Name: Thomas Maplewood
Location: Minnesota, USA
Date: 2008-03-08
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Superb
Comment: First off, the cons, since they're most important
-XD Picture Card.
This is the biggest thing that irks me, since XD is a dying brand and Olympus refuses to give it up. However, since working with it, i've found nothing really bad about xd, only that it's like sd but just a tiny bit bigger, so don't worry about this.
-Doesn't come in orange.
Oh well, I think i'll live with silver (which is very nice by the way)
-Has an odd "favorites mode" i probably won't use*
*see below for disclaimer
-Panorama only works in P mode
Who cares, i take all my pictures in that mode anyway (But it took me a while to learn that)
-Low battery
For some odd reason, i get a low battery signal even when i know i've got a couple of hours left. No big deal, i carry an extra battery with me all the time.
Uhhh, i truthfully can't think of anything else
Pros:
-Rugged
This camera is a beast. I don't think you can break it. i saw C-net freeze two of these things in a block of ice and when i was at National Camera Exchange, they literally swept it off the counter and let it crash to the floor. It also feels really sturdy in your hands
-Waterproof
What can i say, built in waterproof. Does that mean i don't have to worry about the rain or snow? Yes. Yes it does.
-Compact
For all it's ruggedness, this camera is small. Thin, with a lens you don't have to worry about protruding.
-Easy to use
Comparing it to some Cannon brands at a store, this camera was WAY easier to use and was a lot faster in selecting modes, types of shots, ect.
-Panorama
Has an in camera panorama that is amazingly easy to figure out. First time i tried it, i got exactly the type of shot i wanted, no learning curve. Stitches three pictures together in camera. Perfect for those spectacle nature shots and whatever else you need to capture. (note: Panorama only works with an xd card, and not compatible with the micro sd to xd converter that you get in the box)
-LED lamp
Super bright white LED on the front for those really dark shots. You can also turn it on when the camera isn't on, really useful if you need it in a cinch.
-Surprising Video
Can take video in 30fps, which came out really good. Option of 15fps as well.
-Quick shot view
has a button to press while in camera mode to quickly view shots. When finished, press shutter half way and it zips back to camera mode.
-Very, VERY fast
Even when it wasn't pre-focused, the shot time was in under a second. When pre-focused, the speed really was instantaneous. (as in feeling like an SLR speed)
-8mp
Excellent image quality. Outshot cannon models in outdoor shots bar none. Indoor, we found cannon did it a little better, but that was digitally zoomed in all the way, comparing it side by side with some hesitation. ergo, it's so small, who cares, and even then the quality was still amazing. But if you're that passionate about perfect pictures, you need an SLR.
-3x zoom
Not kidding, a 3x OPTICAL zoom with a lens that doesn't protrude from the camera. Since it's 8mp, i don't think i'll use the zoom, but wow, it really does work.
-Fast startup
With no external lens to push out, startup time is blazingly fast.
-Favorites
If you set a picture in your favorites, it can never be erased from the camera (unless removed from favorites) even when formatting internal memory as well. Plus, you can set one of these pictures to your menu background, which is a nice touch.
What else can i say, this camera really took me by surprise. It has everything i could want in a camera, plus it's amazing durability. Great buy, suggest getting one of the packs that Amazon offers if you want a really good price. If you want to see it, compare it, hold it, test it, whatever, i suggest heading over to National Camera Exchange. They should have it, and they really know they're stuff.
