Simple, Practically Indestructible 35mm Point-and-Shoot Camera
Written: Dec 16 '03
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Pros: Simplicity, Weatherproof, Can take a Licking and Keep on Ticking, small, lightweight
Cons: No whiz-bang new features (but that's not really bad)
The Bottom Line: The Olympus Infinity Stylus has a place in my heart as a hardy, well-functioning and easy to use companion that still travels around with me
jps246's Full Review: Olympus Infinity Stylus 35mm Film Camera
Looking for a relatively simple knock around point and shoot camera that still uses good old 35mm film and can take a beating?
The Olympus Infinity Stylus is a great camera to carry with you when you want to have the ability to quickly take shots and not have to worry about too many extraneous features for that picture taking experience. No zoom lenses, no various modes to choose from, the Infinity is good at what it does and that is taking quality autofocused pictures without much input from the user. Look through the viewfinder, set it up how you want and then push the button and there’s your picture.
It's quite compact and light and when you are not using it, the lense is protected by a sliding cover, which also turns the camera off - to turn it back on, slide open the cover. Weight with the batteries is still not that heavy and comes in probably around a 1/4 of a pound (I've never weighed it).
This camera is weatherproof (not waterproof so don’t drop it in the lake) and is practically indestructible. I’ve had mine for years and even though various pieces have fallen off (and been subsequently glued back on), the camera runs just as well today as it did when I first got it.
The few options that the Infinity includes are a timer function so you can take self-portraits or get into the photo yourself, two different flash modes including a regular mode and a red-eye reduction mode, and a focus lock. The focus lock on the Infinity comes in handy when composing pictures. With the shutter release button partially depressed, one can have the autofocus system focus on the subject that you want focused, then keeping the button partially depressed, you can re-arrange the scene and once you are ready completely press the button and the picture will be taken, while the focus remains locked on whatever you originally focused on. So say you want a picture of me standing in front of a waterfall – you want me in focus, but to the side of the waterfall, not directly in front of it. So first you place me directly in front of the waterfall and partially depress the shutter release. This locks the focus on me. Then keeping the button depressed, move the camera so that I am now to the side of the waterfall and completely depress the shutter release button. I’m in focus with the waterfall slightly less in focus. It sounds more complicated than it really is and it is a useful feature for a point-and-shoot camera.
The Infinity uses standard 35mm print or slide film and can also use color or black and white films. Black and white photos are acceptable, however the Infinity takes decidedly better color photographs – for some reason B&W films tend to be washed out or too dark with the Infinity – it seems that the camera has a harder time of correctly exposing the B&W film. For color slides and prints, there is no appreciable difference between the qualities. I’ve shot on both for significant amounts of time and been pleased with the results from both print and slide films.
One of the greatest benefits of this camera is its simplicity. While it won’t work if the battery dies, the lack of so many whiz-bang features and add-ons circumvents the possibility of any of these features malfunctioning or breaking. I’ve had my Infinity for many years (Olympus has been making various versions of this camera for years – the picture on Epinions is of the newest one) and other than some scratches and gashes on the body, the shutter release button falling off (and being glued back on) and some dirt that has had to be scrapped out of some parts of the camera, it looks and works as good as new. I’ve yet to have any mechanical trouble with the camera, even though it has been out hiking, backpacking, climbing and canoeing with me almost constantly until I started going more and more digital a year or so ago. In the meantime, it’s climbed the Presidentials in NH with me, trekked through the backwoods of Baxter, wandered the Catskills, skied through the Adirondacks, explored geology in the Southwest and more and like I said, not a single problem.
On most of the hikes and trips, I had both the Infinity and a 35mm SLR camera and would use the SLR when I wanted shots that I wanted more than just a photo of an area and I would use the Infinity when I just wanted a quick shot and didn’t want to have to drag out the “big” camera and get everything set before I took the picture.
So while it can’t replace an SLR 35mm camera and pales in comparison to the features available in today’s point-and-shoot digital cameras, the Olympus Infinity Stylus does have a place in my heart as a hardy, well-functioning, and easy to use companion that still travels around with me. It’s hard today to find a camera that will stand up to the abuse and use that I gave the Infinity and it’s an excellent camera for anyone who wants one that they can throw around and not worry about on their trips.
35-70 Ultra Compact AF Zoom. Weatherproof. Advanced auto focus with focus lock. Focus as close as 24 inches. 5-function automatic flash with "red-eye"...More at Amazon Marketplace
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