Olympus Stylus 770SW

The Olympus Stylus 770SW features a 7.1-megapixel CCD, a 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD, and 3x optical zoom with Digital Image Stabilization, but the real defference is that it is is waterproof to 32 feet, making it perfect for a little scuba photography.

CNET has just posted their review of the 770SW, and say it might not produce perfect images, but you’d be hard pressed to find a compact camera as tough as this one.

"Images from the Stylus 770SW weren’t perfect, but that’s not surprising given this camera is built more for extreme durability than optical purity. For example, our test images looked slightly soft overall and had more image artifacts than we’re used to in a camera in this price range, though you can’t jump into a swimming pool and shoot images underwater with those cameras. Colors were generally accurate, though they seemed a bit undersaturated in places. Olympus keeps noise well under control through ISO 200. At ISO 400 noise due to sensitivity manifests itself as a light covering of off-color pixels (mostly bluish in nature), which robs a slight, but noticeable amount of sharpness from the image. At ISO 800, that off-color covering becomes heavier, reduces sharpness even more, and severely decreases shadow detail. At ISO 1600, all of those same problems become even worse. We suggest you stick to shooting below ISO 800 when possible, though higher ISOs may still yield acceptable 4×6-inch prints"

DigitalCameraReview.com also posted their review of the 770SW and are quoted as saying-

"The new additions and improvements to the Stylus 770 SW, add a fair amount of value. The better resolution screen is nice and the LED illumination lamp is a very cool and very useful feature. For outdoor enthusiasts and snorkelers, the added rugged features (crush proofing, cold proofing, and better waterproofing) add a lot of value.

Image quality is good outdoors and average indoors. Images showed a lot of detail, but the camera could do a better job of metering and the automatic white balance is not great. The images were sharp and showed good detail. The camera is able to shoot at up to ISO 1600 which enables the digital image stabilization and a theoretically longer flash range. However, you should get a feel for the noise the creeps into the shots at higher ISO so that you can keep it as low as possible and still get the shot that you want.

I also think that the lack of a 30 fps movie mode is also another thing that is holding the Stylus 770 SW back, especially when compared to other waterproof cameras. Personally, it’s not a big issue for me since I don’t take a lot of movie clips, but a lot of people place a lot more significance on it. "