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Olympus ignores basic shooting quality with bells & whistles

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shegeek72

shegeek72

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I'm a semi-pro photographer who didn't want to lug her 10 lb. DSLR camera bag with multiple lenses on a trip to Ecuador. After doing a lot of research on enthusiast-class compact cameras I decided on the Stylus 1s. My initial impressions from several indoor and outdoor test sessions were promising.

However, putting the camera through its paces under demanding conditions in South America produced mediocre results at best. The first problem was the undependable auto-focus (both still and video), even in high contrast shots. Once you zoom in video mode the auto-focus gives up. Trying several auto-focus modes resulted in no improvement, forcing me to switch to manual focus and the manual focus ring is narrow, close to the camera body and difficult to quickly reach.

Also, zooming produces audible noise in video mode. This eliminates zooming while shooting video if one wants decent audio, which is particularly important for live music. This ruined some video I shot of an Ecuadorian street band.

Olympus has used just about every square inch of real estate on the camera body to pack various buttons and switches, which are poorly laid out. For example, the power, shutter release and video record buttons are placed close to one another on top of the camera body encouraging hitting the wrong one. At the least the video button should be placed away from the shutter release and power.

Ergonomics: the camera body has poor ergonomics. The right-hand grip needs to be more substantial, perhaps rubberized, making it feel more like an inexpensive (relative to the Stylus's cost) point-and-shoot and leading to camera shake.

Poor battery life. If you plan to do a lot of shooting you'll need a back up battery, as mine ran out each day before I was done. Also, the Stylus 1s uses a non-standard USB cable. If you lose it you're stuck with transferring photos to a smart phone via wi-fi until a new one arrives.

In conclusion, Olympus has tried to pack too much into this camera resulting in missing the mark of consistently taking in-focus photographs and video. I'd prefer less bells and whistles in favor of solid, basic functionality. When the Stylus 1s hits the mark it can produce beautiful photos, unfortunately its short comings get in the way of doing just that.
 
1st post, very down on my beloved camera, hmmm, Welcome to the forum anyway. If you keep your Stylus 1, and get past your disappointments, I suspect you will get more out of it than you think.

Video

Movies: I don't even remember it takes movies, never tried it, and have seen very little mention of video with it anywhere. I do not understand using a camera with tiny mics for video you care about. Everyone knows most of these cameras with external telescoping motorized lenses have record-able motor noise, especially where the tiny mics are located. And they are omni-directional, who wants that? The new 4K, using these tiny mics, I simply do not understand it.

If video is important, don't you have a nice compact dedicated video camera? Mine is 8 years old, beats the heck out of any of these, and is not large. Better, smaller ones exist, and cost much less.As for AF, for stills, I find it very good, and fast, almost always it matches what I do using MF.

I did try video with XZ-1 years ago, it's focus hunting was terrible, I returned it.

If you want to take a clip in good light, with a camera engineered for stills, you have that capability.

Stills

People buy it for stills: it's unique size/reach/f2.8 lens. It has NO competition at it's size. None!

I find it's AF is fast, accurate, and using both for same shots, most of the time equals what I can do with MF.

Oly's approach

Available Conversion lenses, it is a camera "system", sorely lacking today. Oly made existing tele 1.7X fit, and later engineered a specific wide .8X and specific adapter tube for it. That is continuing to develop the 'system', caring for it's customers IMO. Offered all Stylus 1s features to original 1 owners, free firmware update, terrific.

Buttons, levers, ... I like them, and appreciate having as many as offered, that's hard to do, and it keeps you out of the menu, instant specific customized changes, terrific extra capability.

I never hit movie button by error, nicely placed, rx100's poorly placed.

I use front Fn2 as AF/MF toggle. It is PERFECTLY positioned. MF is very good, easy to get quick and accurate with it. I wish for more magnification sometimes.

I very much like the 2 separate zoom levers and 2 separate zoom speeds.

Touch Screen, dedicated rocker for focus location, touch focus, SCP super control panel, instant access to 23 settings, that is Awesome.

