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Back in 2002, Olympus announced a new flagship model for the Mju series, the V Metal. Although film zoom cameras tend to get a bad rap nowadays for lack of reliability and slow, boring lenses, the V has a very good quality if still quite slow f/5.6 zoom. 8 elements in 7 groups, with light dispersing and aspherical elements. That suggests serious amounts of R&D were spent on this creature, and it shows in other aspects of design. In terms of versatility, the lens runs from normal 38 to long 105, which is a lot less variation than you tend to get from the super wide to crazy long zooms of the late Nineties. With the lack of variation and the in depth design work, the lens *shouldn't* distort too much at either end. The extra weight from the aluminium/steel shell should help with shake at the far end too. As a Mju, it loves to fire the flash, and has all the modes available to the beloved and sought after Mju II, as well as a slightly easier to access spot meter mode. It also offers an exposure compensation mode for backlit subjects and infinity focus as extra bonuses. The autofocus allegedly uses a mix of passive and active focusing, and is impossibly fast. On top of this, it is an incredibly well made, durable piece of kit. I have a strong feeling Olympus knew film photography had peaked, and this was going to be their swan song. As both object and artefact, the Mju V is a tremendous camera, and one that'll capture the imagination of anyone who spends some time with it. Expect the collector cults to start forming soon, and prices to slowly rise over the next few years for this diamond in the over-saturated zoom film camera market begins to make a name for itself (again).Read full review
Fantastic lo-fi camera, with nearly all the features of a compact digital point&shoot camera, plus you get to use lovely 35mm film! Features- * Lens: 38-105mm zoom, f/4.5-8.9 (6 ED glass elements - one aspherical - in 5 groups). * Active autofocus with 860 steps, closest focus: 60cm. Pre-focus lock enabled. * Film format: 35mm DX-coded film, ISO 50-3200. * Automatic exposure with shutter speeds of 4-1/500s. * Self-timer. * Autowind and rewind. * Integrated flash with multiple modes. * LCD with battery check and frame counter. * Weatherproof (resistant to splashes). * Power: 3V lithium CR123A. * Dimensions: 120x64x44mm.
This is one of the finest "carry everywhere" cameras I have ever owned. Compact, but with easily accessible controls. The lens is up to Olympus' usual standards, and takes very sharp images. To have such a good range of zoom in such a small camera is a real boon. The only grpe I have with it is that VERY occasionally, the lens cover can open partially when putting it in a carrying case on the belt. The original case, which does not produce this problem, does not have a wide enough belt loop and wobbles about, so I used another Olympus one designed for an earlier Mju camera. So, my complaint is not about the camera (which is superb), but with the supplied case. Don't let that put you off. Buy the camera and find a better case to carry it on your belt, or in your pocket.
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