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Introduction
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01.Physical Tour
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02.Components
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03.Design / Layout
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04.Modes
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05.Control Options
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06.Image Parameters
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07.Connectivity / Extras
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08.Overall Impressions
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09.Conclusion
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10.Specs
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11.Comments
Olympus Stylus 730
Previous: Page 2
ComponentsNext: Page 4
Modes
White Balance Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3
Model Design / Appearance
The 730 can survive a rainstorm or two with its all-weather metal housing and rubber sealants. It may not be able to bounce or take a fall like the 720SW, but the new 730 is still quite sturdy. The camera is nearly flat, but still has a few components that poke out. The lens sticks out from the front and the thumb grip curls out in the back. The camera is rectangle-shaped, but it still has the cool aura that the Stylus Verve brought to digital cameras. The metal body has chrome and dark silver elements that contrast for a sophisticated look. The huge LCD screen on the back is attractive and the backlit control buttons are unique to this digital camera. Overall, the Olympus Stylus 730 has a new design that makes it one of the best-looking Olympus cameras out there.
Size / Portability
The camera’s good looks are quite portable too. The Olympus Stylus 730 keeps a compact frame. It measures 2.4 inches tall, 3.8 inches long, and 0.83 inches wide. The pocket-sized camera definitely has some heft to it; you would know if it dropped accidentally. It weighs 4.6 oz without the battery or card. Hopefully it won’t be dropped – this is not shock proof – but it does have sturdy features to improve portability in a pocket. A metal lens cover protects the glass and keeps pocket lint out of the lens, while the rubber seals keep moisture such as condensation from a water bottle out of the camera’s insides.
Handling Ability
The rectangular camera doesn’t have a vast number of handling features, but does have a single thumb grip on the back that is quite effective. The thumb grip curls up on the right edge of the back. It has small dimples in it for texture and gives the edge a jagged look. With that tiny feature, it is easy to shoot with only one hand. On the front of the camera, the Olympus logo is textured where the fingers wrap around – but this is a stretch to call it a handling feature.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
The control buttons on the Olympus Stylus 730 are unique with their backlighting and clustered setup. The backlighting is interesting; a green light shows behind the playback button, a red light shows through the recording and delete buttons, and white light shows on the rest. The clustered setup isn’t as brilliant an idea; pushing buttons without looking is quite dangerous in this case. Most other cameras separate the buttons and add bumps or some tactile feature so users can distinguish the buttons and push them without looking. Still, this unique interface is backlit and labeled well. The camera’s multi-selector is square-shaped and slopes down in the middle like a bowl. In the center of the multi-selector is an OK/Func button. When the multi-selector is pushed, it makes the sound of clipping fingernails. This isn’t that annoying unless you’re in a museum or other area where silence is preferred. There are a few buttons on the top of the 730, including a Reset button. This is strange, as most compact cameras bury a reset option in the setup menu expecting that users won’t have to reset the camera to its default settings that often. Overall, the buttons are properly sized and labeled. There is one exception; the zoom switch is tiny.
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Recording Mode
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Program, Auto
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White Balance
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Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3
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ISO
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Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
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Drive
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Single, Continuous, High-Speed Continuous
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Metering
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ESP, Spot
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Format
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Yes, No
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Backup
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(no access)
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Language
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English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
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Power On Setup
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Screen (Off, 1-Olympus logo, 2-blank screen with car engine starting), Volume (Off, Low, High)
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Color
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Normal, Blue, Black, Pink
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Beep
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Off, Low, High
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Volume
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Off, Low, High
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Shutter Sound
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Off, 1-traditional click, 2-hammer, 3-space sounds (all with Low and High volume options)
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Volume
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6 options from mute to loud
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Rec. View
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On, Off
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File Name
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Reset, Auto
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Pixel Mapping
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Start
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Screen Brightness
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+/- 7 sliding scale
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Time
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Set year, month, date, time, Y/M/D or D/M/Y or M/D/Y
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Dual Time
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Off, On
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Alarm Clock
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Off, One Time, Daily
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Video Out
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NTSC, PAL
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Info
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Normal, Detail, No Info
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&
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Off, On
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Protect
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On, Off
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Rotate
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+90°, 0°, -90°
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Voice Memo
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Yes, Cancel
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Album Entry
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Select Image, Set Calendar, Set All
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Brightening subject
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1. Increase the value of exposure compensation, 2. Set to fill-in flash
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Shooting into backlight
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1. Set to fill-in flash, 2. Set the metering to Spot, 3. Increase the value of exposure compensation
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Set particular lighting
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1. Outdoor in sunny, 2. Outdoor in cloudy, 3. Incandescent Lighting, 4. Warm Fluorescent, 5. Neutral White Fluorescent, 6. Cool White Fluorescent
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Blurring background
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1. Set to Portrait mode, 2. Zoom in
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Adjusting area in focus
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1. &, 2. Zoom out
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Shooting subject in motion
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1. Set to Sport mode
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Close up photo
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1. Use macro mode
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Super close up photo
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1. Use super macro mode
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Shooting at night
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1. Set to night mode
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Reducing blur
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1. Set to image stabilization mode, 2. Increase ISO sensitivity
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Reducing red-eye
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1. Set to red-eye reduction flash
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Adjusting image quality
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1. Shooting pc-editing quality, 2. Shooting large-print quality, 3. Shooting normal quality, 4. Shooting l/postcard quality, 5. Shooting web/email quality
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Shop for the Olympus Stylus 730
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