Digital Camera Home > Digital Camera Reviews > Olympus Digital Cameras > Olympus Stylus 800

"Picky Details" for the Olympus Stylus 800 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

 

Timing

When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Olympus Stylus 800:

Olympus Stylus 800 Timings
Operation
Time
(secs)
Notes
Power On -> First shot
1.9
LCD turns on and lens extends forward.
Shutdown
1.9 - 10
First time is time to retract lens, second time is worst-case buffer-clearing time.
Play to Record, first shot
0.5
Time until first shot is captured.
Record to play
3.7 / 0.6
First time is that required to display a large/fine file immediately after capture, second time is that needed to display a large/fine file that has already been processed and stored on the memory card.
Shutter lag, full autofocus
0.86 / 0.76
First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto.
Shutter lag, prefocus
0.089
Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button.
Cycle Time, max/min resolution

1.67 / 1.64

First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for "TV" mode (640x480) images. Times are averages. In large/fine mode, shoots 5 frames this fast, then slows to about 2.6 seconds per shot. Buffer clears in 8 seconds. In TV mode, maintains this pace indefinitely, clearing the buffer after each shot.
Cycle Time, Flash exposures 8 Flash at maximum power output.
Cycle Time, continuous High mode, max resolution 0.24
(4.18 fps)

Times are averages. Image size is limited to 2048x1536 or smaller. Shoots at the same rate regardless of resolution. In large/fine mode, shoots 13 frames this fast, then takes 6 seconds to clear the buffer. In TV mode, maintains this pace indefinitely, clearing the buffer after each shot.

Cycle Time, continuous Low mode, max/min resolution 0.84 / 0.75
(1.19 / 1.34 fps)
First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for small/basic images. Times are averages. In large/fine mode, shoots 3 frames this fast, then takes 7 seconds to clear the buffer. In TV mode, maintains this pace indefinitely, clearing the buffer after each shot.

 

Power

The Olympus Stylus 800 uses a custom rechargeable LiIon battery for power.

Operating Mode
Power
(@4.8 volts on the external power terminal)
Est. Minutes
(LiIon cell)
Capture Mode, w/LCD
365 mA
156
Half-pressed shutter w/LCD
375 mA
152
Memory Write (transient)
417 mA
n/a
Flash Recharge (transient)
1375 mA
n/a
Image Playback
150 mA
379

 

Storage Capacity

The Olympus Stylus 800 stores its photos on xD memory cards or in approximately 23 MB of internal memory, and no card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 128 MB card, preferably a 256 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored in the internal memory at each size/quality setting.

Image Capacity vs
Resolution/Quality
16 MB Memory Card
Fine Normal
3264 x 2448
Images
(Avg size)
5
4.1 MB
11
2.1 MB
Approx.
Compression
6:1 12:1
2560 x 1920
Images
(Avg size)
- 18
1.2 MB
Approx.
Compression
- 12:1
2272 x 1704
Images
(Avg size)
- 23
977 KB
Approx.
Compression
- 12:1
2048 x 1536
Images
(Avg size)
- 29
785 KB
Approx.
Compression
- 12:1
1600 x 1200 Images
(Avg size)
- 34
658 KB
Approx.
Compression
- 9:1
1280 x 960
Images
(Avg size)
- 55
417 KB
Approx.
Compression
- 9:1
1024 x 768 Images
(Avg size)
- 84
272 KB
Approx.
Compression
- 9:1
640 x 480
Images
(Avg size)
- 130
176 KB
Approx.
Compression
- 5:1

 

Download Speed

The Olympus Stylus 800 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. Downloading files to my Sony desktop running Windows XP (Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz), I clocked it at 841 KBytes/second. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast v1.1 interfaces run as high as 600 KB/s. Cameras with USB v2.0 interfaces run as fast as several megabytes/second.)

S800 Review
S800 Test Images
S800 Specifications
S800 "Picky Details"
Up to Imaging Resource digital cameras area

Follow Imaging Resource: