Stylus 770 SW

 

Product Description

The Olympus Stylus 770SW is a 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera that is flat out a tank. This camera is very compact and durable as it is boasted to be Crushproof, Freezeproof, Waterproof, and Shockproof. Its upside is that its extremely durable and compact, its downside is that it won't take pictures nearly as good as an relatively comparably priced SLR model. It currently retails for $379.99.

Features

Shockproof
The 770 SW is built to withstand a 5 ft drop without breaking. The Shockproof feature is also designed to allow the camera to be hung from the wrist while technical climbing for easy access, bounce harmlessly into the rock face, and not shatter from the impact. I personally have not bounced it against rock walls but I have dropped it several times after I purchased it and it seems to work just fine.
Waterproof
Its waterproof up to 33ft without any waterproofing kit. The battery/memory card compartment as well as the USB port are rubberized to keep water out. I have only taken the camera to a depth of 4feet or so (the bottom on an above ground pool) but I didn't notice a single drop of water in any of the compartments and a single wipe of the lens removed water droplets.
Freezeproof
Built to withstand temperatures of -10C/14F (I'll let you know how it goes once it reaches November/December!)
Crushproof
Able to withstand 220lbs of direct weight. I stood on it, it didn't break, and I was very impressed.
HyperCrystal LCD Screen
The Screen is 2.5 inches and takes up about 75% of the rear of the camera. The major downside is that the screen can become quite difficult to see in direct sunlight.
Built in Manometer
The Stylus can measure the altitude or depth of any pictures you take in either feet or meters. However, it is difficult to calibrate because you have to choose the starting elevation and the intervals are very far apart.
Digital Image Stabilization Mode
Certainly works well when used, however it cannot be combined with most of the scene features.
23 Scene Features
Scenes include Portrait, Landscape, Landscape+Portrait, Night Scene, Night+Portrait, Sport, Indoor, Candle, Self Portrait, Available Light, Sunset, Fireworks, Cuisine, Behind Glass, Documents, Auction, Shoot and Select 1 (For shooting fast moving subjects in rapid succession so you can select only the images you like), Shoot and Select 2 (this is for shooting constantly moving subjects in succession and saving only the images you like), Beach/Snow, Underwater Snapshot, Underwater Wide 1, Underwater Wide 2, Underwater Macro, and Movie.
3x Optical Zoom
Self-Timer
Panorama Mode
Can only work with an OLYMPUS brand xD Memory Card.

Spefications

Imager
7.1 Megapixel
Lens
6.7 – 20.1mm (38 – 114mm equivalent in 35mm photography), 10 lenses in 8 groups, 3 aspherical lenses
Focus System
CCD Contrast Detection
Focus Range
Normal Mode: 19.7” – infinity (0.5m – infinity)
Macro Mode: Wide: 7.9” – infinity (0.2m – infinity)
Super Macro Mode: 2.8” – 19.7” (7cm – 50cm)
Shutter Speed
1/1000 sec. – 1/2 sec. (up to 4 sec. in Night Scene Mode)
Power Supply
Lithium Ion Rechargeable Battery (LI-42B), AC Adapter (D-7AC) with optional CB-MA1 DC coupler
Size
3.6” W x 2.3” H x 0.8” D (91.8mm x 59.2mm x 20.6mm)
Weight
5.5oz. (155g) without battery and media card

Personal Views and Website

Upside
Very Durable
Compact
Can be taken to harmful evironments
Variety of Scene Modes
Downside
Screen is hard to see in sunlight
xD specific Media card can be costly, Olympus xD card is difficult to find
Cost (could spend an extra hundred and get an SLR)
Outperformed in picture quality by other point and shoots.

Official Website
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1287