Olympus Stylus 1030SW 10.1MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Wide Angle Zoom (Black)

I got this camera 4 taking on trips outdoors. I wanted something small that was water proof. Everything works well & the pictures during a sunny day are great. When there is less light, it suffers a bit.

Auto mode picture taking is ok but I wish there were manual modes. It is tough 2 get the picture I want at night.

ISO 400 & above is grainier than other compact cameras.

The pictures are a bit soft but reproducible 2 nice prints.

Water proof in the surf. You should definitely give it a fresh water rinse after use. Make sure that there is no sand in the lens cover. I heard that it would get stuck but I have not experienced this yet.

It is a bit heavy 4 the size but it is really heavy duty I suppose 4 the impact resistance.

XD cards are a little more expensive but it comes with an adapter 2 use micro SD cards. You can get 2gb micro SD 4 $7.99. This will allow 4 some serious pictures but make sure you have an extra battery 2 fill the card.

Video mode only does 10 seconds at the higher frames per second mode which sucks but the XD-m & other newer XD-h allow 4 longer videos in the higher resolution modes. Ten seconds is ok because we don't do 2 much video with the camera. You can get more time at the 15 frames per second mode at 640x480 if needed. I will get some XD-m+ cards later 4 video at the highest rating later. It is just cool 2 be filming a video while surfing & in the tube action vid.

Battery power is pretty good & sustains at prescribed projections by Olympus.

Overall I really like this camera but there are little things that make it so I can't give it 5 stars so it gets 4. For a point & shoot in swamps of Mexico, deserts of the Mojave, Oceans of the pacific kayaking or surfing, & at the size it comes in & with an optional floating camera strap, it is a great camera 4 $280. The floating strap was $15 which was pretty good. It would really suck if it was dropped & sank 2 the bottom of the ocean while surfing or snorkeling.

I have a Canon SD300 that takes way better quality pictures because of the manual modes, but it is very fragile. I broke 2 of them but good thing I purchased the warranty. This is a dry land camera & the size is great but not water proof. When I take this out 2 the beach, the salt air affects it & seems 2 clog it up. I have a water proof box 4 it but it is big & bulky. The 1030sw is the ultimate outdoors person camera. There is a pentax optio that is water proof but it is a bit bigger. Size is a big concern 4 us being we need something small & stealthy 2 fit in our gear.
I also have an older Olympus C-3020 that takes awesome pictures & has more of a manual mode. Of course the lens is bigger & the pictures at 3.2 megapixels are crisper. This camera is pretty big & it tough 2 take around hiking on trips. It still works really well.

When I got this 1030sw from Amazon, I should have ordered the accessories with it but forgot until later. They shipped really fast & I was pretty happy about it.

I would recommend this camera 4 anybody that is into outdoors h20 sports or the likes, but be aware of the camera not allowing 4 full manual mode. It is just a small compact point & shoot camera built tough.

4 stars given - If olympus fixed & added the things that were addressed here, they could sell a ton of these & would warrant 5 stars plus.

Have fun shopping 4 your camera :)

WHat an amazing camera! The video quality is great, picture quality is excellent. I recently took this camera on a 7-day cruise where I knew I would be snorkeling & spend most of my time underwater. I was afraid at first 2 get the baby wet...but it handles like a pro. My advice....USE THE DIFFERENT SETTINGS!!!!! They really made a difference between shooting landscapes, on the beach, in the water etc. I dropped this camera several times with not a single problem. it just works.... If you plan on shooting alot of video clips, I would recommend the special 2GB M type video card (it was less than $15 on amazon) I's also recommend the floating wriststrap, which came in very handy while swimming....and yes it keeps the camera from sinking!). I can't tell you how many people were asking me about my camera...they were so envious that I could take great digital photos without some bulky plastic camera housing!

Pros:

DURABLE ...this thing took a beating
Great pre-settings 4 different conditions
Love the thumb wheel 2 toggle between camera & video & the Guide
big LCD screen
great mic quality when taking video
very sleek/slim design
worth every damn penny if you live outdoors!
came with mini SD card adapter


Cons:

Wrist strap doesn't tighten 2 wrist ( i just took one off an older camera)
LCD screen is hard 2 see in sunny conditions ( but that's with every LCD camera)

As far as I'm concerned, this is the optimal camera. It has all the features I've come 2 rely on with a point & shoot (video, image stabilization, autofocus, even 3x zoom) but also is waterproof & shockproof! I had no worries letting my 5 year old cousin use it unsupervised, there wasn't much she could do 2 it except maybe lose it. My favorite feature is the "rapid fire" mode, were I can take several pictures a second when trying 2 capture just the right frame.
The only thing I miss is having a view finder. But actually so far I haven't been in a situation when the LED screen hasn't been sufficent 2 take a shot. Its just when I hand it 2 someone unfamiliar with digital cameras that it ever was an issue.

