- Reviews
- Canon PowerShot S90 Point and Shoot
- Panasonic Lumix GF1 Digital SLR
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Point and Shoot
- Kodak EasyShare Z950 Point and Shoot
- Canon PowerShot SX120 IS Point and Shoot
- Nikon Coolpix L100 Point and Shoot
- Nikon D3000 Digital SLR
- Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX1 Point and Shoot
- Nikon Coolpix P90 Point and Shoot
- Canon SX1 IS Point and Shoot
- More...
- Ratings
- Brands
- Types
- DSLR Video
- Prices
- News
- Ethics
- How We Test
-
Olympus Stylus 1050 SW
Digital Camera Review
| Recently Viewed Products | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Top Point & Shoot Cameras | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Max Price: $1020
Filters
|
 |
|
|
| Stylus 1050 SW Prices |
|---|
| Latest Camera Reviews | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| External Reviews |
|---|
Steve's Digicams Olympus Stylus 1050 SW Cameras.co.uk Olympus MJU 1050SW ReviewCNET - Cameras Olympus MJU 1050SW ReviewPC World Olympus Stylus 1050 SW PC Mag Olympus Stylus 1050 SW |
Auto Mode (8.50)
The full Auto mode locks out the camera control menu entirely, limiting the user to adjusting image size and quality plus functions mapped to the four-way controller (exposure compensation, flash mode, self-timer and macro mode). We think that provides a reasonable balance between idiot-proofing to protect the novice and allowing some exposure control to adjust for clearly unbalanced lighting. The fact that exposure compensation adjustments are reflected live on-screen makes this function accessible even without deep photographic knowledge.
There is also a program mode, though in the manual this goes by the name "Shooting with optimum value and shutter speed," and it's identified with a meaningless white camera icon on the mode dial. This setting lets the camera handle shutter and aperture settings, but allows the user to adjust white balance, ISO, burst mode and metering mode in addition to the controls available in full auto.
The Digital Image Stabilization mode is an ISO-boosting option, rather than true sensor- or lens-shift image stabilization, which the camera notably lacks. Instead of offering this as an option that can be toggled on and off in the regular shooting modes, it's presented as a separate option on the mode dial, which seems like a poor use of space, but not a major faux pas.
Movie Mode (7.50)
Video can be shot at 640x480 (VGA) or 320x240 (QVGA) resolution, each at 30 or 15 frames per second. The results are stored in a Motion JPEG (MJPEG) file. White balance and metering mode can both be set in movie mode,while digital zoom, shadow adjustment and digital image stabiilization can be turned on or off. Sound is always recording while shooting movies, and (no doubt as a result) optical zoom is prohibited, though you're free to use digital zoom.
Drive / Burst Mode (6.0)
There's good news and bad news on the burst mode front, corresponding to the two available modes. The regular sequential shooting mode works at any image quality setting you choose, but it works slowly: we got only one shot every three seconds shooting at full resolution without flash. On the other hand, there's a high-speed burst option that cranks out the shots with impressive speed. We got over six shots per second in this mode, up to 24 sequential shots at a time, though the resolution is limited to 3 megapixels. Even at that reduced resolution, though, this high-speed burst should prove very useful when trying to catch the perfect moment while snorkeling or snowboarding.
There is also a basic self-timer function. It's preset for 10 seconds (most cameras offer a choice of 2- or 10-second interval, at least) and has to be reset after every shot, inconvenient if you want to take with a series of photos using the timer. One positive note: the self-timer is conveniently available via the bottom button of the four-way controller, rather than having to dig through camera menus.
Playback Mode (8.75)
Playback mode offers four screen variations based on the DISP button. One provides date and time, image quality and file name, with shutter speed and aperture, exposure compensation, ISO and white balance settings added if you press DISP once. A second button press removes all distracting overlays, while a third press provides a thumbnail view of the photo over a histogram, with the shooting data displayed on the right side.
The zoom control magnifies images up to 10x on screen when in playback mode. Zooming out from a full-screen image displays first four thumbnails, then nine, then sixteen, then twenty-five thumbnails, and finally a calendar display sorting images by the date they were taken. We find this kind of calendar display very helpful, and while it may take a few button-presses to get there, it's better than having to dig through the menu system to find it.
While browsing through your photos, the left and right arms of the four-way controller move you forward and back as expected, but you can also press up on the controller to jump ten photos ahead or press down to jump ten photos back, a useful shortcut.
Custom Image Presets (8.00)
There are 23 scene presets altogether, including all the usual suspects (portrait, landscape, sport, fireworks), but with a few unusual offerings as well. First off, since the 1030 SW was released, Olympus has added a Smile Shot mode, where the camera pauses after you press the shutter until your subject grins, then rapidly fires off three shots There are a few modes tailored to the usage patterns appropriate to a waterproof camera, including Beach & Snow, Snow and Underwater. The 1030 SW offers more underwater options, including wide and macro options, but then again, these are more scuba-oriented features, appropriate to depths where the 1050 SW will not boldly go, where the dual wintry modes reflect the more snowboarder-oriented appeal of the 1050 SW.
Auction mode takes three sequential shots with varied exposures at a web-postable 640x480 resolution, but the exposure difference between the shots is minimal, rendering this option uninteresting. The two Shoot & Select choices are burst-mode variations. The first uses high-speed continuous shooting mode (at 3-megapixel resolution) to fire off a string of shots and when you're done shooting, displays the results on screen to let you choose which images to save and which to discard. The second Shoot & Select mode sticks with slower, full-res images, even firing the flash if needed, then offers the same keep-it-or-kick-it display. Pre-Capture Movie is dedicated to creating teeny-tiny videos, constantly keeping 2 seconds of video in a buffer, then adding an additional 5 seconds after you press the shutter and ultimately saving the completed 7-second sequence. The pre-capture part is a clever idea, but the 7-second time limit makes it just about worthless.
The manual does a poor job of explaining what each of the scene mode settings mean. On-screen help is available, either by pressing the DISP button or just lingering on a particular choice for a few seconds, but even here more precise explanations would be helpful.
