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Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Digital Camera

Q

Quickbeam

Paddler
Joined
Sep 18, 2005
Messages
77
Am curious to know if anyone has this camera yet and if so how you like it?

We have never had a digital camera and are looking to purchase a waterproof, digital, point and shoot. Would also like to be able to use it for our main camera for land pictures.

We are obviously not expert photographers, but would still like something that is versatile and takes good pictures.

Any thoughts or comments on this camera, either positive or negative, would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
i've had mine for abt 2 wks, but really have not explored it's possibilities/drawbacks.

for my case, i got it because is w/p to 33', shockproof for a 6' drop, and relatively compact size.

at this stage, i think it's drawbacks are - low optical zoom (3.6x), no optical (digital only) stabilization, proprietary battery, and no optical viewfinder. but i knew this going in.

i believe raimo has the related 790, and the shots that he takes look good.
 
Thanks for the response

Was wondering however, what you meant by:

no optical (digital only) stabilization
Click to expand...

I have heard of "image stabilization" and thought this camera had that. Is "image stabilization" somehow broken down to optical and digital?

Also, how much of a drawback is it to only have digital stabilization? In what way does this limit the use of the camera? Thanks.[/quote]
 
(double message fixed)

maybe mark or dan can chime in here about digital vs optical stabilization.
 
Optical IS is where the lens moves and corrects your hand shake it is the superior of the two methods in terms of image results. The side effect of this is it uses more batteries and tends to make the camera more fragile.

Digital IS is where the camera ramps up the sensitivity (ISO) of the sensor to enable it to use a higher shutter speed to reduce effects of hand shake. The side effect is lots of image noise and mottled colors - it may be very hard to correct this kind of noise after the fact.
 
quickbeam,

"True" or optical IS is very useful when shooting from the cockpit of a kayak. It really helps increase sharpness of images relative to a camera without IS. If you do comparison photos with and without it, you will really be impressed. It allows shooting about two f-stops farther down, so that you can get more depth of field when shooting handheld (vs using a tripod). Handheld images at 1/10 sec are very good.
 
Hello Mick.

I was wondering if you have had a chance to form any opinion of your camera yet? In particular, are you happy with the quality of the images it takes?

Obviously, I have not yet made the purchase, but I'm very close to doing so. Any information you could provide would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
oh sheesh, i am not the best guy to answer questions about camera behaviour.

but if you want an answer - i am not that happy about the quality of the pics that the camera is taking (for me) and i am struggling against it. however, much of the struggling is also my lack of camera ability.

but

for me at this time, the camera is a good fit. It covers the range of situations that i want covered in a small package.
 
Thanks Mick. Appreciate the input.

I think I am probably going to go ahead and get it, as it seems to fit what I am looking for as well.
 
i've had a chance to take 500 or 600 shots and you know, if you haven't bought this camera yet, i'd be a little hesitant.

i/m not a great photographer, but i just don't like the way this camera takes pictures - seems as though i get a lot of blurry shots.
 
mick_allen said:
i've had a chance to take 500 or 600 shots and you know, if you haven't bought this camera yet, i'd be a little hesitant.

i/m not a great photographer, but i just don't like the way this camera takes pictures - seems as though i get a lot of blurry shots.
Click to expand...

I have had this camera for about 6 mo.
I think it is a good camera for me, but would depend on what kind of pictures you're looking for.
Mine are a bit blurry, but when used by other people they seem fine. Color is good.
I have seen excellent pictures from other people using the same camera.
The biggest drawback would be not having a viewfinder, as the sun makes it hard to see what you're shooting.
The advantage, is that it needs no case, and fits in your vest pocket for easy access.
 
I've had an Olympus 770SW for a few years...I believe it is the first (the ForeFather) of the Olympus underwater series.

I am not an electronic gadget or a computer wiz.

I have been happy with my camera...the only down-side to my camera is the photo mode default can not be changed.
If I want 'Sport Mode' which apparently reduces blur from action shots...everytime I turn it on I have to go thru the Programing...which is a pain considering 'Action Shots' in a kayak mostly happen at a spur-of-the-moment.
However...having said that...I have taken many 'Action Shots' with the default mode, and they have been fine!

BTW...not having an eye view finder is also a pain...trying to see what's in the shot from the back screen with the sun behind you is near impossible.
 
