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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.)
|