Let's discuss the criticisms of the Olympus Stylus 800 first: This digital camera's controls are placed in a somewhat awkward position. And the Stylus 800 can run off only a proprietary rechargeable battery pack.

That's about it for criticisms. Instead, let's move on to the lengthy list of features that make this digital camera a very impressive model at a sub-$450 price.

Any discussion of the Stylus 800 starts with its 8.0 megapixels of resolution, which make it capable of yielding film-quality prints in sizes up to 16x20 inches or higher. This digital camera's image quality lives up to the high resolution, producing bright, sharp photos in almost all shooting conditions. The Stylus 800's auto-focus feature is one of the most accurate available in a digital camera in this price range. This model yields sharp images both at the maximum 3X optical zoom or when shooting a close-up image from a few inches away. The Stylus 800 includes about 21.3MB of useable built-in memory, but you'll need to buy a large memory card to shoot photos at the maximum resolution.

One interesting feature that the Stylus 800 offers is Bright Capture Technology, which allows this digital camera to automatically capture images -- even moving images -- in low-light conditions without the use of the flash.

The Stylus 800's 2.5-inch LCD screen is one of the brightest and sharpest available on a digital camera aimed at consumers. You can easily view the LCD from many different angles and in exterior lighting ranging from bright sunlight to dark rooms. Because the Stylus 800 is a small camera body, measuring only 1.3 inches in thickness, the LCD occupies almost the entire back of the camera. These are important features because the LCD serves as the viewfinder.

Response times for the Stylus 800 are good. You can shoot your first photo about 2 seconds after pressing the digital camera's power button. Shutter lag is not noticeable, and shot-to-shot delays are about 1-2 seconds without the flash and 2-4 seconds with the flash. In continuous-shot mode, you can shoot up to 10 frames at 4 frames per second, but the LCD remains blank.

Finally, the Stylus 800 offers a nice mixture of automatic and basic manual features, which will appeal to beginner and some intermediate photographers. This digital camera is even waterproof, constructed for everyday use, rain or shine. It's an impressive model that offers a good value.


Pros: 8.0 megapixels of resolution, large and bright LCD, camera works especially well in low-light conditions, outstanding images
Cons: Requires a proprietary battery pack, control placements may be awkward for some users, no viewfinder

Warranty
1 year