Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW Review - It is Waterproof!

[Suhit Gupta]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.digicamreview.com/olympus_mju_stylus_1030sw_review.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.digicamreview.com/olympu...30sw_review.htm</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>&quot;Announced on the 22nd of January 2008, the Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW is Olympus' latest ultra compact &quot;tough&quot; digital camera - it's designed to withstand the elements, and is waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, crushproof, dustproof, scratchproof, and therefore also childproof! The camera features a 10 megapixel sensor, a wide angle 3.6x optical zoom lens, a 2.7&quot; screen that works in the sun, and a VGA video mode. The Olympus Mju 1030SW is available from around &pound;215 which makes it great value for money. The camera is enclosed in an extremely tough metal body and is available in black, silver, or green. The camera measures approx. 93.2 x 61.4 x 21.3 mm (excluding protrusions), and weighs approx. 173g. excluding battery and memory card.&quot;</em></p><p><img alt="" border="0" src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1210590510.usr14.jpg" /></p><p>What an excellent idea! My favorite part about this review was reading the following in the specs - Crushproof up to 100kg, Waterproof to 10m, Shockproof up to 2.0m, Freezeproof upto -10 C, Scratchproof, Dust resistant body. Although honestly, it is the waterproof part that caught my eye. Firstly, it doesn't just say water resistant like most watches do, so you can actually go under water with this. Second, since it is waterproof to about 10m, that makes it ideal when going snorkeling. The review also states that the image quality is quite nice so all in all this seems to be a really good camera.</p><p>But here is the weird thing - I was going to say that this camera is a little expensive if one plans to use this only as a snorkeling companion when I saw the price quoted in the review (GBP215) but when I started looking on pricegrabber and Windows Live Product Search (in order to see what the cheapest price I could find for it was), all I could find was a $189 underwater housing for this camera. So the waterproofness fo the camera is suddenly a little suspect to me. I guess the housing is simply to increase the depth to which one can take the camera.</p><p>Of course, <a href="http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1363">Olympus' site</a> (<a href="http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/29_18625.htm">UK site here</a>) certainly shows this to be a legitimate camera with the right set of features and accessories so this just may be an issue of the camera not having made it out to most online retail stores yet. Estimated retail in the US is $399.</p>

[Phronetix]

I own the predecessor to this model, and yes, it is FULLY submersible. Have had it in swimming pools, the ocean, a couple lakes, two hot springs, a waterslide, in the steady rain, a pitcher of water, and the bath-tub (I have young children, for the record ;-)

It's fun to shoot movies underwater, but the water needs to be well lit to do it justice. The sound is picked up surprisingly well with the mic underwater.

A couple of fun things about this camera: the instructions tell you to submerse the camera in a tray of water to 'clean' the lens after use in salt water and the like. That just feels strange to perform for real. Also, I love the looks I get when at the beach, wading in the water, when one of the kids needs help, and I simply pocket the camera in my then underwater trunks pocket. :-)

What I do NOT like: the xD card. Why can't we all just use SD? Huh? (that's a rhetorical question) Also, the battery life when using the movie feature is abysmal, in my opinion.

If anyone wants a good look at the video quality, send me an private message and I will send you a link to my Mac Gallery, where I have edited movies from this camera's footage. (Nothing underwater as of yet).

D

[Gordo]

I agree with "Phronetix"

I also have a previous version of the camera. I also have the underwater housing. The housing is specifically for Scuba Divers who go deeper and longer. Don't remember the specifics on my model but it did have a time limit on how long it could be submerged.

[Tim Williamson]

That's pretty cool! And not too much pricier than similar non-waterproof P&S.

I guess the only thing to worry about is if you drop it, it sinks right to the bottom of whatever body of water you're near.

[ionen]

From my experience with Olympus (I still have an older model with only 3MP - the D540) I'm pretty sure this underwater model is worth the little fortune it costs!

I never thought of owning a camera that's water-proof, but as summer vacation is approaching this seems the best time to change my old camera - maybe not with this Mju Stylus 1030SW precisely, but I'll see what's available in stores in Bucharest

[Jason Dunn]

What I do NOT like: the xD card. Why can't we all just use SD? Huh? (that's a rhetorical question)

Yeah, frankly Olympus' stubborn clinging to this format keeps me from ever looking at their P&S cameras. :rolleyes:

[yslee]

I believe this camera is one of the latest mju's that ship with a SD to xD adapter.

[Phronetix]

I believe this camera is one of the latest mju's that ship with a SD to xD adapter.

Just checked it out. Not too bad, there is a microSD to xD adapter. I think I need to get me one of those adaptors at some point.

There is just one thing about the microSD cards that makes me nervous. Must NOT misplace that sucker. EVER.

But, this is mildly encouraging to hear.

D

[yslee]

Well, let's make it a little more encouraging for you then. The adapter that is included is nothing more than a piece of plastic with a little metal acting as an electrical pass-through.

Yet, xD and SD are not compatible, in the same way like any SD to SD-variant, or CF to PCMCIA. That means Olympus has put into the camera's firmware the ability to read and write the SD standard. What it really means is an exercise left to the reader. :P