Customer Reviews

Olympus Stylus 720SW 7.1MP Ultra Slim Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Silver)

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I'd give this camera 3.5 stars for the money.

I arrived at the decision to buy this camera after a bit of circuitous route. Long ago I loved my old Nikon CP-990. Then I had a kid and for the first year or so it was ok. But after he started moving around on his own I found the camera to lacking in focus speed, frames per second and a few other tech specs. Not wanting to spend a fortune shooting him with my F3 Film camera so I got a D-70 and life was good, still is.

However as he gets older and more adventurous we find ourselves in places I dare not take the "nice" camera. The pool, the beach, the sandbox, muddy days, the creek etc. At the same time my wife wanted a pursable camera so that we could have something with us at all times without lugging around a rig.

So a pocket Point and shoot (PNS) seemed to be in the cards. I was all set to get the Pentax Optio WPi when Olympus announced the 720SW. It was good to 10 feet instead of 5 and was shockproof and had a form factor liked better than my wife (bigger LCD). So we held out and bought it. I've had a chance to play with it a couple of weeks and this is my impression.

Pros-
Small - Fits in the pocket/purse without issue.

Faster than yesterdays PNS for turn on, focus and lock time
Easy to use - Has the standard full auto mode and some "scene" modes that are easy enough to figure out. They tell you what they are for and give sample pictures.

Build Quality - I've never seen a point and shoot built like this. You could put this thing on the end of a chain and use it as a weapon and then take pictures of your vanquished foe afterward. Its tough. It has an all metal frame that surround it, the front plate is plastic, the back glass, metal and plastic. It feeds very solid. I haven't tested its robustness yet but its good.

Internally focusing lens - You know those cameras that stick a snoot out when you turn them on? I find that somewhat annoying but more importantly I've seen those die when you get dirt or sand in the snoot. I've lost a couple of film PNS that way and seen a few digitals go down as well. Everything here is internally focusing. Its sealed, nothing to stick out or break off. I let my 2 year old play with the camera, he didn't break it but seems to instinctivally grip it with a sticky finger on top of the lens.

Lenscap - The Pentax WPi does not have a lenscap! This one does. I once heard the salesman say "oh but it has a protective plastic cover in front of the lens so it doesn't need one" Ookkkay, so the lens doesn't get scratch, the cheap non replacable plastic in front of it does. Its still a scratch in front of your picture! The olympus has a more robust wiper type lenscap that can sweep stuff away instead of getting gummed up.

Waterproof - This trick more than anything else is why I got the camera. Take it to the pool, take it IN the pool and get cool pictures. Pay the beach no head, splashing at bathtime, no worries. My son gooped it up pretty good, just ran it under the faucet and dried it off with a soft towel. Don't try that with your normal camera.

High ISO - This camera can go to ISO 1600 which for its class is amazing. Higher ISOs make your sensor more sensitive but increase noise. ISO 800 and above starts looking very noisy and that's not uncommon in many digitals. Most small ones fall apart by ISO 400.

Big Screen, Fast Zoom - It has a very generous 2.5" LCD screen. When you take a picture and review it you can zoom in very quickly. Really great for taking a picture of a tourist map and taking it with you.

Cons-
Too small - Yes, too small. I'm not a big guy, my fingers fit ok but big guys might have some issues. Also the camera is so small and light its kind of hard to hold very steady. It doesn't have the weight to dampen your tremors and you really can get a good two handed grip on it, its always a finger hold.

The "Image stabilization" - It promises no more blurry pictures because of "image stabilization". Well its not really image stabilization. When you kick that feature in it does an ISO boost (makes the sensor more sensitive to light) which lets you reduce the shutter speed so you don't have camera shake as much. The drawback is that you get more noise and less quality in your picture than if it had real image stabilization.

Camera downloads kill the battery - If you plug your camera into the computer to download the pictures plan on charging the battery right after. It sucks it down big time. Get a card reader for $15 at any discount shop.

