Likes
- Very rugged
- Effectively waterproof
- Sturdy port door – excellent seals
- Tiny size (with a non-extending lens)
- Great elevator music in slide show
- Calendar print mode
Dislikes
- Confusing menu system
- Poor lens placement
- Slow shutter lag and substandard focus system
- Low resolution LCD screen
- Choppy movie mode
- Most of the scene modes operate at reduced resolution
- Archaic looking software
Conclusion
The Olympus Stylus 720SW has a great set of specifications on paper: 7.1 megapixels, 3x optical zoom lens, 2.5-inch Bright Capture LCD screen, and an extremely durable body. It has a great ISO range, more sensitive than that of most compact digital cameras, with options reaching ISO 1600 at full resolution. A built-in help guide will aid beginners who can’t distinguish between the many scene modes. Also built into the camera are plenty of editing options, including standard cropping and resizing tools as well as the more unique frames and calendar modes. While the included software is poor, everything available in it can be done within the camera itself.
Perhaps the camera’s best asset is its thick metal body: the Olympus Stylus 720SW can be dropped from 5 feet without incident because of its floating inner circuitry and sturdy outer body. This digital camera, with a waterproof classification that allows it to be immersed for an hour in 10 feet of water, also takes the all-weather Stylus line to a new level. On paper, the Olympus Stylus 720SW looks extremely attractive. In practice, however, many of its features fail to impress.
The Olympus Stylus 720SW is hyped up much in the same way that the Stylus Verve was. The Verve was touted as an innovative pocket camera with a brand new unique design, but, in the end, took horrible pictures. Just as the hype made that camera even more disappointing, the letdown with the Olympus 720SW is even greater for the anticipation. This digital camera is a new release with a great durable body, but has the inner workings of far older models, with lengthy shutter lag, slow and inaccurate auto focusing, and an overly-convoluted menu structure. The camera also shoots choppy movie clips and lacks resolution for many of its scene modes. What’s the use of 7.1 megapixels that you can’t use in all of the shooting modes?
And what is the use of a shockproof, waterproof digital camera which often produces blurry pictures? The Olympus 720SW is fantastically rugged and can take a few beatings, but, in the end, doesn’t produce shots which merit its $399 retail price. We hope to see Olympus continue to develop this body design, with modifications made to improve imaging capabilities on future models.
