It’s hard to say what all a bridge camera should or should not have. It’s supposed to be an option for a serious or advanced amateur photographer (and some pros too), who would love to have a fair amount of creative control over the pictures, but not have to lug around a DSLR or a Compact System Camera (CSC) with a whole set of lenses. And despite a smaller size, it’s also expected to deliver the same or even better image quality.

Being a bridge camera must be so difficult!

And it must be harder for it to be a bridge camera from Olympus, which has so far marketed heavily its CSCs. Especially the OM-D range, which has been one of our favourites too, and touted to be a DSLR killer. Olympus may have thought of these things too, because its new bridge, the Stylus 1, is a point-and-shoot hybrid that looks uncannily like the OM-D cameras. As for us, we decided to go beyond looks.

Does it a pack a lot? Yes, indeed. For one, it carries over quite a few design cues from the OM-D E-M1. In fact, the Stylus 1 looks like a shrunk version of the flagship Interchangeable Lens Camera (ILC).

This works to its advantage because the design lets the Stylus 1 incorporate a good number of controls and functions, which a photographer would need for creative freedom. The mode dial is lavish with 10 modes, including two custom modes. There’s a multi-purpose dial (depending on the shooting mode) on the top panel, alongside the shutter release button. The control ring around the lens is multipurpose too, and on manual modes, the function can be flipped to become a manual focus ring using a tiny button on the front. There are two options for controlling the zoom – one standard zoom control around shutter release and the second one sitting adjacent to the lens. On the back also you get a few useful controls, along with an electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a tilting 3-inch touchscreen.

In summary, this hybrid has every control that you would need for complete manual control.

In terms of design, the niftiest new feature on the Stylus 1 is the exploding lens cap – you don’t have to worry about misplacing a lens cap with this.

And underneath this exploding lens cap is a 10.7x optical zoom lens which comes with a fixed f/2.8 aperture. Under the 35mm equivalent system, that’s 28-300mm. That’s a focal length range that encompasses a lot of genres of photography.

As far as the sensor is concerned, well, it’s not one of the critically acclaimed Micro Four Thirds that the OM-D biggies carry; instead, it’s a 1/1.7-inch 12-megapixel backlit CMOS sensor that’s almost the same size as a few other premium compacts from Canon or Nikon.

And apart from the usual Olympus filters, the Stylus 1 carries a three-step ND filter – something that advanced photographers would appreciate.

There’s also a small built-in pop-up flash, along with a hot-shoe connector for connecting bigger flashes or video accessories. And the WiFi connectivity is a nice accompaniment for those who like sharing images on the go.

What about image quality? The Olympus Stylus 1 unit that we received produced pretty good images. We saw an overall sense of good colour reproduction and noise suppression, and the images retained detail up to a large extent. The AF is very efficient and probably one of the best in the current options of bridge cameras, and is really quick to react and lock on, even under low-lighting conditions. That said, the automatic exposure system was a bit erratic, with frequently underexposing images on the preset scene modes. We checked all the settings just to make sure if somehow any limitations had been imposed, but there were none. But once we got to the programmable and manual modes, the camera was in its elements. Even with a smaller-than-usual sensor, the high ISO performance exceeds expectations. Noise starts kicking in only at ISO 800 and above, but the internal noise reduction system works quite well. Of course, if you go up to ISO 12800, which is the camera’s maximum, the noise levels are quite high. But then that’s all that can be expected of a small-sensor camera. Moreover, the f2.8 lens not just allows taking bright photos, but also creates a good depth-of-field.

Verdict If you keep aside the two facts that the Stylus 1 is not an ILC and has a small sensor, the camera is quite the performer with its brilliant imaging. Also, at low light the performance is complemented by the proven image stabilisation system. If a bridge camera is on your mind, the Stylus 1 is a compelling choice. If a good camera is what you want, the same amount of money can buy you an entry-level DSLR with a big sensor.

Rs 44,990

Love – Brilliant imaging; user gets all controls

Hate – Automatic exposure is a bit erratic; pricey

sabyasachi.b@thehindu.co.in

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