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| Likes |
- Toughest camera ever
- 3.6x lens longer than its predecessor’s
- Skinny body
- Pre-capture movies
- Thorough Playback mode |
| Dislikes |
- Slow Burst mode
- $399 price
- Weak flash
- Poor handling
- Confusing menus |
Conclusion
The 10.1-megapixel Olympus Stylus 1030SW now lets casual divers record higher resolution images of fish and underwater fauna. This digital camera is the toughest on the market – even tougher than the 770SW. It can be smashed, dunked, frozen, and dropped and the warranty will still be valid. You won’t get that from any other digital camera.
As far as the camera’s inner features go, the 1030SW is solid, but won’t satisfy you if you want manual control. It is brief with controls and instead opts for lots of automated features and a long list of Scene modes. Still, it’s an easy-to-use point-and-shoot.
We’ve been wowed before by Olympus’ waterproof cameras, only to be disappointed by its poor performance in our imaging lab back at the office. We can’t judge this part of the Olympus Stylus 1030SW on the show floor; we have to wait until March or April to put it to the test. We hope it overcomes its predecessors’ poor marks.
The Olympus 1030SW is so unique that it hardly has any competition with its sturdy body. If you need a sturdy, waterproof digital camera, this might be the one for you. If you want a standard point-and-shoot, the $399 price might be a too much. The real verdict will come when we get this camera into our imaging lab.
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