTL autofocus and Digital ESP (Electro Selective Pattern) light metering which ensure the correct sharpness and brightness of the images. In addition to full auto white balance, four pre-set white balance modes allow the user to optimize the camera settings for shooting in light from a particular source, such as tungsten or fluorescent bulbs. Thanks to the 1.5-inch color LCD monitor, pictures taken can be shared with others immediately after capture. It further enables users to resize shots without needing a computer.A host of other functions such as macro and panorama mode, 2 in 1 shooting, recording of short movie sequences or the built-in-flash with red-eye reduction further heighten shooting enjoyment and extend the possibilities. After taking pictures, users have the option to change the photos captured in color, to black and white or sepia, giving compositions a special effect. The �[mju: ] 300 Digital comes with the extremely compact storage media xD-Picture Card and a quick charger for recharging the ultra-small lithium-ion battery in a maximum of two hours.

Box contains

• Digital camera
• Strap
• 16-MB xD-Picture Card
• USB cable
• CAMEDIA Master 4.1 software
• Remote controller RM-2
• AC cable for charger
• Battery charger
• One lithium-ion rechargeable battery (Li-10B)
• Instruction book

Customer Reviews

Olympus Mju 300 Digital Camera
As a newcomer to digital photography, I was looking for a mid range, easy to use decent quality camera. I eventually came across the Olympus Mju 300. After reading the other reviews on Amazon I decided to invenst in one. The quality of this camera is excellent, from the construction to the actual quality of the photographs it produces. The metal exterior of the Mju 300 gives it a real sturdy feel and convinces you that it will last forever! The only minor problem for me was the plastic door that conceals the XD card and USB input, which unless carefully handled may break over time, particularly if you are heavy handed!! Even so, if it did break i'm sure the part could be replaced easily, and shouldn't be a problem for most people. The photos produced from this camera are great, even at A4 size and make great wallpaper for your desktop. Combined with the Epson Photo 830U printer I bought and special printing media, you can have your own little photo studio set up creating printouts as good as those you would have developed professionaly. The camera has all the usual standard features such as red eye reduction, an excellent zoom and the ability to change your photos to black and white or sepia without using your pc. The camera is also weatherproof, although I have not tested this, but should be useful on a rainy day out! One thing, buy a 64MB XD card for about £20 with your Mju 300; it will hold 81 pictures in the default high quality mode (the camera only comes with a 16MB one). In conclusion, I couldn't be more pleased with my new camera; excellent quality, as you would expect from Olympus. Oh yeah... buy it from Amazon too, I couldn't find it cheaper anywhere else!!

What a great camera
The first thing that strikes you about this camera is how small it is, it will fit nicely into most pockets. It also looks gorgeous (not usually the kind of attribute that I look for in a camera - but I have actually had several compliments!!).

The pictures are of excellent quality and I can store about 160 3Mp shots on a 128Mb memory card. I have taken them in a range of conditions and have had no problems.

However the real bonus of this camera is the ease of use. Some of the many ways in which this manifests itself are:

1) Excellent set of intuitive control
2) Good sliding cover for the lens and flash (much better than a normal lens cap)
3) Extremely convenient rechargable Lithium-Ion battery which is contained internally, but can be put in or taken out in a couple of seconds.

Overall this really is an excellent camera.

Exceptionally easy to use
I work on the editorial team of an annual review magazine, for which I needed a camera capable of taking photographs good enough to print at half-A4 at a good resolution. I chose the Olympus Mju 300 after visiting a town-centre store and handling a number of cameras offering the same basic specification of 3.2 megapixels. I had high expectations from the camera, and am pleased to report that, after a fortnight of almost constant use, I am still delighted with my purchase.

The camera's build quality is fantastic - few of the others I considered came anywhere close to being so sturdy. The menus are easy to use, and most modern computers can read the camera's memory via USB without any software installation. The screen is of good quality. Battery life from the Li-Ion battery is superb - a good few hours of shooting and messing around with settings.

A few of the features are a bit gimmicky - for example, the panorama function, split-screen and onboard sepia options. However, they don't get in the way of the important stuff and they're entertaining.

I haven't had the chance to test the weatherproofing yet, but I would be confident if I were to do so.

Finally, it's worth saying that the output quality is very good, although a little Photoshoppery can turn a reasonable image into a fantastic one...