Olympus's weather-resistant Mju II zoom compact — autofocus, sold in the US as Stylus Epic Zoom, 1998.
The Olympus Mju II Zoom, marketed as the Stylus Epic Zoom in North America, appeared in the late 1990s as the zoom version of the Mju II family. It shared the smooth clamshell styling and weather-resistant reputation of the fixed-lens Mju II while adding a zoom lens, giving buyers a compact 35mm camera with framing flexibility in a splash-resistant pocket body.
The Mju II Zoom is a fixed-lens 35mm autofocus compact with a zoom lens covering wide to short-telephoto focal lengths, autofocus, automatic exposure, and a built-in flash with multiple modes. It uses motorised film transport and a lithium battery, with the sliding clamshell cover doubling as the power switch and lens guard. The body carried the weather-resistant sealing associated with the Mju II line.
In use the Mju II Zoom suits a photographer who wants the sealed, pocketable character of the Mju II with the added reach of a zoom for travel and general shooting. As with the fixed-lens versions it is designed around automatic operation, so it offers convenience and weather resistance rather than manual exposure control, and the zoom trades a little maximum aperture for versatility.
When buying, test the zoom mechanism and confirm autofocus, flash and film transport work on a fresh lithium cell, since the camera cannot fire without battery power. Check the lens for haze and fungus, inspect the clamshell action and the film-door and back seals that support the weather resistance, and examine the battery compartment for corrosion, a common fault on compacts of this age.