Olympus Stylus 1030SW 10.1MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Wide Angle Zoom (Silver) by Olympus
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Digital camera reviews of Olympus Stylus 1030SW 10.1MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Wide Angle Zoom (Silver)
Digital camera Review: Great Camera - Needs Minor Improvements
Summary: 4 Stars
This camera is really great. I typically hate having to take pictures on vacations with my family. I usually end up carrying the equipment and hate having to be careful not to damage it or get it wet while still trying to enjoy the my vacation to its fullest.
I specifically purchase the Olympus 1030SW because of I wanted a rugged waterproof camera which would allow me to take picures of our vacation and still allow me to participate in all the action. This camera really fit the bill and I was able to take some really great action pictures while participating in the action. I actually enjoyed carrying the camera and snapping all the great pictures.
I just have a couple of suggestions that could be made to improve upon the the camera. First, add a view-finder to the camera. The view screen becomes useless under bright sunlight. The addition of the view-finder would help on these occasions. The second is to, of course, improve upon the view screen when in bright sunlight. On these occassions I was able to take the picture by aiming the camera in the general direction. Most of these pictures came out fine, but a view-finder would really help.
Other than this I am glad I purchase this camera and can't wait till our next outing.
Digital camera Review: Great Camera! You won't be dissappointed! :)
Summary: 5 Stars
I researched this camera heavily before purchasing it. I was even a bit skeptical with its claims of being waterproof, shockproof, etc. But in the end, I decided to give it a shot and I have not been disappointed.
This camera lives up to its promise. I tested it underwater and it took very nice pictures! Although, one thing you do need to keep in mind is that for the camera to stay functional, you need to follow the very simple upkeep instructions.
Image quality: Absolutely amazing. I bought a 2gb xd for the camera and on 10mp normal resolution you can take about 400 photos. I set my photos at 10mp fine resolution. I really like this feature because on my older camera, I had to convert the image to high-res after it was on the computer.
One thing with the image quality that you might need to watch out for: if you are shooting macro or super-macro, you'll probably want to use a tripod. You can get a decent shot without one, but a tripod makes it soo much easier.
Another great thing about this camera is the battery. I wasn't sure I was going to like having a battery you had to plug into the wall to charge but its great to not have to keep buying AAs all the time. The battery keeps a charge quite a few hours of fairly heavy use (constant zooming, turning off/on, viewing images, etc.) You can find replacement batteries for fairly cheap too. I found an offbrand battery for $[...] and free shipping on [...].
Also, in researching this camera, I found some links to the possibilities of photography with this camera.
Photos taken with Olympus 1030sw: [...]
Videos taken with Olympus 1030sw:[...]
UPDATE: Out of curiousity I've been checking up to see how people have liked this camera, to see how other people have been liking it.
I noticed some people have complained about bad picture quality in close up and that is most likely the users fault because of not using macro mode AND a tripod (which I said before).
And with the waterproof thing, you want to open the compartments up after you've used it to dab up any water that was sitting on the waterproof seals (Make sure you're away from water at that point... and that you're hands are dry). When I opened the camera up the last time I used it underwater, I noticed some water laying on the top of the battery, which I'm sure was due to the fact the I opened it upside-down. I'm assuming that the water that was being stopped by the seals has shifted from me opening the compartment. At that point, I just carefully dabbed the wetness with a dry paper towel and it was fine. Camera works perfect still. No problems with it that I have seen. Still a 5/5.
This camera is very user friendly, you just have to make sure keep it well. Follow the instructions and you'll love it. Enough said.
Digital camera Review: Great Camera, Great price
Summary: 5 Stars
I am very happy with this camera. As an avid amateur photographer I hate being without a camera at all times. My Olympus Evolt 510 is great but too bulky to carry all the time. The 1030SW fills the bill as a snapshot camera. Water (and weatherproof) I never have to worry about it getting wet in the constant rain in SE Alaska were I live. Its small enough to slip in a pocket and takes very good pictures as well as good video. Shutter lag is minimal which has been a problem with other digital snapshot cameras. the body is small and very slippery, but the addition of a silicon skin makes it easy to hold. The photos are very sharp and the relatively large screen helps to frame shots well. I always shoot pictures at the highest resolution and the 2GB xD card holds well over 100 shots so I am not limited with the number of photos I can take. I look forward to obtaining a housing, and using this little gem while diving.
My 2 minor problems with the camera are the easy of including fingers over the lens in shots, especially when shooting quick action shots, and the lack of raw mode. I have become spoiled with my DSLR, shooting in raw mode and the ease of manipulating the files. I suppose one can't have everything for under $450.00.
Nitejazz
Digital camera Review: Great Little Rugged/Waterproof/Take-It-Anywhere Camera
Summary: 4 Stars
I did a lot of research looking for a replacement for my aging Pentax 43WR. I wanted rugged, waterproof, compact & capable of unlimited 640x480x30fps video with sound as we go rafting, to the water park, etc and movie clips of good times are a must with us. The earlier Olympus SW series didn't meet all my requirements but the new 1030SW looked very promising, especially with the firmware update that allows for unlimited video when using the Olympus M+ xD memory card. Now that I've had it for awhile, here are my thoughts:
Pros: Small, rugged, waterproof, easy to use for most simple point&shoot shots, good pics (not as good as my DSLR shots but then it goes where the DSLR can't) & good videos w/sound.
Cons: Uses proprietary battery & memory card if you want unlimited video (annoying but minor), no optical viewfinder for those rare times the LCD display washes out, battery drains quickly when transferring pics to computer (I suggest the optional DC power supply & adapter, adapter should be part of the basic camera kit but isn't).
Bottom line: If your emphasis is on rugged/waterproof & small enough to take anywhere then seriously consider this camera. Pics aren't DSLR quality but then it's not made to compete w/DSLR's and the handiness, ruggedness & video capabilities more than make up for pic quality for my needs. If it had an optical viewfinder I'd give it 5 stars in spite of the proprietary battery, adapter & memory card.
Digital camera Review: Great Pictures
Summary: 5 Stars
I took this out on father's day. I used it to take some surfing pictures in the ocean and some wine tasting pictures in Temecula and all turned out great. It's very easy to use and I really like the casing.