I love this camera. I have been using it for a couple of months now and it is keeping up with me and my four kids.

I bought this camera because it is small and it fits in my pocket or my purse and I take it everywhere I go. It is light and compact. However it does have drawbacks. The power button is tiny and right next to the shutter button, so sometimes rather than getting that winning goal I turn the camera off instead. Also, I find the wide and telephoto button to be a little on the small side and in a very awkward position. It would be much more comfortable at the bottom. The other buttons work just fine.

The image quality is great. When it is used at full image quality and at wide angle the pictures are crystal clear. The 3X optical zoom is great, but then they also have an additional 5X digital zoom. I do admit though that I avoid the digital zoom because the more you zoom in the more unstable the picture becomes. Fully extended to the 15X zoom it was VERY difficult to hold the camera still enough to even center the picture. We were using it to take pictures of the Grand Canyon, so we were zooming in on objects a mile away at the bottom of the canyon or on Condors on lower edges, so in all fairness we were asking a lot. I have, in most circumstances, found that it is easier to stick with the optical zoom and then crop the picture on my computer. It also has image stabilization, which I first thought was smoke and mirrors, but it really is a great feature for taking pictures while on the move. You really can point and shoot, but sometimes the image stabilization takes a moment to focus in when you first turn the camera on.

It takes wonderful video. You are only limited by the size of your card and a nice feature is that it also records sound. The Olympus High-Speed 1 GB xD Picture Card is supposed to be terrific for this feature, but we had problems using it with this camera. (You can read my long-winded review of the card too.) I have gone back to my old 128MB card and I can get 3 minutes of video.

One of the best features for me is the scene selector. I will list them at the bottom so you do not have to read them if you do not want to. I am still learning how to use all of them, but they are so useful because I do not have to try and figure out all of the settings. I just pick the type of scene that I want to photograph and the camera changes all of the settings for me automatically.

The display is 2.5 inches and really clear. With the zoom button you can zoom in on pictures you have already taken and review to see if you got what you wanted. One drawback is the screen is not protected and since I keep it in my purse I just cut one of my palm screen protectors to the right size and now I do not have to worry about scratches. I like that Olympus included and internal lens protector. My last one was a slide protector, but this one is so much better and it does not get in the way and I do not have to worry about losing a lens cap.

The menu can be a little confusing, because not all features are always accessible. Only the menu items you can change, in the setting you are using, can be accessed. See some menu items below. While you can manually adjust almost anything on the camera I just prefer to let the camera do it for me and it does a better job than I ever could.

Over all there are some very minor drawbacks, but Olympus can not make a camera perfect for everyone. With this camera you get a terrific camera that can easily compete with the much more expensive cameras, but this one is so much more affordable. The compact style makes this camera easy to take anywhere. After two months I am still trilled with this camera. I think my husband's money was well spent. :)



Preset Scenes:
Portrait, Landscape, Landscape and Portrait, Night Scene, Night and Portrait, Sport, Indoor, Candle, Self Portrait (while holding the camera at arms length), Available Light (for low night, but no flash), Sunset, Fireworks, Museum (turns off all sound and flash), Cuisine, Behind Glass, Documents, Auction (takes 3 pictures at different exposures), Shoot and Select (one reduces aspect ratio and takes fast shots, so I capture pictures of my kids running down the field, the other is slower, but both continue shooting as long as you push the shutter button),and Beach and Snow

Photo viewing menu:
Slide Show, Edit (black and white, sepia, red eye, crop, title, etc.), calendar (view pictures by day), playback menu (which also allows you to set up albums), set up, index, and erase.

Compact so it fits in you pocket, high tech enough to dance with it's bigger counterparts. This little camera does it all. I comparison shopped for several weeks comparing and contrasting multiple cameras from cannon, kodak, hp, sony, panasonic, and olympus, and none had features like this, a small size, and in this price range. I bought the stylus 710 soley because I had a good coupon. This was my first choice, but I settled for second due to the pocketbook, but I am not dissappointed.

8 megapixels, digital image stabilization (only it and the stulus 710, and a solo panasonic have this at $300), 2.5 inch lcd viewing screen (higher resolution than 710), and a low price for me of $299 dollars (most chains stores clearence price). OH, DID I MENTION EXCELLENT PICTURES. I have played with this for several days now editing the photos, paling with the on-board and the computer imaging package, and I see nothing wrong with this camera for an everyday average user like me. And with it's weather resistence, nice for a clumsy average user like me. This is well worth the investment, saving your families memories in a fit and proper manner. There are so many bells and whistles, you will have to look at the Olympus website to see the power of this package.