Name: Patricio Chervin
Location: Southern California USA
Date: 2008-02-26
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Amazing
Comment: So i purchased this camera to take with me on my trip to cancun where im planning on doing some snorkeling, although i still have not taken the camera on the trip i have already used it and know what its capable of. The camera has the BEST image stabalizer and anti-blurr system i have ever seen, my brother took the camera to a nascar race and took a picture of a car going over 175mph right infront of him and there was no blurr. It has a great macro setting to take close up pictures, i took a picture of a quarter on my desk from about 1 1/2 inches away and it looked amazing, same with a picture of a flower (the built in LED bulb for macro shots helps a lot!). The VGA with 30fps only takes 10 seconds of video which sucks, but it u do VGA with 15fps (frames per second) you can do up to 30 minutes, and i could not tell a difference between the two when i uploaded two similar videos i shot to test it. The camera takes great pictures, and the 20+ shot modes help out sooo much. (candle lit mode for that special night, sunset mode, fireworks mode, underwater wide and 2 other underwater modes, night mode, portait, everything u can think of.)I tested it under water at my local pool and it works great, very fine underwater pictures, the lens has a metal lens cover that closes when u turn off the camera and its very durable (ex. when my dog grabbed it from my hand and ran off with it) nothing but a few minor scratches. sorry for the long review but i wish i had a long one when i bought it, would have helped me make a decision much faster. Camera only goes 10ft so the underwater case is a must if you are going scubadiving, i will at the end of march and ill update the review to let u know how that is. Hope this helps, all in all, this is a great camera!
Name: Valerie A. Pawlewicz
Location: Annapolis, MD
Date: 2008-03-02
Customer Rating: -
Summary: olympus camera
Comment: Small, beautiful, lightweight, this camera is perfect for my uses: in the garden, for my business, on family trips and vacations. I am not a "tech-savvy" person and needed a camera that would not break, that I could find in my bag, and that would keep taking picture after picture. It has great clarity and simple features. I learned to use it in 10 minutes.
Name: jvegeta
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Date: 2008-05-19
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Awesome
Comment: Well, got this camera last week. So far, so good. I'm happy with my purchase.
Pros:
1 - Waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof. Although, I'm still reluctant in trying to freeze or drop it (hey, the camera is brand new, ok?). I'll try those camera features later when I accidentally drop or use this in snow. I'm really really excited to take this to the beach. You will also enjoy watching people's reaction as you wash this under a faucet, hehe.
2 - Looks stylish. I was originally going to get the 1030SW, but for me, that model looked ugly. Yeah it has more megapixels, it can go deeper underwater, crushproof,... basically, just better features. But like I said, I didn't like the style of the 1030. It looks too utilitarian. Personal choice my friend.
3 - Large and bright LCD screen. I haven't tried testing the battery life under normal use. I have a habit of always carrying a spare battery.
4 - The scene option is awesome. Lots of options there.
Cons:
1 - The camera menu system is not as intuitive. Actually, that is a problem with all digital cameras I've seen, not just Olympus. I have yet to see a menu system that is intuitive. But anyway, I digress.... The 850SW menu system takes some patience to know where and how to use every option/features. I actually called Olympus tech support cause I could not get the panorama*** option to work even though I have an Olympus brand Type M+ xD card (panorama icon was disabled in the main menu). Turns out, the camera has to be set to PROGRAM AUTO as oppose to the default AUTO. For those getting this camera, that will be useful info, and it will save you time digging through the manual (which by the way does not mention this info).
2 - The sound is hard to hear when watching a video on the camera. I've read people say the video quality is not great. Well to me, it's really not a big deal, if you really want quality video playback/recording, you should not be doing that on a digital camera.
***panorama feature only works if you have an Olympus brand Type M xD card. Actually, they also came out with a newer (and more expensive) card called Type M+. According to them, it is faster then the M version. Using the M+ version, you can take videos longer than 10 seconds at 30 fps (M version is limited to 10 sec at 30fps).
Name: Grisel Rey
Location: West New York, NJ United States
Date: 2008-05-04
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Excellent camera!!
Comment: I bought this product for my family trip to Disney in August. I needed something that was waterproof so I can use in the waterparks, and it had to be small since I don't want to be carrying around my purse. So far it is great. It fits into my little wristlet so I know that I can walk around these parks without a bulky purse. I used it to our recent trip to an aquarium and the pictures taken inside without the flash were pretty good. It was dark in some areas, so those pics were a little blurry but I still need practice with the camera and all of its features. The other pics taken in the low light conditions were very good, and outdoor pics were great! I can't wait to use it underwater!
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