I have gone camping on occasion over the past 10 years. I have started going on back-country trips more frequently over the past 3 years. I am also an avid photographer and I try to have my hobbies go well together. My total weight (everything but the clothes I'm wearing) for a weekend fluctuates between 25 and 40 lbs (11 - 18 kg) depending on season, how serious I happen to be about photography and cooking on that trip and who I am with. While I will never be considered ultralight, I do try to reduce the weight of my gear to accommodate my other hobbies.

Photography Background

I started photography using a manual Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera, and I like the control and flexibility that kind of control gives me in my photography. The kit I use varies on the outing. I own three (SLR) cameras: an auto-everything, an aperture priority only SLR, and a fully manual SLR. I also have a rangefinder and one point-and-shoot. When I am using a SLR or the rangefinder I will typically will carry either 2 or 3 fixed focal length lenses, although I do have a couple of zooms for in town use with the SLRs. The other option for back-country use is a fixed focal length point-and-shoot, which is the subject of this review.

Product Description

Manufacturer: Olympus
Website: http://www.olympusamerica.com/
Product: Olympus Stylus Epic also known as Olympus mju-II [note: all references have this lower case as I think it is a reference to the Greek letter] outside of North America
MSRP: not available
Year of Purchase: 1998

Manufacturer's weight: 4.7 oz (130 g)
Measured Weight: 6.5 oz (370 g) (inc. 2 AA batteries and film weighing 2.7 oz [75 g])
Color: Black
Height/Length/Depth 2.25/4.25/1.75 in (5.8/10.5/3/8 cm)
Lens: F/2.8 35 mm

Description

The Stylus Epic is a single-focal length point-and-shoot (compact) 35mm camera that is water resistant. It has a fast 35 mm lens (f/2.8), multi-beam active auto-focus, focus lock and automatic film loading, advance, and rewind. It includes a flash that can be set for auto-flash, red-eye reduction, flash on, flash off, and night time flash. It also has a spot meter, self timer and a tripod mount. The camera is a clamshell design, so is turned on by sliding a cover from in front of the lens.

Field Conditions

This camera has been with me on hikes and in the back-country on numerous occasions. On clear calm days, rain, and snow. It has gone on canoing trips, backpacking, biking, day hikes, basically everywhere I have gone. This includes the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, Kettle Moraine in Wisconsin, Laurel Highlands in Pennsylvania and Chianti, Tuscany. Terrain ranged from lakes and rivers to low hills, forest and prairie [elevations not available]. I have used in weather ranging from sunny to light rain to falling snow. It has been used as a backup to an SLR or rangefinder camera and as an only camera for numerous trips. For me, when my main goal is to take high quality pictures, it is a question of which SLR and lenses to take (or the rangefinder). However, this could be several pounds in weight and represents a valuable and somewhat fragile investment and is not justified if I am not going to take the time to make quality photographs. Therefore, in my gear bag the Epic fills the niche of "what camera do I bring when I can't or don't need to bring my real camera with me?" As such, any point-and-shoot camera is a compromise between having quality optics and the control of the equipment and the need for something compact and robust for the back-country. The remainder of the review will focus on how the Epic handles these trade-offs in back-country travel. The typical camera review starts by talking about the lens. On the premise that the best camera is one you take with you, this review will start by examining qualities that relate to its survival and practicality when backpacking and end with more standard photographic considerations.

Review

Compactness: How compact is the Epic? When I carry it around for day to day use it usually sits in my front pants pocket (including jeans). For backpacking it often goes into a cargo pocket if I'm wearing pants that have one or in a jacket pocket. For my packs that have a pocket in the hip belt it fits there as well.

Durability: The clamshell cover does inspire confidence that it can sit in my pocket without serious damage. It has been on me as I've slid down hillsides and fallen out of canoes. While there are some scratches, I can't see them unless I look pretty close. It is made of plastic, so it does not feel like it will take a serious impact, but it has survived the past 6 years with me very well.

Resistance to water: I have used it in the rain with no harm to the camera. I've also had it with me when I've fallen into a river. It makes no claim to being truly waterproof, but it remained operational even after being dunked.

Ease of use: It is a point and shoot, so by definition it is easy, right? OK, mostly easy. The focus/exposure lock obtained by pressing the shutter release half way is straightforward. There is a definite first click when the button locks focus and exposure (and the visual cue of the lights in the viewfinder help too.) The flash and timer buttons are a little more tricky. The buttons are small rubber buttons on the back. They lie in a recessed track, so I am able to press the buttons using my fingernail. However I have to be deliberate about it and it is not possible to press the buttons with gloves on. The spot-meter is activated by pressing both the flash and timer buttons at the same time. This tends to involve very careful handling to get fingers on both buttons and pressing the buttons at the same time without dropping the camera. Like most point-and-shoots, the Epic can be used in a simple way easily, but using the various options can be difficult.

Features: Other than multiple focal lengths, it has what I would ask from a camera. Press button and take picture.

Quality of lens: It is nice to have a relatively fast lens. The lens helps in low light conditions such as early or late in the day.

Focusing and exposure: Generally, the focus and exposure lock works. I almost always use the focus and exposure lock then recompose to shoot. This makes a difference, especially when there is tree cover and there are bright spots in the scene that would usually fool an auto exposure camera. The existence of the spot meter function helps here as well, and when I am not using a manual exposure camera (where I remember to compensate for the tricky light levels) I would almost say a spot-meter is essential for any situation other then when under open sky.

Conclusion

It is hard to think of a more practical camera for outdoors use. It can withstand normal wear, even when normal is redefined to include people like me who work things a little harder than the norm. The fact that it is water resistant means I will take it places I would never take my SLR, or where my friends would take their digital cameras either. It takes almost no room, and weighs very little. There are still situations where I would rather have the control of the SLR or rangefinder, especially in handling tricky exposure problems, but the Epic fulfills the role of the camera that I can have with me anywhere that results in a much better picture than not having one available at all. Is the single focal length a minus? Well, yes especially with landscapes and close-ups, but then I recognize that the single focal length means that I get the fast lens that means I still am taking good pictures at dawn and dusk, so that is a trade off I am comfortable with.

The one issue I have is the use of such small buttons for the flash and timer. Of course, these buttons are common in compact cameras (as is this gripe) so there may not be any way around this problem.

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