Olympus Stylus 790SW 7.1MP Waterproof Digital Camera with Dual Image Stabilized 3x Optical Zoom (Orange) - Stylus 790SW Orange

Good buy.

4/8/2008

Good picture quality in good lighting environments. Enough picture modes/profiles to fit pretty much anyone's requirements. Excellent waterproof point and shoot for anyone looking for a robust vacation cam.

Set Yourself Free from Limitations with Durability

4/7/2008

From a durability perspective, this camera cannot be beat for the price. Since I'm not afraid to damage it, I find myself using it in many situations I would otherwise be afraid to use a digital camera. Considering the damage I've done, there are very few to no scratches on the case itself.

Depending on conditions, the battery can take as little as 100 pictures before requiring a recharge, which is difficult if you are using in an underwater environment. While I did purchase an additional battery to prevent being restricted on battery life, I would not change it while in the water.

The Olympus lighting issues do often plague this camera as well, much like my other models. The shutter time is ridiculously long if there is low light, causing the image to blur. Night vision mode can take up to 6 full seconds before the picture is taken, which unless is mounted and not moving does not produce a usable image.

Great dry land pics poor underwater pics

4/5/2008

I bought this camera for two purposes. First to use in my ski business. I can let employees take it on the mountain to get ski shots, waterproof & shatterproof, important features for this use. Second I took it on a family vacation to Kauai and wanted to use it for snorkeling. Poor quality pictures underwater, a waste of time to use it in this way. It does take very good picture on land however, that is why I give it a 3 star, 2.5 stars would be more accurate. If I had to do it over I would buy a Canon, you can count on Canon quality. I chose the Olympus Stylus because of the underwater photography. It will work out fine for me because it primarily is for business abuse. For personal use buy a better camera.

Great product, but...

4/1/2008

If anyone is planning to get this, there is a VERY IMPORTANT detail that you should know.
Olympus recently released a camera nearly identical to this one (Called the Olympus Stylus 850sw), except it has a few other good features and 8 mega pixels, rather than 7.1.
And the best thing is that they have the same suggested retail price ($299)
So, it's a great camera, but get the 850sw.

I wish I could give it 6 stars

3/31/2008

This camera is exactly what is claims to be. Waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, etc. I took this thing snowboarding at 12,500 feet with temps of 4 degrees F and it worked like a champ. Turns on in one second and makes great videos and pictures. I have a Nikon DSLR and love it, but this one is the camera that goes "outside" a lot. I am not saying the pictures are identical to my D50, but they are very good for a camera of this size and type. It even picks up the audio well, which is not that common.