Olympus Stylus Cameras

Olympus Stylus Camera

Olympus has released many different types of cameras under the Stylus name, ranging from entry-level compacts to high-performance rugged action cameras.

The Stylus Range

The Olympus Stylus range was the company’s line of compact digital cameras released between 2003 and 2014, as well as the name given to several compact film cameras like the Olympus mju-ii. The extensive line featured standard digital compacts like the Stylus 7020, rugged cameras like the Stylus TG-Tracker and the high-performance Stylus 1s bridge camera. The modern stylus lineup, however, has been reduced to just a few models. Olympus has discontinued the vast majority of their non-rugged compact cameras, preferring to focus on mirrorless system cameras as their lightweight alternative to DSLRs. Today, most Olympus Stylus cameras are only available pre-owned or as stock that never sold.

Olympus Tough

The Olympus Tough cameras are descendants of the original Olympus Stylus waterproof digital cameras, and are still sometimes called by the Stylus name. These specialised rugged compact cameras are designed to withstand submersion in water, dust intrusion, low temperatures, falls and crushing force. The TG-Tracker action camera still carries the Stylus name. This camera is designed to capture high-quality images and video on your adventures and even includes a thermometer, accelerometer, barometer and GPS unit for capturing data to go with the pictures. The small built-in lens makes them more durable than interchangeable lens cameras.

Olympus Stylus 1s

The Stylus 1s bridge camera is the other survivor of Olympus’ culling of its compact range. Weighing in at less than half a kilogram, this 2015 release was designed to provide high photographic performance in a compact body. It features a 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor and a built-in i.Zuiko 28-300mm f/2.8 lens. The lens can shoot both long-distance and wide-angle images effectively and can also be zoomed quickly to your choice of preset focal lengths. Its design resembles Olympus’ OM-D DSLR cameras more than any of the other compact Olympus digital cameras, cementing its position as an enthusiast’s compact.

Modern Alternatives

Olympus’ move away from compact digital cameras has been replicated across much of the industry, due to the increasing ability of smartphones to challenge the performance of dedicated cameras. However, Olympus have not abandoned the idea of a quick, easy-to-use camera. Olympus’ PEN line is a family of interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras that combines system camera performance with ease-of-use features like specialised selfie modes and smartphone connectivity.