Sometimes
the word "ultra" is overworked by product marketers, but that
isn't the case with the Olympus Stylus 790SW. While it's no "credit
card" cam, this tough snapper fits as comfortably in the ultra
category as it does in a shirt pocket. It's only 0.8 inches thick, weighs
a meager 4.8 ounces and is smaller than an index card at 3.7 by 2.4
inches.
Olympus is billing the 7.1 megapixel
790SW ($239-$350) as an "adventure camera." It's designed to
be shockproof up to five feet, waterproof up to 10 feet and freezeproof
to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. While I'm not into destructive testing of loaner
equipment, I must confess that I accidently dropped the the snapper from
a height of about five feet onto a concrete sidewalk and the unit took
the licking and kept on clicking.
The 790SW has a stylish body. My review unit was metallic silver with
black accents, but it comes in other colors, too, such as black, blue,
orange and lime green. One problem I have with cameras this size is I
find them difficult to hold because they tend to get lost in my big mitts.
This tyke was particularly challenging because the surface felt slick
to me and kept sliding from my fingers. It seems to me if you're going
to make a camera for adventurers, rubber bumpers would be a good addition,
not only to absorb shock but to improve a would-be Indiana Jones's hold
on the shooter. Moreover--and this applies to ultracompacts in general--I
had to be more self-conscious about where I placed my fingers on the snapper
lest I cover up a portion of the lens or the flash. To Olympus's credit,
illustrations on the best way to hold the camera are included in the camera's
well-organized and clearly written documentation.
Despite
its size, I found the 790SW's controls easy to manipulate and logically
configured. On top of the unit is the power button and shutter release.
Partially depressing the release will set the focus in a shot; completing
the stroke will snap it. At the bottom of the device is a screw mount
for a tripod and a compartment for the unit's Li-ion rechargeable battery
and an xD storage card. The left of the unit is blank, while on the right
side, there's a compartment for the camera's USB port, a speaker and loop
holes for a carrying cord.
A built-in flash, microphone, LED illuminator
for proper focusing in low lighting conditions and 3x optical zoom with
built-in lens cover are on the front of the camera.
At the back
of the DSC is its 2.5-inch HyperCrystal display and a rocker switch for
controlling the unit's zoom in shooting mode. In playback mode, the left
side of the rocker, which is labeled W for "wide," allows you
to page through index displays of the images in the camera. There are
four index pages--four shots, nine shots, 16 shots and 25 shots. A fifth
page displays a calendar which can be used to see images captured on a
particular day. The right side of the rocker, labeled T for telephoto,
lets you zoom in on an image on the display.
Below the zoom rocker
is the camera's mode dial. The edge of the dial is ringed with notches.
The notches facilitate turning the dial to its various settings. Here is
what's available from the dial.
· PROGRAM/AUTO. In program mode,
the camera analyzes a scene and chooses the best aperture and shutter
speed for the shot, but you can customize the white balance and ISO settings.
In auto mode, the camera automatically chooses all settings for the shot.
· IS.
This turns on image stabilization to reduce the effects of subject or
camera movement during a shot.
· SCN. Accesses 21
scene modes (see specifications section). When you choose a mode, the
camera picks the settings appropriate to the scene--shooting at the beach,
for example, or taking the portrait of a person.
· GUIDE.
In some ways, similar to scene mode. The menu for this mode lists actions
rather than situations. For instance, if you wanted to take a portrait
of a person, you could choose "portrait" in scene mode or "blur
background" in this mode.
· MOVIE. This is used
for shooting video with the camera.
· FAVORITE.
By tagging a photo as a favorite, you can quickly access and display it
through this mode.
· PLAYBACK. This lets you display photos stored in the camera on
its LCD.
Below the mode dial is the arrow pad. It's used for navigating through
the unit's menu system. At its center is the OK/FUNC button. That's
used for selecting menu items and in shooting mode, it displays a menu
bar for swift access to frequently used functions such as shooting mode,
white balance, light sensitivity (ISO), sequential shooting modes and
metering method.
In addition, each arrow point lets you display menus for another set
of top-use functions. Exposure compensation is at 12 o'clock, flash
settings at three, self timer at six and macro at nine.
Between the arrow points are function buttons.
At five o'clock, there's a button that--in shooting mode--toggles
the camera's shadow adjustment mode. Shadow adjustment allows you
to properly expose a subject against a bright background. In playback
mode, the button can be used to trash individual photos.
At seven o'clock, there's
a button for paging through various data displays, toggling the unit's
illuminator LED and calling up additional information about a selected
menu item.
Finally, at 10 o'clock there's a button for accessing the camera's
menu system.
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Ergonomics