Stupid XD Card memory format - It uses the "XD" memory format which is neither as cheap or fast as Secure digital or Compact flash. It's the same size as an SD card but different shape. Had to go get a new card reader to deal with it. Dowloaded about 5x faster. Most people don't have those cards laying around so plan on forking out some extra $$$.

Can't zoom on video mode - When you start taking a movie you can't use the optical zoom, it can use the digital zoom be those are not too good.

Review screen isn't all that pretty- Big screen but not great resolution. You can zoom in real close but it lacks sharpness. This might let you think the image is not sharp but it is.

That sums up the pros and cons, but what about image quality? Does it take good pictures? Well I would say it takes ok pictures. I've seen better, I've seen worse. I've gotten somewhat used to Digital SLRs with good lenses so perhaps I'm not the best to judge. My wife thinks they are fine.

For family stapshots of the kids by the pool or at the beach it is fine. Don't expect your photos of opportunity on vacation to far away lands to make the cover of a magazine though. This camera is at its best when getting the shot becomes more of an issue than getting it perfect.

The best camera to use for any shot is the one you have with you. This little thing is a go anywhere do anything kind of camera. You can take it with you to the beach, the pool, on a 3 day hike through the mud and rain, across the desert and into the rainforest and not worry about it when you fall of your mountain bike doing it all..

If it gets dirty or goopy find a bucket of water or a hose and wash it off. If that's important then this is the way to go. If that doesn't really matter there are smaller and cheaper cameras that will serve you just as well.

I just got back from whitewater rafting the Grand Canyon and this thing rocks. I just got done uploading about 200 pictures and video off this thing and the photo quality is amazing.

Obviously the cool part is the waterproof part. I had this thing on a carabiner off my life jacket for 7 days in and out of water and sand pretty much constantly. It got hit repeatedly by various things and no electronic gear should have survived what I put it through. I did give it a few "beauty marks" including a scratch on the screen and a few dings but it still works fine.

The video it takes is awesome, I have video of us running the rapids in the Grand Canyon and obviously this thing doesn't care about a water hit which made me a star out there.

Couple of things,quirks, etc.:
1. Wish it had a regular optical viewfinder in addition to the big screen. However, when I was outside in the sun taking photos I never got it washed out unlike others' cameras I used.
2. I had to go on Ebay and buy a 1 gig memory chip for the trip. That gave me almost 300 pictures on the super highest setting. It comes with none of them. Plan on buying a chip.
3. I had two batteries for the trip (bought an extra one). For some reason the first one died in about a day which worried me a lot, but for some reason the second one lasted for the entire rest of the trip.
4. Keep in mind, I lost a few photos because while this camera is a good underwater camera, a few times there were water drops on the lense which blurred the shot. Not sure if there is a fix for that but FYI.

Overall - this camera kicks[..]. If you are going to be outside and active, get this thing.

UPDATED JUNE 2006:
- My camera is now DOA. This thing survives being in the desert, underwater, around sand etc, now I come back and go to the pool for about an hour and the thing is now dead. Looks like water got inside the unit through the battery door. Seals look fine and intact so I don't have a clue. Water behind the lense, this thing acts like, well - a piece of electronics with water inside. It's totally fried. I basically had it at the pool and took one photo with it and it's gone.

Only warning to learn is this thing isn't some super ingenious design - basically it has the same vulnerable ports as all other electronics do but with rubber seals on the insides of the doors.

The good news is I sent it back to Olympus and they sent me a brand new camera about a week later without any explanation. I was expecting them to tell me I'm an idiot and forgot to do something but no questions asked. Not sure how many more of those I'll get but overall good story

I just took my 720 on its first vacation. I usually shoot with a Canon Digital Rebel SLR and was looking for something pocket-sized for when I didnt want to lug a big camera around. The weather-proof and shock-proof features sealed the deal.

I have to say that I am impressed with the color fidelity on the 720. White-balance is good and colors are sharp and vivid without looking unnatural.

Start-up time is good as is the time between shots. Its slower than my SLR but that is to be expected.

