The latest point-and-shoot camera from Olympus features 7 megapixels, a 3X optical zoom, and an almost indestructible body. Can anything penetrate this cam of steel?
Review summary of the Olympus Stylus 720 SW:
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 The Olympus Stylus 720 SW offers decent photos and is almost unbreakable. If you’re clumsy or don’t want to worry about your new camera hitting the pavement or the pool, the Stylus 720 SW is a good choice. Photo quality suffers when the zoom and ISO are pushed too far, but overall snaps look vibrant. Release: February 2006. Price: $399.
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Full review of the Olympus Stylus 720 SW:
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Olympus' Stylus 720 SW is the most recent water-proof camera that doesn't require a huge snap-on casing in order to submerge it. Like the Pentax Optio W10, the Stylus 720 SW can be dipped several feet underwater without damage.
Ease of use - Very good
The Stylus 720 SW feels light, but its all-metal body takes anything you throw at it. In addition to durability, it's fast - it took less than two seconds to switch on and under one to focus. Buttons are clearly labeled (although a little small) and the shutter release on top is easy to use.
A whopping 28 scene modes (including 4 under-water) are on offer, while a clear 2.5-inch display fills most of the back; we're pleased to report the LCD was easily viewable even in direct sunlight.
Built-in image editing functions make it easy to correct red eye, contrast, and brightness, plus they crop, convert images to black and white or sepia. For a bit of added fun, you can also add borders and phrases.
Image quality - Very good
Pictures had good color, contrast, and saturation. The 3x optical zoom sacrficed little quality but when we pushed the 5x digital zoom, it resulted in rather grainy images.
Making a stab at improving results under poorly lit conditions and reducing the impact of camera shake, photos can be taken up to ISO 1600 - but prepare for a certain loss of quality if it's pushed that far.
The Stylus 720 SW also shoots VGA video at 15 FPS, which is mostly on par with competing cameras. Footage we shot was acceptable, but a higher frame rate would have been preferred as the resulting video looked unsurprisingly jerky.
Price and availability
The Olympus Stylus 720 SW will start selling for $399 () in February 2006.
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