This was a gift 4 my husband. He is a big hunter & fisherman so it is perfect 4 him. He loves it. It is hard 2 see through the screen though looking into the sun but really that isn't a big deal 4 him.

I bought this camera 2 replace my old powershot SD700, which broke when it was dropped onto a carpeted floor from a height of maybe 4 feet. Overall, I'm happy with the Olympus, but it falls short of my SD700 in a few areas.

Pros:
- The Olympus is smaller than I expected. It fits easily into my pocket & is not cumbersome 2 carry around on backpacking trips, 4 example.
- This thing is durable. You can feel the "sturdiness." I added a screen protector from bestskinsever, & now I feel like it's indestructible. I never worry about it.
- It does a great job with macros (close-ups). It even has a special macro mode that uses a small, built-in LED 2 light your subject. Very nice feature.
- It has an impressive zoom; better than the 3X of my old SD700.
- It has an impressively high-res CCD: 10.1MP; again, better than my old SD700.

Cons:
- My old SD700 still took better pictures. I can't think of a way 2 quantify this qualitative observation, but I think it's true. I recently went on a backpacking trip & my buddy brought his camera, which happened 2 be an SD700. We took pictures of the same scenery, but the Fall colors looked more vibrant through his camera. Images also seem..."sharper" with the SD700, despite the megapixel advantage of the Olympus. Maybe someone who knows more about cameras could explain this.
- There are a handful of different acquisition settings on the Olympus, but navigating 2 them is not very intuitive & definitely not very fast.
- There's no real manual control of things like shutter speed, etc.

I use this camera 4 all of my outdoor activities: backpacking, snowboarding, climbing, & trips 2 the beach. That's what this thing was made for, & it feels good 2 carry it around in my pocket or toss it into my gear bag without worrying about it breaking like my other cameras. The pictures it takes are good enough 4 me, but are out-shined even by older, cheaper cameras of the same size. If you get this camera, you'll like it. Just keep in mind that you're paying quite a premium 4 durability.

The Stylus 1030SW is designed 4 active people who want a tough camera that can keep up with their on-the-go lifestyles. The Shockproof & Crushproof casing is a durable metal body that has an innovative shock-absorbing construction with a floating circuit board that can protect the Stylus 1030SW from drops up 2 6.6 feet & withstand 220 lbs of pressure. If you ever wanted 2 take pictures of aquatic life now you can, the Stylus 1030SW has Waterproof seals & gaskets that keeps water out so you can take pictures as deep as 33 feet underwater. When you're skiing or snowboarding you will enjoy the Freezeproof & Digital Image Stabilization features that allows you 2 take perfect photos of fast moving subjects in cold climates up 2 -10c/14f. With the 10.1 MP setting you can capture high quality images & then easily view it on the 2.7" HyperCrystal II LCD display at extra-wide viewing angles even in direct sunlight. Focus Range Normal mode - 0.5m - infinity, Macro Mode - 0.1M - infinity, Tele - 0.3m - infinity, Super Macro mode - 2cm - 50cm 1/1000 -1/2 sec. (up 2 4 Sec. In Night Scene mode) Shutter Speed Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 ISO 14.7MB Internal Memory (additional memory recommended 2 store more photos & video) Media Card Slot - xD-Picture Card (1GB,2GB), microSD (MASD-1 is required) Built-in Flash with Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-in, Off Flash modes Flash Working Range - 1.0m - 4.1m @ ISO 800 Wide, 0.3m - 2.7m @ ISO 800 Tele USB Connector, Audio/Video Output, DC Input System Requirements - Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Mac OS X 10.3 or later, USB port Approximate Battery Life - 260 Shots Approximate Unit Dimensions - 3.7(W) x 2.4(H) x 0.84(D) Approximate Unit Weight - 6.3oz (without battery & media card)