Olympus MJU-II Review
A real world review of the mighty Olympus MJU ii point and shoot camera.
The Olympus MJU ii or Stylus Epic, as it’s named in the states, has quickly become my favorite little pocket camera. I have loved shooting little toy cameras over the years. My job as a wedding photographer can be intense and full on, leaving me exhausted at the end of a shoot, because you’re never really able to turn your brain off in that environment. Enter the MJU ii. The beautiful thing about point and shoot cameras is that you literally don’t have to think outside of composition. The MJU ii is about as automatic as a camera can be, which is part of it’s charm, but also the only gripe I have with the camera. I like to overexpose my film by a stop by rating the iso in camera one full stop lower than the film I’m shooting. For example, I’ll shoot 800 iso speed film at 400, 200 at 100, and so on. Now, there is a hack for this with this camera, but I don’t really recommend it. It’s called DX hacking, google it if you’re interested.
The MJU ii does an incredible job with exposure, the 35/2.8 lens that it’s equipped with is fast and sharp. The photos below were shot on a variety of BW and color films and I’ve included the film used on every photo in the captions underneath each picture. This little powerhouse camera handled all of films incredibly well.
One of the little annoyances with this camera is that it’s super flash happy, this camera loves to flash people. On the bright side, the flash is powerful for it’s size and I’ve had great exposures with it, see the first image below this text for an example of the flash. The other thing that is cool, if you push both of the function buttons on the back of the camera at the same time, you can enter spot meter and spot focus mode, which helps with tricky exposure and getting creative with composition. A heads up though, whatever settings you’ve chosen will be reset once you turn the camera off.
This camera is quirky but it’s also mighty. Oh, and it’s severely overpriced - the MJU ii is going for around $250 on ebay these days, but you can find them at swap meets, garage, and estate sales if you’re lucky. Since June I’ve gone through 3 MJU ii’s, they are getting old and they don’t last long, it’s something to keep in mind if you’re on a budget. Don’t except these little cameras to last long or be durable.
Check out more samples of the MJU ii. A full analog wedding on the MJU ii. All film portfolio.
And Finally, Olympus MJU ii photos
portra 160, mju ii
portra 800, mju ii
colorplus 200, mju ii
portra 160, mju ii
portra 800, mju ii
portra 400, mju ii
So, you’re probably here because you’re thinking of buying the MJU ii and you want some guidance. I’ve been a full-time working photographer for 15 years, and I’ve shot many cameras, both digital and film. I can say with complete sincerity, the MJU ii is the most fun I’ve had making pictures. The camera is pocketable, it’s unpredictable in the best way, and most importantly it inspires me to pick it up and make photos for more than just paid commissions. 5/5 I’d recommend this little gem, if you can stomach the price tag.
Love analog? Take a look at my quick write up on the legendary Contax T2, Yashica T4, and a fun plastic camera.
Direct links to camera and films used below.
OLYMPUS MJU II/olympus stylus epic
Colorplus 200. Portra 800, Portra 400. Portra 160. Delta 3200. 400H. Tmax 400.
Thanks for looking!
With Love,
