Olympus was one of the first to realise that style matters when trying to sell digital cameras. The stainless steel exterior of its Mju range protects the interior electronics from rain, dust and snow, and these cameras have consistently impressed us.

The Olympus Digital Mju 810 is no exception being an easy-to-use eight-megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom.

Its Bright Capture technology offers a high-resolution 2.5in display four times brighter than the competition and allows the capture of detailed, perfectly focused images without flash.

It does this by increasing the light sensitivity of its sensor to an equivalent of IS01600 or a whopping ISO3200 if you don’t mind a drop to three megapixels. This lower resolution also goes some way to limit image noise (graininess on a photo).

Although it doesn’t really address low-light camera shake by including actual optical image stabilisation, the 810 does offer a Digital Image Stabilisation Edit function that automatically sharpens images, albeit after the event.

A choice of 20 scene modes, TV-quality video clips and a very useful demo mode for beginners complete the specification. It takes xD-Picture Card memory cards, though one isn’t supplied.

The camera was quick to get going, though it was a bit slow to store full-resolution images. Images appeared cool and natural straight out of the camera and with its weatherproof boast, the Olympus Digital Mju 810 is a good buy.

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Fujifilm FinePix F30 Zoom 
A camera with a specific purpose, the FujiFilm FinePix F30 achieves low light photography in areas in which rival compacts would struggle to get a picture.
Rating: 4
Price: £280