I also highly recommend the Stylus 710 (if you have less money like me). It is on sale at most chain stores at this time. Slower shutter speed, less on board memory (19.1 vs 29.1), lower pixel view screen, but gains 3 photo settings. It is still 7.1 megapixel, so you only loose one size photo shot (something like a 16 x 19), but I would likely never use that size photo. Also the battery life is very adequate, about 120 photos or more, with slide shows, editing ect... You will enjoy your olympus purchase.

Also, the Olympus Mastersoftware is very easy to use, And with panoramic feature, 3d, and Extra ART Features unlocked by Olympus Brand-Olympus Stamped Type H HD, this camera becomes even more of a pleasure to own. you can edit photos on the computer, or right in the palm of your hand. Both ways, this camera will make you feel like a pro in no time.

I did a lot of research and shopping before buying this Olympus Stylus 810. I've had a 5-yr old 2 megapixel Nikon that needed replacement. My criteria was 1) Image Stabilization, 2) Shirt-pocket size, 3) 7 to 8 Megapixels, 4) 2.5" Minimum LCD display, and 5) Movies with sound capability. Sony and Canon came close, but the Olympus 810 had all these features and the highest rating in Consumer Report for quality.

Good news: This is a great camera for photos, versatility, 24 shooting modes, met all my criteria, and the picture quality and sharpness are superb. The movie clip audio and video quality are as good as my expensive Sony Camcorder. When playing movie clips back on PC, it is almost as good as a camcorder movie.

Bad news: Transfering photos and movie clips from camera to PC is an absolute nightmare. I'm use to my Nikon software opening up a window with photos and "click-and-drag" one or more onto desktop for immediate access. Not so with this Olympus. You have to go thru many laborous, time consuming steps to tranfer either one or everything on camera. Instructions say you can select multiple shots to transfer, NOT SO, it will not work. More bad news: The software only allows you to transfer movie clips to "Quick-Time" software, not Windows Media Player. And you can't transfer or in any way convert a movie clip to Windows Media Player (WMP). It is possible to play it back in WMP on PC but not save it as a file. What idiot would design such software?!?! Here's the worst part: I have not been able to send one movie clip on Outlook Express email OR on Internet Explorer email. Always get error message. Even a small 60-second movie clip in Quick-Time is a huge 35-MB. Not so in WMP, 60-second clip is only about 2-MB. Beware, if you plan on sending movie clips to friends and relatives from this camera, FORGET IT, it will not happen. I am extremely disappointed in this and may even return the camera because of it. How could a huge company like Olympus come up with the absolutely worst software program in the world?

This camera is wonderful. It's small, it operates smoothly, and the quality is spectacular. Our previous camera was a Panasonic 6MP that my wife and I loved. I purchased this for my wife for Christmas, and she loves it. She was always partial to the Panasonic, (even when I sat on it and broke it at the park, she told me she didn't want a "newer, better model", she liked it so much, so we purchased an identical one).
She liked this one from the words "Merry Christmas". I didn't realize it was the same camera I had suggested that my mother-in-law buy (which she did, and loves it).
Things I love about the camera:
1) It is well balanced.
-The megapixels, size, screen size, and ease of use make it a perfect point and shoot camera. If you don't need a powerful zoom, then this is a great choice.
2) The Image Stabilization makes for excellent pictures, clear and crisp. (Sometimes that was not the case with the Panasonic, images tended to blur with slight movement)
3) Taking a close-up is just as clear and crisp as regular photo.
- I cook a lot, and I'm working on a cookbook with pictures. Taking pictures of food is easy and wonderfully clear and crisp with this camera. My previous camera took shot after shot, even on it's "closeup" mode.
4) Quick startup.
- Getting the perfect picture of our 2 or 6 year old can be all about timing. You turn it on, in a matter of seconds, this thing is ready to go.
5) Lighting is not a problem.
- Light or dark, this camera performs. The flash is not apparent on most pictures, and you get a nice and resolute photo with every snap. The auto-focus feature is outstanding.

I have not loaded the camera software as other users have, but I use a free Shutterfly software, and although it's either all or none, I just set it up and go do something else until all the pictures are loaded...after that, uploading to shutterfly and editing my pictures is a piece of cake.

I love this camera!

