I need zoom once in a while and none of my other cameras offer any kind of zoom. The Sony RX1r has a fixed 35mm, the Leica M9 usually has a 50mm mounted, the Ricoh GR is a fixed 28mm although I shoot it most of the time at 21mm with the adapter and the Sigma DP1 Quattro is a fixed 28mm. So basically I can shoot from 21mm up through 50mm, but beyond that I’m limited.

At the moment I’m not too interested in investing in a system camera so I started looking around at inexpensive all-in-one super zooms. There are a few in the category, but I kept coming back to the Olympus Stylus 1s. For starters it has a constant f/2.8 zoom from its wide end, 28mm, up through 300mm. The lens is stabilized, the ergonomics are quite good for a small camera, there is a lot of customization of shooting styles and FN buttons and it has built in wi-fi. That is a good start, but there’s more.

The screen tilts out and is also touch sensitive, something I’m just getting used to, and the electronic viewfinder is pretty good. The bad part, it’s a small sensor. However, when we were in Japan last week Map Camera had it for $320. That’s $200 less than BHphoto’s current price. I could use the camera for a year, sell it and only be out of pocket a few dollars. This is usually how I explain things to my wife…

When I looked around nothing came close to matching those specs at that price point. I’m not sure how long I will keep it around, but from what I’ve seen so far it is a pretty good bang for the buck camera at just over $300.