Digital Imaging Reporter’s Flashback Friday posts reminisce back to the early 2000s with colorful point-and-shoot digital cameras. These retro cameras have a cool, fashion-forward aesthetic. Moreover, they promise a “different imaging experience” from today’s tech-advanced cameras. This week we go all the way back to February 2005 and the introduction of the Olympus Stylus Verve S. The camera was also known as the u-Mini S.
The 5-megapixel Stylus Verve S is a sleek, ultracompact digital point-and-shoot camera in the Stylus Verve series. It features a durable, all-weather designer body, along with features such as a calendar, album function as well as a histogram for enhanced usability.
Olympus Stylus Verve S Features
The pocketable camera also sports a bright 1.8-inch HyperCrystal LCD that delivers a 160º angle of view. Consequently, your photos are viewable from above, the side and below. Additionally, the body of the Stylus Verve S is constructed of lightweight metal with rubber gaskets throughout the interior to ensure rain, sleet, snow or sand won’t be a bother. Moreover, a circular lens barrier tucks away inside the camera body when on and protects the lens from the elements with a seal when closed.
In addition, its all-glass lens uses aspherical lens elements for sharper images. The 35–70mm-equivalent f/3.5–4.9 lens offers 8x combined total zoom (2x optical and 4x digital) to bring the action closer. There is also a super macro mode that captures close-up images of fine details like a butterfly’s wings.
The fashionable camera is also modeled after the shape of a falling water droplet. With smooth contoured lines, it measures just 3.7×2.2×1.1 inches and weighs only 4.1 ounces. A finger grip on its front further enhances the ergonomics, making it easy to snap pictures when holding it with one hand. The camera also delivers programmable sound effects, like the rev of a sports car or a chime, upon start-up, as well as a choice of three catchy shutter sounds.
Handy Functions
Further, Olympus added an album function to make it easier to organize photos into albums stored on the camera’s xD-Picture Card. You can create up to 12 albums of 100 images each. Plus, with a built-in calendar function, images are automatically organized and recalled by date.
Also provided are 16 shooting modes that are accessed through the camera’s menu to provide fully automatic exposure adjustments for shooting night scenes, landscapes, fireworks, cuisine and more. And the inclusion of advanced shooting functions, such as a direct histogram and white balance presets, simplifies capturing well-exposed images.
What’s more, its QuickTime movie mode records movies of any length, limited only by the size of the camera’s memory card. Connectivity options include a USB auto-connect feature that connects directly via a USB 2.0 cable sans software. The Stylus Verve S launched in April 2005 in four colors. Its original SRP was $349.99.
