The Olympus mju 7040 is a surprisingly compact and lightweight camera considering the respectable 28-196mm equivalent zoom lens it sports. With the lens retracted into the body, the mju 7040 easily fits into a shirt pocket. The outer shell is made of plastic and feels so, but this is not uncommon in this price range. A few parts appear to be metal, while the lens obviously has glass elements. Speaking of the latter, it has an aperture of f/3 at the wide end and f/5.9 at maximum telephoto, and there appears to be no iris diaphragm built in for stopping the lens down. This is probably one of the reasons why the Olympus mju 7040 does not offer a manual exposure mode.

The front plate sports a polished, clean, and altogether pretty attractive look, with the Olympus logo and the Greek letter m – lowercase mju - occupying the left half along with the slimline flash unit and tiny AF assist lamp. The right-hand side of the front plate is dominated by the lens which, as stated above, retracts fully into the body when not in use. Above the lens and to the right of the optical axis is a barely noticeable pinprick indicating an on-board microphone. The top panel offers even less in the way of controls, featuring only a small on/off button with a LED power indicator sitting right next to it, and an elongated shutter release.

 

Specifications

ImageSensor
Effective pixels	14 Megapixels
Filter array	Primary colour filter (RGB)
Full resolution	14.5 Megapixels
Type	1/2.33 '' CCD sensor
Lens
Optical zoom	7 x (WIDE)
Focal length	5.0 - 35.0 mm
Focal length (equiv. 35mm)	28 - 196 mm
Maximum aperture	3.0 - 5.9
Structure	8 lenses / 7 groups
Aspherical glass elements	6
Digital Zoom
Enlargement factor	5 x / 35 x combined with optical zoom
LCD
Resolution	230000 dots
BrightCapture	Yes
Monitor size	7.6 cm / 3.0 ''
LCD type	HyperCrystal II LCD
Frame assistance	Yes
Brightness adjustment	+/- 2 levels
FocusingSystem
Method	TTL iESP auto focus with contrast detection
Modes	iESP, Face Detection AF, Spot, AF Tracking
Standard mode	0.7m - ∞ (wide) / 0.7m - ∞ (tele)
Makro mode	0.1m - ∞ (wide) / 0.6m - ∞ (tele)
Super Macro mode	Closest focusing distance: 2 cm
LightMetering
Histogram in shooting mode	Yes
Modes	ESP light metering, Spot metering
ExposureSystem
Modes	i-Auto, Programme automatic, Scene Modes, Magic Filter, Panorama, Beauty, Movie
Shutter speed	1/4 - 1/2000 s / < 4 s (Night scene)
Exposure compensation	+/- 2 EV / 1/3 steps
Enhancement function	Mechanical Image Stabilizer Shadow Adjustment Technology Advanced Face Detection Technology
SceneModes
Number of scene modes	14
Modes	Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Night Scene with portrait, Sports, Indoor, Candle, Self-portrait, Sunset, Fireworks, Cuisine, Documents, Beach and Snow, Pet
Magic Filter
Pop Art
Pin Hole
Fisheye
Sketch
Sensitivity
Auto	AUTO / High AUTO
Manual	ISO 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
WhiteBalance
AUTO WB system	Yes
Preset values	Overcast, Sunlight, Tungsten, Flourescent 1, Flourescent 2, Flourescent 3
InternalFlash
Modes	AUTO, Red-eye reduction, Fill-in, Off
Working range (wide)	0.1 - 5.7 m (ISO 1250)
Working range (tele)	0.6 - 2.9 m (ISO 1250)
SequenceShooting
Sequential shooting mode (high speed)	14 fps (in 3MP mode)
Sequential shooting mode	0.7 fps / 2 frames (Full Image Size)
ImageProcessing
Pixel mapping	Yes
Noise reduction	Yes
TruePic III	Yes
Distortion compensation	Yes
Shading compensation	Yes
FunctionProcessing
Panorama	Yes
Image Editing
Black & White	Yes
Sepia	Yes
Resize	Yes
Trimming	Yes
Attach a calendar	Yes
Correction of saturation	Yes
Beauty Fix	Yes
Red-eye reduction	Yes
Shadow Adjustment	Yes
View Images
Modes	Single, Index, Zoom, Slide show, Collection, Event, Collage
Index	4x3 / 6x5 frames
Zoom	1.1 - 10 x
Auto rotation	Yes
Image protect mode	Yes
Histogram in playback mode	Yes
View Movie
Frame by frame	Yes
Fast forward	Yes
Reverse playback	Yes
Still Image Recording
DCF	Yes
EXIF	2.2
PIM	III
DPS	PictBridge
DPOF	Yes
Movie Recording System
Image Stabilisation Mode	Digital Image Stabilisation
Recording format	MPEG-4
Movie quality	720P Recording time: 29min. VGA Recording time: no limit QVGA Recording time: no limit Note: maximum file size 4GB
Sound Recording System
Voice playback	Yes
Sound recording	Yes , format: AAC
Image footage	4 s
Speaker	Yes
Memory
Removable Media	SD / SDHC
Internal memory	2 GB
Image Size
14M	4288 x 3216
8M	3264 x 2448
5M	2560 x 1920
3M	2048 x 1536
2M	1600 x 1200
1M	1280 x 960
VGA	640 x 480
16:9	4288 x 2416 1920 x 1080
Menu
Menu languages in camera	39
Other Features
In-Camera Panorama	Yes
Perfect Shot Preview	Yes
Self timer	2 / 12 s
Menu guide	Yes
In-camera Manual	Yes
Photo Surfing	Yes
Power Supply
Battery	LI-42B Lithium-Ion Battery
Internal Charging	Yes
Interface
DC input	Yes (CB-MA3 required)
HDMI™	Type D
Combined A/V & USB output	Yes
USB 2.0 High Speed	Yes
Size
Dimensions (W x H x D)	94.5 x 55.5 x 25.9 mm
Weight	144 g (including battery and memory card)