Product Description

Stylus Epic Zoom 80 combines the best in portability and performance in one world-class camera. A flowing, contour design fits comfortably in your hand. Lightweight construction, a full range of features, and a 38-80mm autofocus zoom lens make this an impressive addition to the award-winning Stylus series. Unique clamshell design protects the lens, enhancing its portability, durability and aesthetic appeal. Special all-weather construction protects the camera against sand, dust and water. Quartz date feature in Stylus Epic Zoom 80 QD model offers convenient date/time imprinting.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3751 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Olympus
• Model: Epic Zoom 80

Features

• 35mm compact point-and-shoot
• 38-80mm 2x zoom lens with autofocus
• Multi-mode flash features red-eye reduction
• Automatic film loading, advance, and rewind
• Features date imprinting and self-timer

Amazon.com Review
The Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 80 QD CG offers advanced features and a zoom in a compact package, allowing you to get the close-up shots you want with the portability you need.

While the Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 80 is one of the smallest zoom cameras available, it is heavy on styling and great features. Its miniature version of Olympus's signature clamshell sliding case makes it easy to turn the camera on and off, while offering protection against lens scratches. It comes in a good-looking and durable brushed champagne gold case that is splash-proof, so you can shoot pictures in all kinds of weather. The 38-80mm zoom lens is perfect for framing portraits, getting in on the action, and capturing faraway subjects.

The Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 80 offers the advanced features of Olympus's larger camera lines, including quartz date and time imprinting and a self timer. The Olympus Stylus Epic also has a whopping six flash modes, including automatic, red-eye reduction, and night scene. It also has a useful Infinity mode, which sets the focus to let you take shots of distant landscapes and other subjects.

The Olympus Stylus Epic is a pleasure to use--it is as small as or smaller than many of the new Advanced Photo System (APS) cameras, but still uses standard 35mm film.

Its tapered design made it easy to slip in a pocket, and since it is little larger than a deck of cards, we found ourselves carrying it everywhere. It's especially nice to have the zoom in such a compact camera. --Walt Opie

Pros:

• Extremely lightweight and compact
• Durable construction
• Wide range of flash options
• Includes zoom

• Battery compartment is hard to open

Customer Reviews

Excellent camera
A manual settings snob I was... my 20 year-old Minolta had a light leak. Too late to get a repair before a trip to Alaska I bought a point and shoot. I bought this brand because Olympus have glass lenses. But the design is what really sold me: the camera is "splashproof", the lens cover ingenious, and the small, very lightweight oval fits in your hand like it belongs there.

It has trekked with me across Alaska, Florida, fell in a fountain in Savannah, been on a beach too many times to mention and has bounced off airport restroom floors more than once. It survived being thrown 20 feet into the street when my bag was grabbed and the camera flew out of it. It has gone fishing with me and even scooted off the face of a glacier once.

And you know what? Besides being more durable than I could ever imagine, it takes great pictures.

Two years and 100 rolls of film later I have had 3 bad pictures. All because I was taking low light shots without a tripod -- my hand jiggled the camera. Last month, we were on the beach at midnight with a full moon out. I placed the Olympus on stairs and set the timer so me tripping the shutter wouldn't jiggle things. Beautiful shot of the ocean, the moon and unbeknownst to us until the photos came back... a sea turtle coming ashore behind us.

I have taken the Olympus places I would of never taken the expensive (OK!! OK: and clunky and heavy) Minolta. The Olympus fits in my pocket. It is not an ordeal to get it out and determine the lighting, put on the right lens or even to load the film.

I miss the Minolta when I have a beautiful sunset to shoot and know what it would look like with a polarizing filter and ASA 100 film. And, when I was set up with it I could actually focus faster than the autofocus on the Olympus. But three bad shots out of 3000? I can stand a nanoseconds delay.

Don't be fooled by the size - It takes great rich pictures
Wow, what a great little camera. I needed a 35mm to go on vacation, certainly glad I picked this one. Small in size - easy to carry. Easy to load the film. Several different flash modes. Good zoom lens. Tricky on/off method (you have to slide the case open and closed). Self-timer so that you can take pictures that include yourself (so many of my families earlier pictures didn't include Dad, he was always behind the camera).But the best part of the camera is the developed product. I could not and still can not believe how great the pictures came out. I used regular Kodak 200 speed 35mm film, and the prints came out clear, detailed, bright & sharp. When the camera arrived and I saw its size, I had serious doubts that it could take a quality picture, but it definitely does just that.

Tiny, great pictures, but not very durable
I'm on my second Olympus infin. stylus/epic zoom camera. It takes great pictures, is easy to use, and very compact (although some of the new APS cameras are smaller now.) But, not very durable. My first broke (some gear/gizmo in the retractable lens) I got it fixed (for $90! ), and it broke again a year later. Silly me - I go shopping for a new camera, and this one wins me over again because of its small size and picture quality. But, here I am, only a year later (again!)and the flash is broken - and it's another $80 repair!

I take a lot of pictures (3-4 rolls of film a month), so maybe the small size/small parts of this camera are not durable enough for that much use. But, if you plan to use less frequently, I'd recommend. It does take really good pics!