These 'bells and whistles' allow you to change so many things on the fly, no menu required, which makes for successful shooting, changing things shot to shot readily.

Improvements?

Of course, there is a Stylus 2 thread now, but bad? No way.
 
elliottnewcomb said:
1st post, very down on my beloved camera, hmmm, Welcome to the forum anyway.
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Thanks!
elliottnewcomb said:
If you keep your Stylus 1, and get past your disappointments, I suspect you will get more out of it than you think.
Click to expand...
I sold it. I gave it a chance during 8 days in Ecuador and was disappointed. At least 50% of my shots were out-of-focus (This is unacceptable for an auto focus camera with its price tag) and the wide angle shots that were in focus (using manual focus) lacked definition. Frankly, I liked the wide angle shots taken by my partner's smart phone better.

Video
elliottnewcomb said:
Movies: I don't even remember it takes movies, never tried it, and have seen very little mention of video with it anywhere.
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I did read a review where lens noise was mentioned but didn't think it was going to be that much of a problem--it was. I think Olympus should either improve the noise problem in the next model or scrap it all together.
 
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Can only suggest that maybe you had a faulty unit. I have the Stylus as a small camera for when I don't want to carry a lot of equipment also and find it perfectly acceptable. Yes, the controls are close together, but what do you expect from something so small? Surely isn't the whole point of being a photographer that you are able to adapt and use whatever tools you have? Surely you didn't honestly think that a small camera would match up to a full DSLR outfit, for that sort of quality you need to make the decision to carry all the lenses and gear.

Bat wishes with whatever camera you have chosen to replace the Stylus with, and happy photography.
 
Maybe you had a dud.

On mine I notice that in poor light it can struggle to focus at full 300mm zoom, but if you back up to 270mm then AF works great. Plus of course you can easily switch to MF & use highlighting to dial in the focus.

Which leads me onto handling - imho it is one the best handling cameras ever (& I have had at least 50 cameras in the last decade) - yes you need to learn & remember where the controls are, but this is just like any other camera. The front grip could be better, but then you could say that about 90% of all cameras.

Battery life - I can easily get over 400 shots - which is very good for this type of camera, so you must have had a dud. 3rd party batteries are cheap.

Video - is probably it's weak point. If you want a great video camera get a Sony or Panasonic, or Canon.

Maybe you were comparing too much to a DSLR - which it's not. But what it is, is a great bridge camera that can give you great results in a very convenient package - half the size & weight of a DSLR.
 
Welcome to the forum and sorry the camera let you down.

A small amount of research though should have shown that you do not buy Olympus for video. These are very much still cameras and the video is a handy add on. Olympus have confirmed this themselves and are leaving Panasonic to handle that side of things.The Olympus XZ-1 holds the prize for the most execrable video performance ever inflicted on a camera and compared to this all their recent cameras are a distinct improvement.

This is a photography forum so trashing a camera on its video seems a bit harsh and not really relevant to most us especially on the Olympus forum.

As to button placement try a Panasonic TZ40 where I frequently switch the camera off when I am trying to video.

Battery life on the Is is extremely good for a compact digital so I suspect you will be even more disappointed with other types of non DSLR cameras.

Edit: One of the blessings of the Olympus forum is it is mercifully free of the woes of video buffs trying to get the right codec or run their codec 2.8796.x%ft9 on their current kit when 236(*563.21 ran just fine or pining for 8k. Long may it continue so.

Also replacement cables can be purchased cheaply so getting a spare is probably a good idea. I have a spare battery for all my cameras so that is also an absolute necessity for a days work non DSLR.
shegeek72 said:
I'm a semi-pro photographer who didn't want to lug her 10 lb. DSLR camera bag with multiple lenses on a trip to Ecuador. After doing a lot of research on enthusiast-class compact cameras I decided on the Stylus 1s. My initial impressions from several indoor and outdoor test sessions were promising.

