Olympus Stylus 720SW Digital Camera Review
By Emily Raymond
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
March 21, 2007
If your kids have dipped your cell phone into the toilet more than once, perhaps you should consider a durable digital camera like the 7.1-megapixel Olympus Stylus 720SW. This camera can be immersed in up to 10 feet of water and can withstand falls from up to 5 feet. Besides its durability, it has a typical 3x optical zoom lens and 2.5-inch LCD.
The water and shockproof digital camera is small and skinny at 0.8 inches thick. There aren’t any protrusions, which make it more likely to survive falls. The camera’s 3x optical zoom lens remains in the body at all times, and the 2.5-inch LCD screen has a special scratch-proof surface to keep it from showing its beatings.
The surface is decent, but the screen’s 115,000-pixel resolution leaves much to be desired. The poor resolution combined with the slow refresh rate of the live preview will only provide you with a rough estimate of what you’re photographing. This problem is remedied on the more recent Olympus 770SW with its 2.5-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD screen.
It is meant to be easy-to-use with its Automatic and 23 Scene modes. It also includes an extensive help guide. The guide is lengthy, which is good for beginners who want step-by-step tutorials. However, the text is difficult to read on the LCD screen; it’d be a much easier reference guide if it were a separate booklet.
Unfortunately, the Olympus Stylus 720SW didn't turn out a stellar performance. Its colors are terribly inaccurate. While most cameras exaggerate red colors, this model turns up greens and blues. This might make for gorgeous landscapes, but it will make portrait subjects look ill. In addition, even though the colors in landscapes may look good, textures probably won’t. The Stylus 720SW also had a hard time capturing a wide range of bright to dark shades.
This contrast issue may be a problem when shooting underwater, where lighting is often difficult. There are several Underwater Scene modes and the sturdy housing is outfitted with O-rings and rubber seals for waterproofing. Despite its underwater capabilities, don’t expect professional-looking photos. The bright blue water and vibrant yellow fish displayed on your vacation brochure won’t be the same results you’ll get from the Stylus 720SW. Instead, your underwater photos will turn out murky and dull-colored. The Pentax Optio W20 and Canon SD40 have Underwater Scene modes too: the W20 can venture below the water on its own but the SD40 requires a separate purchase of an underwater housing. This adds about $150 to the total cost, but the more accurate colors, more effective 7.1 megapixels, and longer Burst mode will be priceless when photographing rare fish.
Turning on the flash, whether below or above water, usually isn’t a good idea with the 720SW. It reaches 12.5 feet at best, and it produces a bright spot toward the right half of the frame. Movies don’t look much better than the pictures. Movies record at a decent resolution but with a horrible 15 frame-per-second frame rate that makes it look very choppy. Smoother 30 fps videos can be recorded on the Pentax W20, the Canon SD40, and the Nikon S7c.
The Olympus Stylus 720SW takes its best pictures in bright sunny weather, even though it can withstand rainy days and a dip in the pool. The camera costs about $300 online and is good for consumers who want a very durable camera and will use the underwater function. It doesn’t produce fabulous pictures, but there just aren’t that many weatherproof and shockproof cameras on the market right now. The 7.1-megapixel Olympus Stylus 720SW now has a weatherproof sibling, the Stylus 770SW, that is worth a look. With its introduction, the older 720SW should be offered at a more affordable price.
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