Olympus has one of the richest back-catalogs in early digital, and almost all of it is CCD. The company split its digital compacts into a few families, and knowing which is which makes shopping the used market far easier. The two names that matter most are Camedia, the serious enthusiast line, and mju / Stylus, the stylish pocket line that many people now hunt for the look.

Camedia: the enthusiast CCD bodies

The Camedia C-series was Olympus's flagship compact family. The C-2020, C-3030, C-3040 and C-4040 Zoom bodies were beloved for their bright f/1.8 lenses and clean CCD files. Higher up, the C-5050, C-5060 and C-7070 Wide Zoom added larger sensors, RAW capture and articulating screens. At the very top sat the Camedia C-8080 Wide Zoom, an 8-megapixel bridge camera on a 2/3-inch CCD that is still admired for its rendering. There was also the E-10 and E-20, fixed-lens SLR-style bodies with large CCDs, aimed at pros before the Four Thirds DSLRs arrived.

The Camedia bodies with the bright fast lenses and larger sensors are the ones to seek if you care about image quality. Their f/1.8 optics let them work in lower light than most compacts of the era, and models from the C-5050 up can shoot RAW.

mju and Stylus: the pocket weatherproof line

The mju (sold as Stylus in the US) line carried over a famous film-camera name into digital, and it is arguably the most collectible Olympus CCD family today. The mju 300, mju 400, mju 500 and the popular Stylus 700, 720 SW, 750 and 1030 SW combined slim metal bodies with genuine weather sealing on the SW ('shock and waterproof') models. These are the cameras people grab for the beach, the pool and rough travel, and the CCD sensor gives them that clean, slightly cool Olympus daylight look.

The Olympus CCD color signature

Olympus JPEG tuning is often described as clean, neutral and cool-leaning, with well-controlled contrast and honest color rather than heavy saturation. Greens and blues in particular render with a crisp, natural quality that suits landscapes and street scenes. The lenses, especially the fast Camedia zooms, resolve a lot of fine detail and hold their sharpness into the corners. That combination gives Olympus CCD files a slightly clinical crispness that some shooters prefer over warmer, punchier rivals. It grades well too, since the color starts from a neutral base.

The xD-Picture Card problem

The single most important thing to know about Olympus CCD digicams is the memory card. Most of them use the xD-Picture Card, a format Olympus co-developed with Fujifilm that is now long dead. This matters because:

  • xD cards are scarce and expensive. They were never made in large capacities, and new stock is essentially gone, so you pay a premium for used cards.
  • Some features required specific xD types. Certain panorama and high-speed modes needed Olympus-branded 'Type M' or 'Type H' cards.
  • A few later Olympus compacts switched to microSD or SD via an adapter or a dual slot, which is worth seeking out if card hassle bothers you.

Always confirm a used Olympus comes with a working xD card, or budget for one, because a body with no card is much harder to use.

Batteries and condition

Battery types vary across the range. Many Camedia bodies run on AA cells, which is convenient and future-proof. The slim mju/Stylus cameras use small proprietary lithium packs like the LI-40B, LI-42B or LI-50B, which you should test for capacity. On the weatherproof SW bodies, check the door seals and gaskets carefully; a perished seal means the waterproofing is gone, even if the camera still works on dry land.

The FE and X budget lines

Below the Camedia and mju families, Olympus sold huge numbers of budget compacts under the FE-series (FE-100, FE-115, FE-230 and many more) and the X-series in some markets. These are simple, plastic-bodied point-and-shoots with modest CCD sensors, and they are dirt cheap today. They still deliver the Olympus color signature in good light, so they make a low-cost entry point if you just want to sample the look without spending on a Camedia. Do not expect the fast lenses or manual control of the higher lines, but for casual daylight snapshots they are perfectly capable little cameras. The catch is the same xD-Picture Card dependency and small proprietary batteries, so factor those in.

Getting the best from an Olympus CCD

Because Olympus files start neutral and cool, they take well to a small warmth and contrast nudge if you like a punchier result, but many shooters enjoy them exactly as shot. Stay at base ISO and shoot in daylight for the cleanest tone, since these small sensors, like all CCDs, degrade quickly at high ISO. On the fast Camedia zooms, take advantage of the f/1.8 aperture for indoor and evening work, and use RAW on the C-5050 and up when you plan to edit. On the weatherproof mju/Stylus SW bodies, rinse and dry the camera after beach or pool use and keep the seals clean, since sand in the door is the usual killer.

Which Olympus to buy

For image quality and control, chase a Camedia C-5050, C-5060, C-7070 or C-8080, ideally with a good xD card included. For pocketable fun and durability, a clean mju/Stylus, especially a weatherproof SW body, is a joy to carry. For a cheap first taste, an FE-series will do the job. Whatever you choose, test the lens, the flash and the card slot, and confirm the battery holds a charge. Every Olympus digicam at Boston Camera is tested and confirmed working before it reaches the shelf.