However, putting the camera through its paces under demanding conditions in South America produced mediocre results at best. The first problem was the undependable auto-focus (both still and video), even in high contrast shots. Once you zoom in video mode the auto-focus gives up. Trying several auto-focus modes resulted in no improvement, forcing me to switch to manual focus and the manual focus ring is narrow, close to the camera body and difficult to quickly reach.

Also, zooming produces audible noise in video mode. This eliminates zooming while shooting video if one wants decent audio, which is particularly important for live music. This ruined some video I shot of an Ecuadorian street band.

Olympus has used just about every square inch of real estate on the camera body to pack various buttons and switches, which are poorly laid out. For example, the power, shutter release and video record buttons are placed close to one another on top of the camera body encouraging hitting the wrong one. At the least the video button should be placed away from the shutter release and power.

Ergonomics: the camera body has poor ergonomics. The right-hand grip needs to be more substantial, perhaps rubberized, making it feel more like an inexpensive (relative to the Stylus's cost) point-and-shoot and leading to camera shake.

Poor battery life. If you plan to do a lot of shooting you'll need a back up battery, as mine ran out each day before I was done. Also, the Stylus 1s uses a non-standard USB cable. If you lose it you're stuck with transferring photos to a smart phone via wi-fi until a new one arrives.

In conclusion, Olympus has tried to pack too much into this camera resulting in missing the mark of consistently taking in-focus photographs and video. I'd prefer less bells and whistles in favor of solid, basic functionality. When the Stylus 1s hits the mark it can produce beautiful photos, unfortunately its short comings get in the way of doing just that.
Click to expand...
 
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shegeek72 said:
elliottnewcomb said:
1st post, very down on my beloved camera, hmmm, Welcome to the forum anyway.
Click to expand...
Thanks!
shegeek72 said:
If you keep your Stylus 1, and get past your disappointments, I suspect you will get more out of it than you think.
Click to expand...
I sold it. I gave it a chance during 8 days in Ecuador and was disappointed. At least 50% of my shots were out-of-focus (This is unacceptable for an auto focus camera with its price tag) and the wide angle shots that were in focus (using manual focus) lacked definition. Frankly, I liked the wide angle shots taken by my partner's smart phone better.

Video
shegeek72 said:
Movies: I don't even remember it takes movies, never tried it, and have seen very little mention of video with it anywhere.
Click to expand...
I did read a review where lens noise was mentioned but didn't think it was going to be that much of a problem--it was. I think Olympus should either improve the noise problem in the next model or scrap it all together.
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I undersatand. Honestly, it is a much better camera for stills than you experienced.

I do think, based on your 'poor AF, MF not good either' comments that you got a defective one. Shame you did not discover that and exchange it prior to the trip. Also, any camera can break, I advocate that anyone ought to, (and you should have), take two cameras they are familiar with when traveling.

Video, no way, seems everyone here essentially agrees. I might try a clip of my grandkids, to capture something I would otherwise miss, just to see. Never occurs to me.

Battery life. I do not think many have experience with battery life for video. I find it great for stills.

.....................................

btw, this is the first I have heard of one with serious problems with AF/MF. Anyone else? Meaning, it seems you were very unlucky, a dud is rare with these.

--
Elliott
 
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I would not worry about it. Both the TG-4 in another recent review and the Stylus S1 here are apparently functionally almost useless. No images of course and there rarely are to accompany these elaborate story lines.

I really must do something more useful than read all this stuff from heavens knows who with no posting record or images posted to judge if they own the kit at all.
elliottnewcomb said:
1st post, very down on my beloved camera, hmmm, Welcome to the forum anyway. If you keep your Stylus 1, and get past your disappointments, I suspect you will get more out of it than you think.
Click to expand...
 
