Olympus SH 25-MR Review

When one is looking to buy an Olympus camera, an advantage they often have is that they get a variety of other features that can entertain, please and enthrall them, besides having the usual features a camera has to offer. With the recent launch of the SH 25-MR, the case is no different. Marketed as a travel compact, this option boasts of a 12.5x zoom, a 16 Megapixel CMOS sensor and loads of other features that set it apart from the competition.

GPS hump located at the top

Design and Build Quality
The design of compact cameras have virtually remained the same and there have been only slight physical modifications here and there. The Olympus SH 25-MR also follows the traditional compact camera design, but the brand has built up on it by adding a fair amount of style. Finished in an all metal body, this camera oozes professionalism, though the features within may point towards the contrary.

The addition of a rubberized hand grip at the front is great as you can easily hold the camera without the fear of it accidentally slipping from your hand. As for the size, it is a bit chunkier than most others available in the market. However, the size only adds to the class and does not diminish it. The large, 3-inch resistive touchscreen at the back is flush along the body and though it is a resistive screen, the build quality of the display is a lot better than those found on other cameras using this sort of display technology. The buttons located alongside are few, with a nice design as it is featured on a silver strip at the back. The buttons located here include a four way navigational pad, an OK button, a dedicated video recording control, a playback button and a menu key. The build quality of these buttons is good. The buttons at the top include a mode dial that allows one to access the different modes, the shutter release button, a zoom rocker and a power button.

Battery bay housed at the bottom

The camera features a hump on the top, which houses the GPS module and alongside lies the pop up flash. The build quality of the flash is good and it operates through the interface. There is no physical button on the camera that allows one to deploy it. This can be a good feature as it lets you have complete control over it from the menu itself. Connectivity options are housed in a bay at the side and they include a proprietary HDMI port and a proprietary USB port. As is the case with most cameras, the SD card slot is located in the battery bay. The flap for this bay is spring loaded and it has a locking mechanism, which prevents the battery from popping out, accidentally.

The overall build quality of the camera is really good and this is primarily due to its metal casing. Rounding up this part of the review, the Olympus SH 25-MR is a well designed camera that feels expensive.