The 10 Best Point and Shoot Film Cameras Ever Made
Olympus Stylus MJU II
Skill Level: Beginner to intermediate
Year of Release: 1997
The Olympus Stylus MJU II puts the “compact” in compact film camera. This is undoubtedly one of the most minimal point and shoots out there (seriously, you might lose it in your couch), and it’s not hard to see why it has such a dedicated following. Desirable features include but are not limited to: DX coding up to 3200 ISO, an impressively sharp lens that is protected by a slider door, a very capable flash (with red eye reduction), and the camera is weatherproof. (But not waterproof!)
The camera is powered on and off by opening or closing the slider door, which is an oddly satisfying experience. Three buttons make operations simple; a shutter button, a button for flash modes, and a self timer button. It’s definitely capable of being taken out of a pocket, opened, operated, and returned to said pocket with one hand. I.e. it’s well approved for run-and-gun adventure shooting.
The Olympus MJU II model is a successor to earlier models such as the XA and the Stylus / MJU, also fantastic point and shoot cameras, but the MJU II easily takes the cake as the superior camera.
Cons? The viewfinder is about as small as they come, and the flash is set to auto every time the camera is switched on and off (it’s known to be a little trigger happy in auto mode). So if you don’t want flash, you have to dig your little finger nail into the button like 3x to switch to no-flash mode every single time you turn it on. (Can you tell this writer has experience with this annoying feature?)
As with all point and shoots, they aren’t getting any younger and the MJU II electronics are known to fail unpredictably. The same goes for the rest of the Olympus Stylus family, which is vast.
Also, prices continue to rise and show no signs of stopping on pretty much all Stylus cameras, so think twice before spending dropping in on a mint version from eBay.
The Olympus Stylus MJU-ii is far from the most advanced point and shoot camera but considering the size, it does its job and does it well. Slip this in your pocket and take it everywhere, just don’t forget it’s there.
Lens: Olympus 35mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Average Price on eBay (2023): $350
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Source: https://www.fieldmag.com/articles/best-point-and-shoot-film-cameras