It's a shame the original poster on this thread didn't contact oly for repair or replacement of her faulty camera. She did not have anything similar to my Stylus. Except for the video - I imagine that is about what anybody serious about video would experience. I have used video for grandkids occasionally and been happy with it, but wouldn't know a good video from a bad one. Focus is absolutely not a problem for pictures. I recently acquired a mirrorless a6000 which is touted as having great autofocus and it can't even compete with my Stylus in lower light levels as far as focus speed and accuracy are concerned. To the original poster, you really owe it to yourself to try another one if you ever get to a shop that has them on the shelf to see what you were missing.
 
shegeek72 said:
I sold it. I gave it a chance during 8 days in Ecuador and was disappointed. At least 50% of my shots were out-of-focus (This is unacceptable for an auto focus camera with its price tag) and the wide angle shots that were in focus (using manual focus) lacked definition. Frankly, I liked the wide angle shots taken by my partner's smart phone better.
Click to expand...
8 days was really not long enough to master your tool. I suspect your camera was faulty but even if you had a perfectly working camera there are some essential menu tweaks that can transform the Stlyus 1 from a good camera to a great one.

I could write at length how I disagree with your findings but as they say, a picture tells a thousands words, so I've posted up some of my images from South America here.

Regards, wam
 
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I'm pretty sure we are talking to ourselves now.
 
If people cannot manage to upload a sample image from the camera can they figure out how to use the camera? If they ever owned one. A first post trashing of a camera must always be taken with a very large pinch of salt.

I walked barefoot across Antartica yesterday and all my 1S photos turned out just fine.
elliottnewcomb said:
I'm pretty sure we are talking to ourselves now.

--
Elliott
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The review bars look pretty much like those of a five-year-old reviewing spinach. Grow up, kid! Some people actually like spinach.

--
David
pbase.com/morepix
 
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I suppose anyone who goes all the way to Ecuador and forgets to take a spare battery is going to be a bit miffed.
morepix said:
The review bars look pretty much like those of a five-year-old reviewing spinach. Grow up, kid! Some people actually like spinach.
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Greynerd said:
I suppose anyone who goes all the way to Ecuador and forgets to take a spare battery is going to be a bit miffed.
morepix said:
The review bars look pretty much like those of a five-year-old reviewing spinach. Grow up, kid! Some people actually like spinach.
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I don't usually go negative, it's not worth it, but the most contradictory thing, about ALL of it is OP defining self as Semi-Pro.

And, how the hell many times have I said, take 2 cameras you are fully familiar with, anything can break, and, who would wait to learn a camera after they got there, to find confusion (took me quite a while to figure the best for my Stylus 1), or find they had a defective one. A drop, anywhere along the way, shipping, by owner, by others, by travel, could knock the crap out of the lens alignment of anything.
 
Shegeek72,

Hope you are ignoring all the critical, negative comments on your assessment of this camera. I get that you did not like it. It simply did not live up to your expectations. That happens. Too bad that so many of the comments here seem to want you to change your view or judge you for sharing your experience. I appreciated it.
 
Mac Carter said:
Shegeek72,

Hope you are ignoring all the critical, negative comments on your assessment of this camera. I get that you did not like it. It simply did not live up to your expectations. That happens. Too bad that so many of the comments here seem to want you to change your view or judge you for sharing your experience. I appreciated it.
Click to expand...
 
First post total camera trashing reviews are always rather odd.

Can you tell us what the provenance of the OP is then? Of course there are never any images posted so for a lot of these seemingly authoritative writings on DPR there is never any proof they have ever pressed a shutter button on a camera in their life.

The 1S is not without faults but has the best battery life of my compacts so you have to wonder what the rest is worth. Most of it is -4 so seems more of a categorised rant to me than anything useful.

I suppose the OP cannot post the Ecuador images as they are all out of focus. Not a problem I have found so it all seems a bit mysterious to owners of the camera without being too defensive. Possibly not a jungle camera but then I am not sure. Also the only gear shown is the 1S as a previous camera. No previous gear or current gear. Bit like the RX100 shills who never post any current gear except the RX100 but previous gear is always there in abundance and of course never any images and requests for such ignored.

