Olympus Stylus 1030 SW

Manual Focus (0.00)
Move along, move along…no manual focus here.

ISO (9.75)
ISO settings range from 80 to 1600. That ISO 80 setting is unusual and, considering the fact that the next step up is 100, a bit surprising. On the other hand, we did find that using that one-skinch-lower setting did result in a slight but undeniable improvement in a few key performance testing areas, including noise and dynamic range.

White Balance (6.50)
In addition to Auto there are six manual white balance settings: sunlight, shade, incandescent, fluorescent1, fluorescent2 and fluorescent3. It would have been helpful if the labeling for these three fluorescent settings, either on-screen or in the manual, indicated which types of fluorescent bulbs correspond to which setting. On the other hand, the LCD display image changes color as you switch white balance settings, so you can eyeball your choice with reasonable accuracy, and three settings is generous. There is no flash white balance setting, and no way to set white balance manually, a feature we expect to find on a $400 camera, especially one designed for physically challenging environments that may pose unusual lighting situations.

Exposure (2.50)
Exposure compensation is handled well. Settings range from -2EV to +2EV in 1/3EV increments, which is fairly standard. However, we like the fact that exposure compensation is easy to reach (by pressing the top tab of the four-way controller) and the on-screen display with four thumbnail images reflects the effect of each exposure compensation possibility.

Metering (4.75)
There are two metering modes. Spot, as always, measures the lighting at the center of the frame and sets exposure accordingly, while ESP balances the center with the surrounding area. When using face detection focusing, exposure metering is based on the found faces as well.

Shutter Speed (6.00)
Basic shutter speeds range from 1/1000 second to 1/2 second, though this can be extended to 4 seconds in the Night Scene preset mode. This is not an impressive spec: the Panasonic LZ8, for example, sells for less than half the price, but offers shutter speeds from 1/2000 second to 8 seconds, and lets you manually control them as well, a feature the 1030 SW lacks.

Aperture (3.50)
The aperture range runs from f/3.5 to f/5.1, which is troubling on the low end. The smaller that first aperture number, the more light can get through the lens and hit the sensor. In this case, low-light photography is significantly impaired by poor lens performance – the automatic system constantly attempts to fire the flash to compensate, which not only leads to poor lighting and intrusive photography but also drains the already-strained battery. By comparison, the Canon A650 IS aperture starts at f/2.8, the Nikon Coolpix P5100 at f/2.7, and the inexpensive Panasonic LZ8 at f/3.3.