Olympus Mju II Review: The Ultimate 35mm Point and Shoot Film Camera

Olympus Mju II Specs, Design & Ergonomics

For a camera that is still ultimately a flimsy little plastic camera designed for casual shooting (a stark contrast to say, the titanium Contax G2), the Mju II has developed an astonishing reputation. It was one of the first cameras to offer a built-in flash mode for red-eye reduction.

The first thing I noticed when I finally got to test the Mju series was how damn good this thing felt in my hand. Sure, it’s made of plastic and feels a little insubstantial, but it is sleek, sexy, and ergonomically perfect. It almost flows from right to left while sitting in your hand. The shutter button is a shiny ellipse that yearns to be pressed. The Mju II seems to have been designed with aesthetics at the front of mind. It comes in black or silver, plus a limited edition being a deep maroon that’s almost brown. (In real life, the silver comes across as more of a shimmering matte gold, like a subtle eyeshadow, or James Bond's Aston Martin DB5.)

When you slide open its signature cover—which can be done one handed—the lens stays surprisingly flat to the body, and is ready to focus and shoot almost immediately. This, combined with fast autofocus and quiet rewinding make it especially suited for on the move shooting—I love to keep it in my shirt pocket while cycling, hiking, and traveling as it's a quick shot and back in the pocket before anyone notices.

When learning how to load film into an Olympus Mju, one discovers a major design oddity: the film canister loads right to left and therefore upside down. It’s fully automatic, so as long as the camera has a working battery (it takes a 3V lithium CR123 or CR123A), it’ll take care of the rest. Its limited features include flash, flash without red-eye, self timer, and date stamping.

Example of dynamic lighting capabilities

Olympus Mju II Hands-on Review

Mju II Pros

The Mju II is so compact. It boasts an incredibly sharp fixed f/2.8 Zeiss lens with a 35mm focal length and a shutter speed as fast as 1/1000. The flash is fantastic—with the night mode being able to illuminate the subject in the foreground and maintain colors of the background to bring night scenes to life. It weighs under 150 grams (without film). The accurate autofocus always nails it. The metering is excellent, and it also has spot metering mode, though I never feel the need to use it. It’s also "splash proof" and I’ve used mine in rain and snow and it has performed beautifully. The Olympus Mju II is extremely easy to use and fairly idiot proof. By that I mean, you can’t really mess up your settings. Sharp images are expected.

The camera reads the DX code of the film and automatically sets the ISO so you don’t have to worry about getting that number right. It has a small but bright and mighty viewfinder—not awkwardly tiny like some of its market competitors (I’m looking at you, Leica Minilux ($750 on eBay)). It also automatically winds film, so for anyone switching from disposables to a reloadable point and shoot, you’ll appreciate the lack of creaky winding plastic that has a tendency to ruin candid moments.

Mju II Cons

Another noticeable trait of the Mju II is that it's definitely not silent—the shutter sound is a slightly long-winded mechanical whir. And the converse of the handy auto DX code reader is that obviously you can’t push or pull your film, box speed only. There's also a Panorama mode, but it's kind of a gimmick because it simply cuts off the top and bottom of the negative frame rather than shooting any wider than standard. And while the camera can shoot at f/2.8, you can’t force it to because the system is fully automatic. (Sometimes it shoots at 2.8 when you’d rather it didn’t, such as when shooting landscapes.) If you want to shoot at a higher aperture, I recommend using a higher ISO film.

Lastly, it takes a while for the film to rewind once you've finished a roll, and this too isn’t especially quiet. But these are all trade-offs I’ll happily take. My only true pet peeve with this camera is its overly eager flash; every time you close the cover, it resets to Flash Mode as default. This means that every time you open the cover, you need to manually turn off the flash using the two buttons on the back.

Example of light leak commonly found on Stylus Zoom iterations

What to Look Out for When Buying an Olympus Mju II

The Mju II has rubber, weatherproof seals that will eventually degrade and are impossible to replace. Be sure to check those before purchasing to see if they look intact so you don’t get a dud that produces light leaked images. Also, the LCD screens on all of these cameras will all eventually fail—old tech is old tech. If you see one listed with a failing or problematic LCD, that means that this camera is likely on its way to camera heaven, so avoid it.

Lastly, check the battery door. As they aren’t the most robust cameras ever built, the battery doors bear the brunt of the impact when dropped, and you’ll often see them taped together somewhat artistically. I would avoid buying one that has clearly been dropped from a decent height, for obvious reasons.

Iterations & Alternatives

The success of the Stylus/Mju line spurred Olympus to build out a full collection of point and shoot film cameras with confusingly similar names and looks. If you search for a Stylus, you'll likely encounter one of the many Olympus Mju Zoom and Olympus Mju II Zoom cameras—it's all essentially the same camera equipped with an 80, 115, or 170mm zoom lens (there are other focal lengths too). The Stylus Epic Zoom series cameras are all very affordable and plentiful, often selling for around $150 on eBay. Though be suer to check the seals on the telescoping zoom lenses—failing gaskets will lead to light leaks when zoomed in.

Final Verdict: Is the Mju II Worth It?

Based on its unique aesthetic, compact size, the quality and speed of the lens, the level of reliability in terms of its auto exposure and autofocus, how easy it is to use, its remarkable weather resistance and how readily available they are on the market, I do feel that the Olympus Mju II is the best point and shoot film camera. The crux of the issue comes down to how much you’re willing to pay for one, as there simply isn’t a comparable alternative for cheaper. The price is rising, but this is a camera I'll have on me forever (or until it dies).

Would I spend $500 on a replacement if/when mine died/dies? Probably. I don’t necessarily recommend that you do, as it’s essentially a $500 gamble on what could ultimately just be a piece of plastic hand candy. I have become emotionally attached to these little 35mm cameras and rarely leave the house without one. It looks good, it feels good, it shoots good. All in all, I believe these cameras are truly worthy of the hype, though I’m sure I’m not doing myself any favors by broadcasting that to the world. I haven’t found a shot I can’t shoot with it, but I'll sure as heck keep trying and report back when I do.

Shop On eBay

More Olympus Mju II Sample Photos

Frequently Asked Questions

What battery does Olympus Mju II take?

Like most point and shoot cameras from the 1980s, 90s and Y2K era, the Olympus Mju II uses a CR123 battery. This battery is a 3.0 volt lithium ion battery and is easily found at most drug stores, camera shops, and online from Amazon. It is also known as a DL123A battery or CR123A.

Why is the Olympus Mju II is so expensive?

It's simple supply and demand: film photography's rise in mainstream popularity, mixed with a finite number of point and shoot cameras, has caused once affordable cameras like the Olympus Mju II to increase in cost. Popular = expensive, when they're not making any more of 'em. If you think this little camera is expensive, check out the Contax T2, which once sold for ~$300 and now for goes for well over $1,000 USD on sites like eBay.