The Olympus µ[mju:] (US: ∞ Stylus) was a fully automatic 35mm compact camera introduced by Olympus in 1991. The Stylus was the first model in the hugely successful Olympus mju/Stylus series, selling 5 million on its own[1].

Evolved by camera designer Maitani Yoshihisa[2] from his Olympus XA design, the µ[mju:] was very small and curvy, with an integrated lens cover. It is switched on by shifting the lens cover to one side. The original mju/Stylus was generally available in black, but a LIMITED edition model (50,000 examples) with a metallic silver finish was also released. 1992 saw the release of the Olympus µ[mju:] PANORAMA. This utilized tiny magnets to move a mask in front of the film in the middle of the roll, while keeping the body and basic spec unchanged.

Some versions of the mju actually say µ[mju:]-1 on the front.[3]

The technological specifications of this camera formed the basis of a retro-styled limited edition "concept" camera called the Ecru.

Specifications

  • Lens: 35mm (aff), f/3.5 (3 elements in 3 groups).
  • Active multi-beam autofocus with 100-steps for a huge range of distances. Pre-focus lock enabled.
  • Film format: 35mm (aff) DX-coded film, ISO 50-3200.
  • Automatic exposure with shutter speeds of 1/15-1/500s.
  • Self-timer.
  • Film advance: Autowind and rewind.
  • Integrated flash with four modes: Auto, red eye reduction, fill-in, disabled.
  • LCD with battery check and frame counter.
  • Tripod Mount.
  • Power: 3V lithium CR123A.

References

  1. ↑ Sales claimed by Olympus. (archived)
  2. ↑ The name is given in the Japanese order, with family name followed by the given name.
  3. ↑ An example from Alf Sigaro on Flickr.

Links

Olympus Classic Cameras
Semi | Semi II | Six | Chrome Six | Flex | Standard | 35 | Ace | Pen | Pen F | FTL | OM-1/2/3/4 | OM-10/20/30/40 | Trip | µ (mju:) | XA