I can get around 300 photos on a 1meg card (not included, you'll want to buy one at the same time). I also like the video feature. Sure its only 15fps, but it's an addition to the features on the camera already.

The best part is the digital image stabilization which helps to steady your shots. I've had other small point and shoot cameras in the past and have gotten rid of them because of all of the great shots that were ruined by blur caused by camera-shake. Think twice before going for a small camera without stabilization. You can't possibly hold a camera this small without some shake, so without stabilization you're wasting your time and money.

The digital zoom, as with all digital cameras, adds too much noise to the photos to be useful.

My only complaint is that the small size makes holding the camera without getting a finger or two in the shot difficult.

I would highly recommend this camera. I can's say the same for many of the small Sonys that I have used in the past. I am truly impressed with the quality of the photos this camera takes. I used it the first day of vacation and the SLR never left my room!

On the search for the ultimate ultracompact digital camera ive owned the popular Canon SD600 elph, the ultra portable Sony T9, and finally the Olympus 720sw. If any of these cameras are on your list of choices then read on...

Image quality:

Of the three cameras the Canon SD600 wins hands down, followed shortly by the Sony T9. If excellent quality photos are a must for you then the Olympus might not be the best choice. Just because the Olympus has the 7.1 megapixels does not translate to better image quality, just bigger prints. But who really prints photos bigger than poster size?

Functionality:

This is one area where the Olympus 720sw really out shines its competitors. The "s" and "w" in "720sw" stand for shockproof and waterproof. For many, the purchase of this camera will be heavily weighed on this characteristic alone as no other ultracompact on the market comes even close to being submersible. Its really remarkable and somewhat disarming when you first bring the camera into the water because of its steel construction, but there are definately many goodtimes to be had with taking photos in rain, in the pool, or even in the shower. Aside from just its construction however, the 720sw also has many added features like calendar options, titleing, slideshow, sound memo, and more. The menu is also easy to navigate and allows for ease of use.

Construction:

In terms of construction quality the Canon SD600 is excellent. While the Olympus has the waterproof and shockproof value to it, Ive found the overall design and weight to be slightly off balance. As the next reviewer noted, taking photos felt somewhat awkward at times with the lens placement, weight, and design of the 720. In some cases I had to make a conscious effort to make sure my fingers werent in the way when I photographed. The LCD screen on the Olympus is also the worst of the three cameras (which is unsatisfactory since there is no viewfinder). Sony had the nicest followed closely by the Canon.

Portability:

Of the three reviewed, the Olympus was also the largest and heaviest. For a man, the Olympus is just small enough to slip into the back pocket. For a woman however, its on the verge of being too bulky and heavy to slip into your jeans or purse. Keep in mind too that this camera falls into the "ultracompact" category. So if you are basing a large part of your purchase on portability and compactness, the Sony T9 might be best for you.

Conclusion:

If you are in need of a rugged and durable ultracompact camera that "gets the job done" so to speak then look no further. For adventurers and those who WILL knowingly take the camera into very wet or humid areas then this camera is for you. However if you are looking for something with excellent picture quality, high quality construction, and/or ultra portability then you might want to consider the Canon SD600 or the Sony T9. Both have very good picture quality and are true ultracompacts. Just dont jump into a pool with either one of them.

I'm an avid photographer with high end SLR's and Digital SLR's. Just Before going on a trip to Maine, I lost my Sony T7 and needed a replacement. The T7 was a great camera but it's underwater housing was a pain to work with. So, I decided to by an underwater camera. With all the poor reviews out there I almost decided to go back to the T7. I'm glad I took the leap.

This camera takes GREAT shots. I purchased a 1GB memory card for it and it holds tons of photos. The picture quality is also excellent. I'm not sure how people are getting poor images but believe they may not be holding the camera still while shooting or may not be filling the shadows with light. I default the flash to always being on and it works great. I did this also for my T7.

For the complaints you've read about it not saving the "shooting mode". When the camera is turned back on, it defaults to the standard shooting mode. If you'd like to use a preset mode, it goes back to the last one you selected at the push of a button. This is a great since you may turn it off underwater and then turn it on later while above surface (and forget that you were on a preset mode). If you are still underwater you're only a button away to getting to the last preset mode you used again. There are a lot of presets, so having it go back to the last one used is really helpful.

