Olympus Stylus (Mju I) Review: The Affordable Compact Worth Buying

Background & Key Features

Olympus released the Mju I in 1991 as their modern successor to the legendary XA rangefinder, and it launched a series that sold over 20 million units. That's not a typo, 20 million. It was designed by Maitani Yoshihisa (creator of the Olympus PEN, PEN F, and OM series), and it brought autofocus, motorized film transport, and weatherproofing to a package smaller than most wallets. In North America, it was called the Infinity Stylus, which is somehow both more and less memorable.

The plastic clamshell body houses a 35mm f/3.5 triplet lens (3 elements in 3 groups) that focuses down to 0.35m, which is impressively close. Notable features include 100-step autofocus (good for 1991), 1/15 to 1/500s shutter range, DX film speed reading (ISO 50-3200), built-in flash with four modes, and automatic film advance and rewind. At 170g and measuring just 12×6×4cm, it's genuinely trouser-pocketable, which matters if you actually want to carry it everywhere.

The Mju I earned prestigious design awards throughout the 1990s and remains one of the most ergonomic compacts ever made. Olympus got the ergonomics right on the first try.

The Film Look, Made Accessible

While cameras like the Olympus Stylus deliver authentic film aesthetics, they come with barriers: $120+ cameras, $15-20 per roll, weeks waiting for scans. Daydream bridges this gap by modeling genuine film physics on your phone. We're not replacing film (we love it too much), but offering accessible film look for everyday moments. Use Daydream for free, no subscription or ads, while keeping your Stylus for when real film is worth the wait.

Design & Handling

The curved plastic body fits the hand perfectly, which is rare for compacts from this era. The sliding clamshell cover doubles as power switch and lens protection, opening and closing with satisfying precision. At 170g (6oz), it feels substantial without weighing down pockets. The thumb rest on the back and finger grips on the front create ergonomics that rival cameras three times the price. Olympus really nailed the industrial design here.

The viewfinder is small but functional, showing a center AF frame and parallax correction brackets for close shots. A green LED confirms focus lock, orange warns of low light or flash charging. The large silver shutter button is impossible to miss, which is good design. Two top buttons control flash modes and self-timer. An LCD shows frame count, flash mode, and battery status, which is all you need.

The shutter is reasonably quiet, not silent but not obnoxious either. Film advance whirs audibly but not loud enough to ruin candid moments. One annoyance: the camera resets to auto-flash on every power-up, requiring two button presses to disable. You'll get used to it, but it's still annoying. The clamshell design means no lens cap to lose, and the camera powers on instantly when opened, which is brilliant for grab shots.

How the Olympus Stylus Shoots: Street Photography and Travel Photography Performance

Metering & exposure behavior

The programmed autoexposure tends toward brighter exposures, which works beautifully with negative film's forgiving latitude. In backlit situations, the camera handles highlights well without blowing them out. The 1/15-1/500s shutter range is cleverly chosen: 1/15s is slow enough to avoid needing flash in marginal light (if you have steady hands), while 1/500s at f/16 handles bright daylight with ISO 400 film. For street photography in variable light, the meter adapts quickly without hunting. The camera has no exposure compensation, but the bright-leaning tendency actually helps with backlit subjects.

Focusing experience

The 100-step autofocus is remarkably reliable, locking focus in 85-90% of shots. Half-pressing the shutter locks both focus and exposure (green LED confirms), allowing focus-reframe-shoot technique. The 0.35m minimum focus distance is a game-changer compared to typical 0.8m compacts, opening up close-up possibilities most point-and-shoots can't touch. For street photography, the AF is fast enough for candid work, though there's slight shutter lag as the lens moves to focus position during exposure. Low-light AF occasionally hunts, but the green LED flashing warns you before wasting a frame.

Lens character & image quality

The 35mm f/3.5 triplet lens genuinely punches above its weight. The center is razor-sharp when stopped down in daylight, delivering SLR-level detail that's impressive for a compact. Wide open at f/3.5, the lens shows pleasing character with slightly lower contrast reminiscent of classic Cooke triplet designs. This "soft" rendering at f/3.5 is actually beautiful for portraits and creative work, not a flaw.

