Olympus Mju II (Stylus Epic) 35mm camera — A quick overview

General features

• Lens: The Mju II is equipped with a fixed 35mm f/2.8 lens, which produces sharp, clear images most of the time.
• Design: The Mju II is very compact and features a clam-shell design, which adds to its durability by protecting the lens when it's not in use.
• Weather Resistance: The Mju II is weather resistant and quite robust for outdoor use.
• Built-in Flash: The Mju II comes with a built-in flash.
• Autofocus: The camera includes an active, multi-beam auto-focus system.
• Settings: You can toggle between the following modes: Auto, Red-Eye, No-Flash, Flash, Night-Mode and Night-Mode combined with Red-Eye. That's it, not much more available when it comes to settings.
• Film: The Mju II uses 35mm film and supports DX encoding for automatic film speed setting.

Personal opinion

I bought one a few years ago and it has remained a favorite for its combination of simplicity, compact size, and image quality. Then (and likely still!), I knew very little about shooting on film and therefore I searched for a camera that was automatic and beginner friendly like the Mju II.

I've grown to like the constraints of it and since I have a feeling for how it behaves and what the outcome will be I use it in a way that has previously provided me with results that I like.

Film to use

I've tried a few different films over the years but I keep coming back to Kodak Portra 400 (color) and Kodak TRI-X 400 (BW). Below are some examples. I mostly get my film developed at Foto Kotti in Berlin.

Airports, flying and X-ray machines

Airport X-ray machines can damage film and the effect can show up as fogging, strange bands, or a general loss of contrast. The stronger CT scanners that are becoming more common at airports are especially worth avoiding. I always recommend asking for a hand-check of both your film and the camera if there is film inside it. I have found that people at security are usually used to this, but it still helps to keep the film easy to access and ask nicely.

Never put your film, or your film camera (with film inside), in checked luggage. Checked bags go through stronger scanners that completely wreck the film. I learned that the hard way.

Practical notes and gotchas

The following issues are things that I have run into and seem to be common.

• Battery: The Mju II uses one CR123A battery. They are not hard to find, but they are not the kind of battery I usually have lying around at home, so it is worth keeping a spare if you travel with the camera.
• Loading film: I usually pull the film leader out a little further than feels natural before closing the camera, so the Mju II has enough film to grab. It can take a bit of trial and error.
• Error: Sometimes the screen shows a blinking "e" and nothing works. If that happens, take the battery out and put it back in. If you are loading a new roll, check that the film leader is far enough across the camera before trying again. This has always worked for me at least.
• Flash: On auto (the default), it almost always shoots with flash. I often turn it off if I am taking a picture in daylight. The flash can have a nice effect for portraits though, also when it is bright.
• Aperture: It almost always goes for the maximum aperture of the lens (f/2.8).
• Screen brightness: It is common that the screen is a bit dim after all these years, so it can be a bit hard to read.
• Automatic focus: It does happen occasionally that the images you shoot are not in focus, but I find it to be rare. Mainly I had to learn that you can't shoot too close up to the subject. Half a meter (20 Inches) should be enough.
• Low light: Like with any camera I guess, it has a harder time in low-light situations. I basically do not use my Mju II unless it is quite bright. Portraits with flash might turn out OK. The camera has a night-mode setting, but I have not found it very helpful.
• Red Eye: Since I shoot most portraits with flash, red-eye is definitely an issue. It can be easily fixed in Lightroom or other post production software. The camera also has a red-eye setting that sometimes helps.

Photo examples

Below are some examples taken with different film. The environment varies in each shot, but you should see the character of the camera and film used. You can also visit my film photo gallery for more examples.