Olympus Stylus 730 Digital Camera Review

Olympus Stylus 730

First Impressions Review

The Olympus Stylus 730 is the baby of the manufacturer’s new fall lineup of stylish digital cameras. Still, this baby comes with a lot of enticing features. It has 7.1 megapixels, a tiny 3x optical zoom lens, and an enormous 3-inch LCD screen. This display screen is Olympus’ first to reach the massive 3-inch plateau. The Olympus Stylus 730 doesn’t have the shock proof designation of the earlier Stylus 720 SW, but is still considered “all weather” with its metal body and rubber sealants. The Stylus 730 is being touted as “the perfect first camera” with its sophisticated look and its ease of use features. While industry analysts contend that the digital camera industry has matured beyond the introductory level, Olympus is banking on the 730’s large screen, adjustable font, and perfect fix functionality to entice remaining entry-level consumers to purchase the camera, when it becomes available in September for $399.
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Olympus Stylus 730 Digital ...
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Olympus Stylus 730

Likes
- Backlit user interface
- Thin profile
- Shooting guide
- Enlargeable text and icons
- All weather metal body  
Dislikes
- Short battery life
- Confusing menus
- $399 price tag     

Conclusion
The Olympus Stylus 730 is one of several new releases this fall from the manufacturer. This camera has one of the biggest LCD screens in the market at 3 inches, and its resolution is also great at 230,000 pixels. This 7.1-megapixel model is definitely a point-and-shoot with its vast number of scene modes and limited manual controls. It has a digital image stabilization mode that is new to the Stylus series, and it is functional in recording and playback modes. Besides the large display and new stabilization mode, the Stylus 730 adds an ISO 3200 setting to the mix. These are all great features, but the camera still suffers from other issues that are typical of Olympus cameras. The menu system is split so that some options appear in multiple places and there are menus within menus within menus. The ease of use factor just isn’t there on the 730, unless using the camera’s Simple mode which totally disables menus altogether. We reviewed a pre-production model that still has plenty of glitches that need to be worked out, so keep checking back in a few months for the full review. The Olympus Stylus 730 will be available in September for $399.

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