I am the type of person who actually reads all the reviews before I make a purchase, especially, on line.
I have been just delighted with my new 810 and the performance.
One of the reviews I read talked about the upgrade from the 800 to the 810 and the person was sorry that they did not wait for this new model to be released. I am sure glad that I read this review and acted on it. I am totally delighted with my camera in EVERY way. I love the large viewing screen and the feature where if my hand shakes the camera automatically compensates. This feature is great especially because I have taken many pictures in the past where this has been a problem.
I hope that others will read this review a enjoy the experience for themselves.
All the best! David P.

I think this camera is absolutely amazing. It takes wonderful pictures-I could not be happier. I got this camera to use on a trip to Mexico in early March. It is the perfect size, and extremely easy to use. With it being all weather proof, I was excited to bring my camera to the beach and the pool and not have to worry about the smallest bit of water ruining my camera.

All the different photo options that you have, makes it impossible not to get the right shot. Settings for beach/snow and portrait were perfect for taking pictures with my friends at the beach-obvioulsy, but they also allowed me to get some really gorgeous sceneic shots that will be a great addition to my portfolio.

Also, the camera makes it SUPER easy to organize and retreive your photos. I especially like the calendar feature which allows you to find pictures according to the day you took them-which was perfect for ordering my pictures after vacation. I am photo organization freak, and this made it that much easier!

I will say that it is extremely hard to see the LCD screen in bright sunlight. However, I bought some protectors that you just place right over the screen, and it is perfect. Some people may see this aspect of a deal breaker, but not me.

I think that anyone would be truly happy with this camera!

This is a great little camera, I use it at work all the time! It takes great pictures!

This camera got great reviews in Consumer Reports, and I'm sure it's perfect for some, but it's far too slow to get good pictures of active kids. The "weatherproof" feature would've been nice, but I exchanged it for something faster.

This camera has met my expectations in so many ways. I should note I never really wanted to start looking for a new camera when I started looking for this one, but a camping trip (where I actually stored my camera in the tent!) sent my Canon to its grave. This was the second digital camera I'd lost to outdoor exposure. No more. I'm now a loyal Olympus fan.

Thus far, my Olympus has been through the rain and cloud forests of Costa Rica, through several feet of freshly falling snow in Romania, and on many a camping trip and trail. And I'm just as happy with it as day one.

The images are crip and clear, it fits perfectly in my jean pockets, and I like the fact that the lens withdraws within the camera to avoid scratches. Battery life has been outstanding. It seems to be such an issue with so many electronic devices, but I've found that I can take hundreds of pictures with my 810 without a hitch. Now that I think about it, on my recent trip to Romania, I was snapping away with the camera without an electric converter or spare battery and never ran out of batteries over my 11 days.

At first I was a little disappointed that I couldn't find a weatherproof camera with a viewfinder, but I've become very used to the LCD digital display as of late, and it hasn't proven a problem.

If there is one thing that I would like to change about this camera, it's the curved edges. Sure, they look good. But say you want to take vertically-oriented image in the middle of the night? You can't set the camera on a level surface with the curves edges on the sides (and you can't hold it in your hands, or the image will blur due to the long exposure), though you can shoot horizontally. I guess I could get a tripod, but this is a point-and-shoot camera...

And if the worst I can do is to complain about a camera's ability to shoot a particular orientation in the middle of the night...not bad, right?

The reviews for this are good, but I am not to happy with my camera. I did have a Fugi finepix camera before the Olympus and the pics were great! The camera broke so I decided to try this one. The pics aren't as good as my other one so I would only give this one a 3 star.

I am picky about my pictures. I like the objects to be centered and showing detail. A lot of times when I take a picture with this camera it turns out blurry. You are supppsed to focus on the image you want take and push the button down halfway so the camera will focus then take the pic. A lot of times I just want the pic so I just point and shoot, so it turns out blury. A lot people probably would not notice this. If you try and blow the picture up and print it out, that's when you can tell.

This also doesn't have the little eye piece you can look into. Just a big screen on the back. That doesn't bother me unless I am trying to take a picture outdoors on a really bright sunny day. It's hard to see the screen if it's to bright outside.

The video quality is horrible too. Very grainy and hard to see.

They say you can use the digital zoom, but when you try to, the pic isn't very clear. If you are just starting out taking pictures then go for this camera. If you are into pictures and want better quality, I would go with something else.

Bought this camera last year. Okay for day light photos and worst for night mode. I tried different settings but still could not use this camera to take pictures during the night time.