I did buy the camera, and so far so good, although I have not used it a great deal. Hope to use it more when we go on vacation in early August.

One complaint I do have is the same one everyone has, and that is the lack of a viewfinder. Very difficult to see what you are taking a picture of in bright sunlight. I did find a clip on device for the camera that works as a kind of sunlight shield, but it really did not seem to work very well, so I did not buy it.

I have also heard there is some kind of coating material you can get to stick on to the LCD which helps. Has anyone else heard of this or had any experience with it, and if so where can it be purchased?
 
Quickbeam said:
I have also heard there is some kind of coating material you can get to stick on to the LCD which helps. Has anyone else heard of this or had any experience with it, and if so where can it be purchased?
Click to expand...

Quickbeam,

I've been using this product on an Olympus 770 SW more as protection from scratches than anything else. They do advertise it as an anti-glare screen protector but I find it does just an adequate job in the brightest of conditions. It's very easy to apply and can be reused. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to report any findings on the water yet.

What I do recommend for many of the compact P & S users is a silicon case. I find myself fumbling around just to get a good grip on the housing particularly with wet or cold hands. The case proves its worth as the grippy silicon material covers the entire camera with the exception of the LCD. It’s also very pliable so it can be slipped on/off with ease.

41i8o8HSWYL._SL500_AA280_.jpg


On the water, my 770 is attached to a bolo-tie-style neck lanyard which I picked up at MEC.
 
My Stylus 850 SW just crapped out today.... after only about 3 months of slight usage.

I don't know exactly what's wrong but it didn't save videos I took today and also the screen went blank several times.... Have to go to future shop tomorrow and hopefully get a replacement.
 
andreas said:
My Stylus 850 SW just crapped out today.... after only about 3 months of slight usage.

I don't know exactly what's wrong but it didn't save videos I took today and also the screen went blank several times.... Have to go to future shop tomorrow and hopefully get a replacement.
Click to expand...

shame about your pics Andreas... My guess is that unlike some paddlers it doesn't like being out in the cold/ damp. My (older) dig cam will often not work correctly at lower temps. Put it in a pocket for a while & it's fine again. Many manufacturers quote "operating temps" for their equipment. Maybe worth checking.
 
Good point about the temperature!
Anyhow, I just brought it back to the dealer and because it happened 3 days after their 3 month return policy, they can only send it in for a repair... Will see if they can fix it. If not I have the option of a refund or a new one.

In the mean time I bought a loaner, with the promise that they will take it back for a full refund after I get the old one back. The "rental" is a fancy Stylus "tough" with touch activation. No idea how that works... but will find out as soon as the battery is fully charged.

Stay tuned!
 
I picked up an Olympus 790 SW last spring and confess that I'm still getting the hang of things.

I attach the strap of the camera to a small biner and hook it onto the front "sleeve strap" (?) part of my pfd and tuck it into the pfd pocket so it doesn't swing 'round and bash into stuff when I'm paddling. (maybe i'm an extra spazzy paddler *shrugs* i dunno).
It's nice having it handy for a quick pic en-route. I love that it's waterproof - I am such a clutz I wouldn't dream of bringing my other cameras out... peace of mind is a worthwhile compromise, in my world.

I too need to press that tiny button (in my gloves!) to find the correct camera setting - bit of a bummer... but I just need to remember how many 'clicks' of the button gets me to the desired mode, then it gets a lot quicker.

I started out with several blurry and over exposed shots but am experiencing better success as I become more familiar with my options. I have yet to experience a decent shot using the camera's default auto function - finding suitable 'modes' is the only thing working for me thus far.
My best pics are taken in these modes: SCN > landscape (1 click), landscape/portrait (2 clicks) and sport (5 clicks) functions. Macro is decent too.
 
I have found the 1030 to be fiddly to use when paddling and much prefer a camera in a housing just for the bigger buttons. Flat water it wont matter but if its a bit choppy then you need to be able to use the camera 1 hand without looking at it.
 
I just got the stylus 550wp and had some quality problems shooting video. Is this normal?
<object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/g_zsx7Bk1ic&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/g_zsx7Bk1ic&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object>
Dark objects like the trees in this shot cast a shadow thats not there and there is a hum in the audio.
Just wondering if I got a defective one or it there a settings menu I need to tweek.
 
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