An article with images criticising the FZ300 the child of the sacred and perfect FZ200 raised a fair degree of angst in the Panasonic forum so no change there.
Mac Carter said:
Shegeek72,

Hope you are ignoring all the critical, negative comments on your assessment of this camera. I get that you did not like it. It simply did not live up to your expectations. That happens. Too bad that so many of the comments here seem to want you to change your view or judge you for sharing your experience. I appreciated it.

--
Mac
Panasonic Lumix FZ-300
Click to expand...
 
shegeek72 said:
However, putting the camera through its paces under demanding conditions in South America produced mediocre results at best. The first problem was the undependable auto-focus (both still and video), even in high contrast shots. Once you zoom in video mode the auto-focus gives up. Trying several auto-focus modes resulted in no improvement, forcing me to switch to manual focus and the manual focus ring is narrow, close to the camera body and difficult to quickly reach.
Click to expand...
Most digital cameras normally don't auto focus well in video once you change away from initial focus, a 2.8 aperture and zooming in will always resulting in hunting.

Plus the Stylus 1 video quality is terrible.
shegeek72 said:
Also, zooming produces audible noise in video mode. This eliminates zooming while shooting video if one wants decent audio, which is particularly important for live music. This ruined some video I shot of an Ecuadorian street band.
Click to expand...
Once again, unless its a video centric camera, all zoom motors make noise, most camera manuals will even make note of it. Also power zooming while recording generally isn't a good technique anyways.

Atleast it doesn't make the crazy buzzing noise some DSLR lenses do when they AF in video.
shegeek72 said:
Olympus has used just about every square inch of real estate on the camera body to pack various buttons and switches, which are poorly laid out. For example, the power, shutter release and video record buttons are placed close to one another on top of the camera body encouraging hitting the wrong one. At the least the video button should be placed away from the shutter release and power.
Click to expand...
Totally agree with you there, the power button is in a lousy place, and it should be a switch.
shegeek72 said:
Ergonomics: the camera body has poor ergonomics. The right-hand grip needs to be more substantial, perhaps rubberized, making it feel more like an inexpensive (relative to the Stylus's cost) point-and-shoot and leading to camera shake.
Click to expand...
Grip could have been a bit bigger, agree.
shegeek72 said:
Poor battery life. If you plan to do a lot of shooting you'll need a back up battery, as mine ran out each day before I was done. Also, the Stylus 1s uses a non-standard USB cable. If you lose it you're stuck with transferring photos to a smart phone via wi-fi until a new one arrives.
Click to expand...
People still transfer pictures via USB ? SD Card readers are normally MUCH faster anyways.

Battery life is still MUCH better than most Sony's.
shegeek72 said:
In conclusion, Olympus has tried to pack too much into this camera resulting in missing the mark of consistently taking in-focus photographs and video. I'd prefer less bells and whistles in favor of solid, basic functionality. When the Stylus 1s hits the mark it can produce beautiful photos, unfortunately its short comings get in the way of doing just that.
Click to expand...
Stylus 1s is an amazing P&S , and one I will gladly recommend to any skill level of photographer.
 
Shegeek72

You are a semi pro. The Stylus is not by any stretch of the imagination a semi pro camera, yet you are posting on a forum for compact camera users, as far away from your experience as can be. Have a look at some of the galleries of the defenders of this camera and form your own opinion as to the worth of their comments. Don't expect many here to agree with your review, there are many loyal fanboys/girls here.

The Stylus is aimed at the average snap shooter who wants to create a record of his kids his garden and his holidays, and wants no more that to view images on a computer or to email them to someones tablet. It is not for those who want to produce or print fine art. For the target market it is a nice camera that would in fact be nicer if it was not so lumpy and iif it would easily fit into a pocket.

I owned a Stylus1s before selling it and moving on. It is nowhere near as nice as the XZ2 that came before it, and no where near as nice as the OM-D E-M10 that costs a bit more, but you do get a lot of camera for your money.

You can see a small selection of images from my own test of the Stylus 1 here .

Ken C
 
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