Review of Olympus Citia (Accura) 160: Choose now if Mju is too expensive

1. History of Olympus Citia/ Accura/ Superzoom 160

Contrary to the rather large and lean cameras in the early stages of the movie PnS line, from around the 90s onwards, companies prioritized putting long zoom ranges into small bodies to suit the tastes of users in general. Nikon has the Lite Touch line, Canon has the Autoboy N line, Pentax has Espio, Fujifilm has Zoom Date/ Silvi or the more advanced Cardia Mini Zoom... As for Olympus, if you prioritize delicious-nutritious-cheap and don't need Mju's high-end vibe, the Superzoom/Infinity product line will be for you.

Introduced in 2001, Olympus Citia 160 (Olympus Superzoom 160/Olympus Accura 160) was packed by Olympus with a focal range of 38-160mm (4x zoom) into its small body along with advanced technology of the time. Let's learn more below!

2. Photo Quality of Olympus Citia 160 (Olympus Superzoom 160/ Olympus Accura 160)

2.1 Low-light photos with Olympus Citia 160/ Olympus Accura 160/ Olympus Superzoom 160

Overall, the photos of the Olympus Citia 160 (Olympus Superzoom 160/Olympus Accura 160) are rich, sharp, and have high contrast.

Olympus used high-end ED glass (similar to EBC above Fuji Cardia Mini or SMC above Pentax Espio 120 swii) and aspherical lens to minimize chromatic aberration (purple fringing) and image distortion when zooming at maximum focal length of 160mm. With a fairly reasonable price range, the image quality from 100-160mm is not as sharp as the 38-100mm, but the contrast and sharpness make me very satisfied. If you often travel, take long distance and close-up shots of all kinds but are not used to it or don't have much time to zoom in, the camera's photo quality when zoomed in can completely satisfy you.

At focal length 38-100mm, the camera gives the best sharpness in this focal range. Details in the center of the frame are very clear, suitable for street, landscape or daily life photos.

2.2 Backlit photos with Olympus Citia 160/ Olympus Accura 160/ Olympus Superzoom 160

When shooting in backlight, thanks to the ED coating, flare and ghost phenomena are minimized. Only the middle leaf area near the very strong light source of the sun is a bit blurred, the rest is hard to criticize.

Furthermore, the device can also create rays at the position of the light source, and I have not had the opportunity to experience many PnS machines that can do the same thing!

However, in some cases of oblique light with complex backlight, the image will have a slight ghost/flare phenomenon in the upper right corner. But overall the image is still clean, has good contrast when backlit, and is completely good for the price range.

2.3 Flash photos with Olympus Citia 160/ Olympus Accura 160/ Olympus Superzoom 160

Flash Olympus Citia 160 (Olympus Superzoom 160/Olympus Accura 160) is small, but powerful enough to be able to hit distances of about 5m without any problems. (similar to Pentax Espio 120 swii, Canon Autoboy EPO, Konica Lexio 70...)

When taking close-ups, the flash automatically adjusts power to minimize shadows/flash that are too harsh, causing unnatural or even damaged images.

Furthermore, the Olympus 160 also supports all the flash shooting modes you need such as on flash, off flash, night mode etc.

The only thing I hope is that the Olympus Citia 160 has one more flash indicator. If you are just a person who shoots purely in a chill, quick style, this is not something you need to worry about. However, if you want to be more flexible and proactive in all situations, not having a separate flash indicator will be a bit inconvenient.

3. Auto Mode of Olympus Citia 160 (Olympus Superzoom 160/ Olympus Accura 160)

True to the eternal PnS spirit, the Auto mode of Olympus Citia 160/Olympus Superzoom 160/Olympus Accura 160 is standard (almost) without adjustment.

In a whole roll of 36 exp, only one of my photos was out of focus. With the habit of taking street photos quickly and quickly, pressing the shutter to play and running, the ratio of sharp and well-lit images like this is too great.

The fact that the Olympus 160 was produced in the 2000s is also an advantage, the machine is integrated with the most recent focus/light metering technologies from other brands before moving to the digital era. The machine models produced during this period that I have reviewed include: Pentax Espio 120 SW II, Canon Autoboy EPO.

4. Feeling of Holding Olympus Citia 160 (Olympus Superzoom 160/ Olympus Accura 160)

The device is compact (smaller than Mju and early PnS cameras like Nikon L35, Canon Autoboy 3... quite a bit), but in return it is not "weather resistant" like its higher-end brother. However, to be honest, no one can guarantee whether the internal rubber seals of higher-end models after nearly 30 years will still be as good as the original.

Although compact, the Olympus Superzoom 160 feels sturdy enough to hold the camera so I can turn off the flash for slow speed shots without sacrificing the sharpness of the subject. Of course, you will need a little technique to keep the photo from being blurry when the flash is turned off.

5. Advantages and Disadvantages of Olympus Citia 160 (Olympus Superzoom 160/ Olympus Accura 160)

5.1 Advantages of Olympus Citia 160

• Compact-lightweight
• Good quality ED coating
• There is no cap on the back, limiting back cap breakage
• Good price compared to the value provided
• Flash is strong, bright evenly, not harsh
• Many shooting modes for users to choose from
• There is a light indicating that the shooting distance is too close

5.2 Disadvantages of Olympus Citia 160

• There is no flash indicator
• Sometimes there is flare/ghost in some difficult cases

6. When Should You Buy Olympus Citia 160 (Olympus Superzoom 160/ Olympus Accura 160)?

If you:

• Compact - light - durable
• Like the long zoom range, and don't need the shooting angle to be too wide
• Brand Olympus
• Your budget is limited but you still want good quality when compared to higher lines
• Durable (due to no back cable and new production date after 2000)

=> Olympus Citia 160 (Olympus Superzoom 160/ Olympus Accura 160) is for you!

7. Where to buy Olympus Citia 160 (Olympus Superzoom 160/ Olympus Accura 160)?

If you still have questions about the Olympus Citia 160 film camera (Olympus Superzoom 160/Olympus Accura 160) or simply want to buy the camera, send me a message at Facebook Katreview, Thread KatReviewVietnam or Instagram KatReviewVietnam So I can give you more advice.

8. Technical Specifications of Olympus Citia 160 (Olympus Superzoom 160/ Olympus Accura 160)