I'm going to try to upload some of the shots I've taken. They're as good as the Sony T7 (if not better) with the added versatility of underwater photography. If you want a camera that can truly go anywhere, this is the one! Don't forget to put a little RainX on the lens and clean the lens regularly as this is another common reason people get poor shots with these cameras

The Stylus 720SW marks the second Olympus digital I have owned. I am primarily a film SLR user, but there are always those times when it is more convenient to shoot using a small easy camera. The 720SW is not only small and easy, but can also come out to play when my other camera has to be protect from the rain (I'm on the West Coast), from the subject (I work with kids!), or from my clumsyness (I will surely drop the darn thing eventually).

Yay!
- Fast start-up
- Sleek and stylish
- Super strong construction will stand the test of time (I love that the battery and USB doors are so much stronger than on previous Stylus's)
- High MP count for large pictures
- Colourful, intuitive menus to help both new and old users
- Plenty of scene modes
- Underwater shooting!
- Acceptable video for a digital still camera (it's not a video camera!!!)
- HIGHLY protected lens
- Great battery life
- User-friendly software included
- Awesome landscape photos (with panoramic capabilities)
- Nice looking pictures in almost all light situations

Nay...
- Small lens (little light gets through, sometimes results in grainy low-light pictures without a flash)
- Fingerprints on screen and body
- I turn it off sometimes when attempting to press the shutter (this should improve with use)
- Small camera, and therefore prone to red-eye (easily removed in the photo editing software)
- Does not include a remote (we used it often on the Stylus 410! I suppose I will have to use the timer... darn it!)


This is a sturdy little camera that is already the envy of my friends. I don't buy a new camera often, and I expect this one to last many many years!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

There are several great features offered by this camera.. BUT
I wanted a waterproof camera to take photos outdoors, boating, fishing, at the pool and beach in sunlight. The default shooting mode for this camera is "portrait mode" that is very poor for these situations. There are options to select better settings for "sport", "beach" etc. but it takes a few clicks on multiple buttons to get to them. When you turn off the camera, the desired mode is not preserved and when you turn it on, its back in portrait mode. So you are obliged to click the buttons again to get back to the mode you want. Why make a waterproof camera and then default back to indoor portrait setting on every power up??? I've confirmed with Olymups support that the settings are not preserved...

Pros:
Great underwater photos
Compact size; easily fits in pocket
Digital image stabilization works well
It is shockproof; I dropped it by accident
Solid construction
Good price

Cons:
3x optical zoom is limiting
Battery charger with cord is cumbersome when traveling
Camera does not charge when connected to the camera via USB like most cameras
Menu settings and programming are so-so, not that intuitive
Flash is not that strong

I have used this camera out of water and underwater. Wow! It can do it all and it's small. The all-metal construction is amazing with a great feel. We took the 720SW on vacation and went snorkeling with it. It performed really well. The LCD screen is a good size out of water, but we had difficulty underwater discerning subject from background. When we got out of the water we were surprised to see how well the photos came out. It was also great to be able to take a camera to the beach and into the water for fun shots. Macro mode was good and captured the colors well. I was also impressed with the digital image stabilization feature that allowed me to take clear and well focused pictures while I ran, jumped or shook. Since the size of the camera is so compact I carry it around with me almost all the time with ease. It's a winner!

This review is based on a 17-day trip to Hawaii in June where I regularly used the 720 SW snorkeling, and covers only its underwater performance. The manual and website FAQs aren't much help on this, and without some careful practice you will probably be disappointed with this camera's underwater shots at first. My results were uneven despite experience with other underwater cameras.

The biggest challenge for all us ocean snorkelers is MOTION. You're floating, the fish are swimming, and you're probably near the surfline and some wave surge. With all this movement, framing and capturing a dead-on sharp image is very difficult. Above all else, you need to maximize shutter speed.

