"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:
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(secs) |
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Power On -> First shot |
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LCD turns on and lens extends forward.
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Shutdown |
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First time is time to retract lens, second time is
worst-case buffer-clearing time.
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Play to Record, first shot |
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Time until first shot is captured.
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Record to play |
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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.
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Shutter lag, full autofocus |
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First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto. |
Shutter lag, prefocus |
0.089
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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.
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(@4.8 volts on the external power terminal) |
(LiIon cell) |
Capture Mode, w/LCD |
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Half-pressed shutter w/LCD |
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Memory Write (transient) |
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Flash Recharge (transient) |
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Image Playback |
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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.
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 | |
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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 Test Images
S800 Specifications
S800 "Picky Details"
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