The lens does show noticeable corner softness and light falloff, especially at f/3.5. Landscape shooters expecting edge-to-edge sharpness will be disappointed. But for the camera's intended use (snapshots, travel, street photography), the corner softness rarely matters and sometimes adds character. If you're shooting people, you won't notice it.

Color rendition is neutral with good contrast. On Portra 400, skin tones are smooth and natural. On Ektar 100, colors pop with excellent saturation. Black and white film reveals lovely tonal gradation, with HP5 showing rich midtones that make street photography sing.

Bokeh at f/3.5 is surprisingly pleasant for a point-and-shoot, with smooth out-of-focus areas and nicely rounded highlights. The 0.35m close focus combined with f/3.5 creates more background separation than you'd expect from a compact, which is great for portraits.

Flare resistance is good. Minimal vignetting. Virtually no chromatic aberration. Some pincushion distortion is visible in corners with straight lines, but it's not objectionable unless you're shooting architecture.

Film pairings that sing

• •Portra 400 for versatile shooting with forgiving latitude that complements the bright-leaning meter
• •Kodak Gold 200 for affordable everyday shooting with warm tones perfect for travel and snapshots
• •Ektar 100 for maximum sharpness in daylight to leverage the lens's center resolution
• •HP5 Plus for classic black and white with rich contrast that suits the lens character

Best Uses: Urban Photography, Portrait Photography, and More

Best at: Travel photography (pocketable, weatherproof), street photography (fast AF, quiet), urban photography (35mm focal length), portrait photography (0.35m close focus), documentary work

Struggles with: Low-light without flash (f/3.5 lens), landscape photography (corner softness), professional work (no manual controls), action photography (shutter lag)

If this is you → pick this body:

• •"I want excellent optics in a pocketable camera" → Olympus Stylus
• •"I need f/2.8" → Olympus Mju II
• •"Budget-conscious" → Pentax Espio

Olympus Stylus vs Olympus Mju II, Yashica T4, and Contax T2

The Mju II offers a faster f/2.8 lens and 400+ focus steps, but it costs $250-350 versus the Stylus's $100-160. That's a significant price difference for one stop of light. The Yashica T4 has the same f/3.5 aperture with more lens character, but it's bulkier and less pocketable. The Contax T2 delivers Zeiss optics and premium build, but at $800-1,200 it's in a completely different price universe.

Choose the Stylus for the best value in pocketable compacts. Choose the Mju II if you shoot low light frequently and the f/2.8 lens justifies doubling your budget. Choose the Yashica T4 if you want more lens character and don't mind the bulk. The Stylus delivers 85% of the Mju II's performance at 40% of the cost, which is the value proposition in a nutshell.

* Prices as of December 2025. Market fluctuates based on condition and availability.

Is the Olympus Stylus Worth It in 2025?

As of December 2025, the Stylus sells for $100-160, up from $10-30 five years ago but still half the Mju II's $250-350. Prices have risen dramatically, but the Stylus remains one of the best values in film compacts. What you're paying for: pocketable size, excellent ergonomics, sharp 35mm lens, 0.35m close focus, weatherproof build.

Worth it for photographers who want a true pocket camera with excellent image quality and won't miss the f/2.8 lens. Not worth it if you shoot primarily in low light (get the Mju II) or need manual controls. Alternatives: Pentax Espio at $30-60; Mju II for low-light at $250-350; Yashica T4 at $180-280. The Stylus is the sweet spot for value-focused photographers.

Film's Future, Your Pocket

Cameras like the Olympus Stylus represent the artistry and physics that make film photography special. At Daydream, we've spent years studying these characteristics (gentle highlight rolloff, organic grain, non-linear color response) to bring authentic film emulation to mobile photography. We're not replacing film; we're making it accessible for moments when loading a roll isn't practical. Our app is free, no subscription or ads, because we believe more people should experience film photography. Whether you shoot with a Stylus, a phone running Daydream, or both, you're keeping the film aesthetic alive.