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The Stylus series of Olympus cameras
is composed of cameras designed to be moisture and humidity-proof.
But with the arrival of the Stylus 720 SW (called Mju
720 SW in Europe), Olympus introduces a waterproof camera,
and adds shock protection.
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Only two controls are located
on top of the camera: on the right the two-stage shutter
release, which has an oblong shape, and to its left the
power switch, which is small and recessed to avoid
having the camera turn on accidentally while it is being handled.
When the power switch is pressed, the camera turns on in
capture mode, and the lens cover slides down; and since the
zoom operates fully internally, no part protrudes from the
front of the camera.
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| All the other external controls
of the Stylus 720 SW are organized on the right side of the
monitor. The monitor, measuring 2.5 inches diagonally
and composed of 115,000 pixels occupies most of the camera’s
back, which leaves only a narrow strip for the controls. |
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Directly below the zoom controls a small LED lights red when
the camera is starting up, or while it is accessing the memory,
or when it is connected to a computer or a printer.
Further below two round buttons positioned one above the
other are flanked by the camera’s speaker. The upper
button serves to turn on the camera directly in the capture
mode, and to select the capture mode: |
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By default, when the Stylus
720 SW is turned on, it starts either in the Program
or Auto shooting mode, the selection of which is
decided in the Function menu (see further).
Both of these programs establish the aperture and shutter
speed automatically, but while the Auto mode establishes
all other settings as well, the Program mode allows user
control over all the options contained in the menu. |
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The next button down, labelled  ,
starts the Playback mode. It can also be used to turn on the
camera, without opening the lens cover, if it is held pressed
for more than 1 second.
Next down is the 4-direction controller, called the arrow
pad, which rings a small round button at its centre.
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The arrow pad serves to navigate
the menus and select options, or move through images in the
playback mode, be they presented as index, in calendar format,
or even when full-screen or magnified.
Moreover, each of the 4 directional arrows of the pad provides
an additional function, identified by an icon embossed on
its surface. And, when one of these is pressed while the camera
is in a capture mode, it displays a short menu on the monitor
for the function:
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The button at the centre of the
arrow pad, labelled OK/FUNC serves to confirm selections made
in the menus. Moreover, when it is pressed while the camera
is set to a capture mode, it displays a short 5-option menu
on the monitor, making it quick to change the settings for:
- P: allows switching back and forth between Program
mode and Auto mode.
- WB serves to choose the white balance: Auto, Sunny,
Cloudy, Tungsten (incandescent), Fluorescent 1 (daylight),
Fluorescent 2 (neutral white), Fluorescent 3 (white fluorescent).
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- ISO to select the sensitivity: 64, 100, 200, 400,
800, or 1600 ISO.
- Drive serves to choose the rate at which images
are captured:
- Single: captures one image at a time when the shutter
release is pressed
- Sequential Shooting: captures up to 8 images in SHQ
format at a rate of 1.1 frames per second.
- High Speed Sequential Shooting: captures up to 12
images using the SQ1 format (max. image size 2048 x
1536 pixels) at 3.7 frames per second.
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- ESP selects the metering pattern:
- ESP,
which is the equivalent of a multi-zone averaging pattern,
- or Spot
which evaluates a small area at the centre of the frame.
When the Stylus 720 SW is set to the Playback mode, the OK/FUNC
button can be used to delete an unwanted image, or
those that have been previously selected in index screens,
a function that is indicated by the 
icon below the arrow pad itself.
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The last two external controls
are positioned below the arrow pad:
The button on the right displays the menu that corresponds
to the currently active camera mode (see the Characteristics
and Interface and Software sections of the review for
more details about the various menus of the Stylus 720 SW).
The one on the left, labelled  ,
is reserved for when the Stylus 720 SW is connected directly
to a PictBridge compliant printer, and serves to set
printing parameters and start printing.
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Introduction
button serves to review captured images as an index of thumbnail
images (4, 9, 16 or 25 images per screen, or as a calendar
page of the month showing images by the date on which they
were captured); while the T 
button can be used to zoom into any part of an image (up to
8X) shown on the monitor.
