Olympus Stylus 790SW

Auto Mode (6.5)
There is an Auto mode on the Olympus 790SW, but it shares a position on the mode dial with the Program mode. The mode can be switched by entering the Function menu. The Program mode is the Olympus 790SW’s most manually-oriented mode. Once the Auto mode is selected, manual options disappear. The image quality and shadow adjustment can be changed, but that’s about it. Face detection is automatically activated, but it doesn’t work very well.

Movie Mode (4.25)
Movie mode is easily accessible on the mode dial, but should generally be avoided because of its poor quality. It records 640 x 480 pixels at 30-frames per second (fps), but only for 10 seconds at a time. The camera records 320 x 240 and 160 x 120 pixel motion JPEG video files until the memory card is full, but only at 15 fps. Users are forced to choose between very short but detailed movies or long choppy ones. The resolution isn’t impressive, either. The footage shows jagged edges and lots of artifacts from poor compression. See the Testing/Performance section for more details.

Audio is recorded with the clips, but it isn’t very good. Even when one person is speaking and the rest of the room is quiet, the sound comes out muffled on the camera.

The optical zoom is locked in the Movie mode, like most other compact digital cameras, but the digital zoom is fully available. Also available in Movie mode are the white balance, metering, and shadow adjustment features (although metering is disabled when shadow adjustment is activated). Exposure compensation, macro, and self-timer are available, too.

Besides the artifacts and unimpressive resolution, the Olympus 790SW’s movies have lots of image moiré. I recorded a video of my toddler son talking in front of a bright window. There were areas so bright in the background that they were blown out, but they caused greenish vertical streaks and bright horizontal streaks that were very distracting.

Movies can be played back frame by frame, normally, and fast-forwarded and rewound. There is an "edit" portion of the menu, but it can only create index prints from frames in the movie.

The 790SW adds the 30 fps VGA movies, as the 770SW had only 15 fps available in its three resolution options. This is a small step up, but is still a few large leaps behind what other manufacturers are offering. Even the waterproof Pentax Optio W30 has a better Movie mode; its 640 x 480-pixel, 30 fps movies can be recorded until the memory card is full and its zoom and shake reduction remain fully functional. The W30 also sells for $299.

Drive / Burst Mode (5.25)
The camera defaults to the single drive, but it can be changed to Burst mode in the Function and Camera menus. The Continuous burst can take pictures at a rate of 1 fps, but the length of the burst depends on the quality of the image. At the top resolution, it stops at four shots and then takes about four seconds to recover for the next burst. Most digital cameras can move faster than this at full resolution – and can last longer. The $299 Sony T70 can take two pictures each second for up to 100 shots in a row.

Users can speed up the burst with the High-Speed burst mode, but will have to do so at the expense of high quality pictures. The burst can go as fast as 4 fps, but only at a reduced resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. The published specs claim the burst shoots 3.5 fps for 11 frames, but it went for 42 shots when we used it. The reduced resolution makes for borderline decent 4 x 6-inch prints.

The bottom of the multi-selector turns on the self-timer, which delays the shutter for 12 seconds.

Playback Mode (8.0)
The Playback mode can be accessed through the Playback/Print button or the mode dial. The mode dial makes it easy to find, while the button makes it easier to quickly return to shooting.

Pictures and videos can be displayed one at a time or on index screens of four, nine, 16, or 25. They can also be displayed on a calendar, with the first image taken on each day displayed on the monthly calendar page. Pushing the wide side of the zoom control brings up the calendar page view, and pushing the other side zooms in up to 10x.

Pushing on the sides of the multi-selector scrolls through pictures one by one, and pushing the top and bottom jumps 10 images. There is a quick deletion feature using the button in the lower right corner of the back. This deletes one image at a time. Users can select batches of images to delete or erase all pictures at once.

The menu has a surprising number of options. Users can view slide shows with four different kinds of transitions and even obnoxious background music (best turned off, in our opinion). Users can also edit pictures, create print orders, apply Perfect Fix technology, add images as favorites, erase, and access the Setup and Silent modes. There are options to protect and rotate files, along with a feature that adds a 5-second voice memo.

The editing portion of the menu is where most options are available.


Shadow adjustment and red-eye fix features are also available from the Perfect Fix portion of the menu.

When a movie is selected, this Editing menu is shortened to include only an "index" option, which creates a type of motion print with frames pulled automatically from the clip.

Overall, the Olympus Stylus 790SW’s Playback mode is great, especially considering the wide viewing angles and great resolution on the 2.5-inch LCD screen.

Custom Image Presets (8.0)
The Olympus Stylus 790SW has 27 Recording modes, and most of them are Scene modes. There is a designated "SCN" position on the mode dial that pulls up the entire Scene menu. Users can scroll through the Scene modes and view their titles and explanations. For instance, the Underwater Macro mode is "ideal for taking underwater shots close to subjects. Requires underwater housing depth under 3m." This blurb is placed next to an image of a tropical fish.

The following modes are available from this menu: Portrait, Landscape, Landscape + Portrait, Night Scene, Night + Portrait, Sport, Indoor, Candle, Self Portrait, Available Light Portrait, Sunset, Fireworks, Cuisine, Behind Glass, Documents, Auction, Shoot & Select 1, Shoot & Select 2, Beach & Snow, Underwater Snapshot, Underwater Wide 1, Underwater Wide 2, and Underwater Macro. There is also a Digital Image Stabilization mode on the dial, designated by a shaking hand icon. Don’t let the title fool you; this isn’t optical image stabilization system. On this camera, Olympus just uses a combination of image parameters that reduce blur: high ISO, fast shutter speed, and flash. This may reduce blur, but pictures don’t look as good as those that come from cameras with optical image stabilization.