To shoot underwater with the 720 SW, use one of the camera's four underwater scene modes. Contrary to the manual and even the camera's own LCD display info, all four of these modes can be used underwater without a separate housing. I confirmed this with Olympus technical assistance. The modes are:
#21 Underwater landscape No. 1. Probably the best, but increase shutter speed as described below.
#22--Underwater landscape No. 2. Fixed focus, so should offer reduced shutter lag, but I didn't get especially good results. WIsh I had experimented with it more.
#23--Macro. Ok, if you and the fish can stand totally still for a close-up. Otherwise use it for coral or forget it.
#24--General purpose underwater setting that curiously uses the "cloudy" white balance. Not too useful.

The scene modes need to be adjusted further for true underwater conditions. Scene mode #21 is set for ISO 64, which results in low shutter speeds. Press the round OK button and change the ISO setting to 200. This is the single most important adjustment you can make. ISO 400 would be better, but you need to decide if the loss in resulution is acceptable.

Devote your first day in the water just to experimenting with different modes and ISO settings. If you think it's hard to see the LCD on land--try looking at it through your mask underwater! You can increase the LCD brightness a little, but too many of my shots were mostly guesswork.

If you can pick a calm, bright day, and find a place where you can stand on the bottom, it will help immensely with this or any camera used in a shoreline environment. Morning or afternoon light is better for pictures on land, but midday sun is great for underwater shots.

You can zoom in and out in the scene modes, but don't use much telephoto because it multiplies normal underwater camera movement. Take a sharper shot using wide or normal, then crop to your close-up on the computer. Use the highest resolution setting.

You can use the 720 SW's flash underwater--but the water must be totally clear. If it is even a little murky the flash illuminates thousands of tiny particles in the water and spoils your shot. Some of my flash pictures were OK, none were great. Flash distance seems to be maybe 6 feet underwater, but that's enough.

For enlargements, the sharpest picture I got underwater was barely OK for an 8x10, most I wouldn't push beyond 5x7. The dry land photos from the 720 SW will definitely go bigger.

The bottom line: the 720 SW takes some real work to deliver adequate but not great underwater pictures. Olympus provides almost no useful information to the purchaser about the unique underwater features of this camera. Honestly, I think some people would be happier with one of the Kodak or Fuji ISO 800 disposables. Why waste your vacation trying to figure out a new camera when you should be enjoying those angelfish?

Olympus, if you're listening: to sell a lot more of these cameras, hire a good technical writer, put him or her in the ocean with this camera for a few days, and have them write up the best way to take the typical underwater shots. Add this information to the manual and the website and you'll have much happier customers.

I ordered this camera just before taking a vacation to Hawaii. My primary goal was to take photos while snorkeling. I did so against the advice of several reviews I read here saying the quality of the underwater photos was poor. However, I strongly disagree. I've posted two sample photos here that demonstrate the quality that's possible with this camera underwater. I was completely satisfied. Here's why I ordered this...

First, it's about the only camera in its class -- a simple, compact camera for use on land OR underwater. So my choices were rather limited.

Second, I've taken lots of photos with disposable underwater cameras and I've learned that it's VERY hard to get good results. This has less to do with the camera though and everything to do with the conditions. So I took a chance that this camera would be at least as good. Turns out it was much better. I used the setting for Underwater Snapshots and had great results. I also took several short movies that turned-out surprisingly well. When shooting underwater, just remember the pro's number one rule of getting good pictures -- take A LOT of pictures!! Some will turn out poorly, most will be very average, a few will be great!

This camera performed very well underwater and took nice images on land as well. It's also very compact. One MAJOR warning though. IT DOESN'T float! That means, if you're swimming in water deeper than you can swim to the bottom you'd better put the camera on a lanyard just in case you drop it! I bought one for $2.99 at a dive shop and just kept it locked around my wrist whenever in the water.

If you DON'T need to shoot in wet conditions or need a camera that's this rugged, you can get better image quality with other cameras. But if you need what this camera offers, it's a great choice.