Olympus Stylus 1 12 MP Digital Camera with 10.7X f2.8 Zoom Lens

I have used this camera for a few weeks now and I am very impressed. The small form factor, great image quality and 10.7 zoom gives me everything I need for 95% my photography needs. On the odd occasion that I need a higher quality image I can fall back on my DSLR and lenses. It feels good in your hands and it turns on and is ready to shoot in about a second. From the reviews I read, it seems that it should get between 300 and 400 shots per battery charge. I found that I took about 400 before the battery indicator started flashing red. I wanted to find out how many more it would take before completely exhausting the battery and I was able to take 350 more. I actually got tired and quit before it did. I am pretty careful about not leaving it on except to take a picture so this may have contributed to its longevity. The camera menus and corresponding buttons for the various settings are extensive. The only downside is that they are not very intuitive and take some time to learn. This camera has surpassed my expectations.

I am 80+ & only recently starting using a camera again, so all of you experts & advanced can skip this. The last time I regularly used a camera was in the '50s, it was a 35mm Retina IIIC that was stolen in Paris while I was in the service. I have used a small low-priced point-and-shoot shirtpocket digital camera occasionally for the past two years but have read too many reviews and wanted one that "did it all" and was pocketable. Right now this could be too much camera for me (auto is used a lot), but I take great pictures with it. I think this is probably the best all-purpose out today (& I predict this market segment will get crowded soon). This camera is not pocketable unless you're wearing a jacket w/roomy pockets, or cargo pants, etc., no shirtpocket model this (will be OK in a roomy purse). But it is small & easy to carry w/a wrist strap or stuff in a jacket pocket. From a practical standpoint (not expert) the closeups are great, maybe better than I realize, took a couple of beautiful portrait shots, one with the built-in flash, the zoom is terrific and used the moving picture once - outstanding mountain scenery and zoomed in on a doe. Like the viewfinder. It comes w/a neck strap but a wrist strap works better for me. Some buttons kind of small for this arthritic oldtimer but plan on using them often so will adjust. Comes w/battery & charger but I bought a Wasabi w/car charger & 2 extra batteries. Got a lot of photo ideas of people and places -- anxious to travel, shoot them & share them from a decent camera. Recently bought a new car . . . what I figure will be my last . . . this little jewel should be my last (& only) camera, my wife adopted the shirtpocket model! PS---Shipped from Akiba Express, got here in good shape well before they predicted.

Excellent Camera. Has almost all the features of a DSLR except for interchangeable lenses, but is compact and is by far the best compact camera that I have owned.

Great little camera! Looks & feels solid/well made & it is loaded !!! I like the size & feel over the smaller Sony RX100 ll. Dislikes - some of the ways to gain access to the camera's settings/modes are confusing & the lack of a paper book manual enhances this when in the field ! Likes - the Viewfinder which the Sony RX100 ll doesn't have + the diopter adjustment dial for the view finder & the built in lens cap ! But "Really" no in box manual with a camera of this cost & quality ? Conclusion - Pictures are good, getting better as I figure out how this little beast works - Camera - unique, almost in a class of it's own, almost there but not quite thus the 4 out of five . The RX 100 lll came out after I bought this camera so I compared the Stylus 1 with the Sony RX100 ll . Yes I'm aware that the Sony has more Megapixels & a bigger censor but the Stylus was for me more of an all in one camera with the zoom lens capability, viewfinder, flash, & hot-shoe all built in .

This camera garnished wonderful reviews yet seems to be flying below the radar. It has been a joy to use, and to learn how to use better. The zoom would be better if it were of a higher magnification. 10.7 really is OK but not great. However, the constant f2.8 aperture means it takes great photos in relatively low light in full zoom mode. Also, the thing weighs less than a pound. Absolutely love that automatic lens cover when the cameras is off. Not quite pocket-sized, but smaller/lighter than any other zoom I've seen. One quibble that cost it a star: the wifi transfer to cell phones is balky and awkward. We stopped trying to use this feature as it worked very unevenly and took too much time and effort to engage and transfer. Other than that, go for it. Update - 9/2015 So we've had this camera for more than a year and I just updated this review, keeping the four star rating. Yes, we love it now more than we did a year earlier. The reason is, we took this puppy on a trip to Africa and coupled it with the lens extender, which nearly doubled the telephoto ability. For sure, other members of our group had superior cameras with longer lenses. One guy rented a 400mm lens to go with his upscale Canon, and he indeed captured some amazing images. It looked like an RPG launcher, and weighed nearly as much. That's not the point. Of course there are better cameras, better lenses (and better photographers) out there. It's just that this camera, at this price with its feature set, is hard to be beat. The images are gorgeous. Low light shooting is a joy. We even figured out how to work the wifi more reliably -- the Olympus instructions are virtually non-existent. By itself you can zoom to 300mm with a constant 2.8 aperture. Make shooting in low light amazing. But it only weighs 14+ ounces. By the end of a day, my fellow travelers with nearly bent over from the weight of their gorgeous nikons and canons with their long (heavy) lenses. The only camera that appears to be really competitive, according to specs, will be the new Panasonic Lumix -- longer lens, constant 2.8 aperture. It will weigh considerably more...or about the weight the Olympus had when we attached the lens extender. A word about that extender. It works well, but there are considerations. First, it screws in on very fine threads of the camera body. That is, you remove the automatic lens cover (which we love), and gently, carefully screw in the tube adapter first (I'll explain this further below) and then the lens extender into the metal tube. The tube is necessary because when you zoom in, the existing camera lens extends toward the add-on doubler. In fact, if you zoom back, you risk of getting a "barrel" effect on your image. The practical effects of these limitations are (1) you cannot quickly switch from the existing lens, if you need to shoot relatively closely or macro, and the lens doubler. You have to be very careful and gentle while screwing the lens extender parts together or risk damaging the threads. (2) You cannot pull back to be closer -- this is meant to really double (or nearly double) magnification. It works, but it's not as flexible as switching dedicated lenses via the traditional bayonet mount. Still, we are very happy with the flexibility and images this camera produces and will be comparing it to other mega zoom hobbyist cameras. Second update...9/1/2016 There is one persistent issue -- camera noise when shooting video that can be bothersome. As noted earlier, attaching the magnifier lens is tricky (as others have noted) because the screw-on threads are very fine and fitting it all together requires some care and patience. Other superzoom cameras have since been introduced, including another olympus with a 2.8 lens throughout the zoom, and is relatively lightweight. So maybe today, this camera would be less desirable than it was when I purchased it. So it goes...