Olympus' new trio touts 10 megapixel Stylus 1050 SW with motion sensitive Tap Control
By Thomas Ricker 
posted August 25th 2008 2:16AM
posted August 25th 2008 2:16AM
When pumping out unimpressive point-and-shoot cameras, one sure-fire way to grab some attention is to innovate around the UI. That seems to be Olympus' approach with its new semi-rugged, Stylus 1050 SW ($300) pictured above. Able to withstand drops from 5-feet (1.5-meters), temps as low as 14 degrees F (-10 C), and submersion to 10-feet (3-meters), the new 10.1-megapixel shooter with 3x zoom and 2.7-inch display also packs an accelerometer for Olympus' new motion-driven "Tap Control" -- tap twice on the back, top or sides with your bulky, gloved hand to switch the camera into different modes. Pretty smart, actually... let's hope it takes quality images too. Of less interest is the skinny new 16.5-mm Stylus 1040 ($200) offering all of the 1050's guts without the Tap Control and weatherproofing. Last up is the Olympus SP-565 UZ ($400). It bungs the 10 megapixel sensor and 20x zoom from Olympus' SP-570 UZ into the 8 megapixel, 18x SP-560 UZ introduced this time last year. All three cams due in October. See the 1040 and SP-565 UZ after the break.
Update: Speaking of unimpressive, Olympus also outed its 8 megapixel FE-20 (£120 / $221) with 2.5-inch LCD and 3x zoom. We managed to escape our ennui just long enough to post a picture after the break.
Read -- Stylus 1050SW
Read -- The rest
Update: Speaking of unimpressive, Olympus also outed its 8 megapixel FE-20 (£120 / $221) with 2.5-inch LCD and 3x zoom. We managed to escape our ennui just long enough to post a picture after the break.
Read -- Stylus 1050SW
Read -- The rest
So if it dropped it really wouldn't break? I've had too many eletronics break because of that.
I have the 1030SW and have dropped it, and swam with it - never a problem.... these things are tough!
What happened to the whole "higher model number means a better product" business model? The 1030 SW is like $80 more than the 1050 and is way tougher... drop proof from 2m (not a huge difference but enough to make or break (ha!) the camera) waterproof to 33 feet... just overall more durable.
The name "Stylus" ... I always think that's a PDA too
Stupid xD card ruins it ... why can Olympus get with the SD card program?
Olympus puts out two (very long) lines of SW models, the big-brother-but-ugly ones that go deeper and can withstand more abuse, and the cutesy-but-more-easily-breakable ones, which come out in pastel/rainbow colors. This is the cutesy type.
Keep in mind that all the SW series of cameras, except for the very latest (which still require a firmware update and special "H" xD memory cards) cannot record more than 10 seconds (that's right "ten seconds") of normal quality (as in 640x480 30fps) video at a time. This is something that other digicams could do many, many years ago, including Fujifilm digicams, and they can do this with any xD card. This is NOT mentioned in any review or the specs, and in my opinion, a ripoff. The image quality of these digicams isn't anything to write home about, either.
If you want something to take underwater, just buy any good digicam, and put it in a waterproof housing. Digicam housings cost very little these days, and they are much more suited to going underwater.
I've got an older Stylus 720 SW and they're great. Incredible outdoor photos. Pretty good underwater/ocean photos, if you set the right settings. Not perfect for indoor without flash. ...but great when you have kids. You can wash it off in the sink if they cover it in grape jelly for example.
Had a friend who brought one to Hawaii, probably got sand in one of the seals and shorted it out in the ocean half way through the trip. Probably just something to keep in mind. A seal is only as good as the seal it makes.
But from my point of view, great pictures, great for parents, great for hiking, snorkeling, swimming, etc.
Why does Engadget hate these so much? Maybe the camera doesn't have the highest picture quality, but it isn't trying to. I find it's rugged durability to be very impressive in an age where a lot of electronics are pretty fragile. I don't understand the hate.
The red 1040 looks like the Sony T-20.
I agree with Richard, I'm going backpacking for 2 years across 30+ countries from the snow to the sea to the desert to the mountains. I'm willing to accept a camera that does not have the best indoor shots if I can be sure it's not going to die on me when I'm in a canoe in the middle of nowhere. The amount of travel blogs where someone's SLR has crapped out in the middle of something awesome is hilarious. I thought this
Why hate it so much? There's a lot to hate. The picture quality is bad (if you think it's good, it's obvious you haven't had used many cameras). The noise is terrible. It uses xD, which even it's only friend in using it, Fujifilm, is starting to ditch in its newer cameras. The fact that they didn't learn their lesson from the smartMedia fiasco tells you a lot about their way of thinking.
The response is slow. The menus are bad. Of course there's the ridiculous 10 second video limit (really, a modern phone can do better than that, and that's saying a lot) which is, again, not mentioned anywhere except deep in the manual. The video quality is awful, so maybe it's good that you can only record 10 seconds. It's too expensive for what it does. I could get a combo Canon/Fuji/etc+housing that could beat the Olympus SW's in every way, for cheaper. To top it off, the Olympus people could have updated the firmware for older SW digicams to kill the 10 second limit, but they choose not to. BTW, the 10 second limit is not limited to just the SW series, so read the manual very carefully before laying down your cash.
My DSLR has accompanied me in several very long (weeks) trips to nearly every corner of the world, ever since the Canon 350D came out several years ago. Never once has it crapped out. It's been used in extreme dust, altitude, rain, winds, etc. If they're so prone to failure, then why are news photographers and pros using them, and depending on them for their livelihood (and not just vacation pics)? Look at the amount of travel blogs where someone's compact digicam has crapped out, or better yet look at the amount of blogs with Olympus SW seals suddenly failing underwater. Now *that's* hilarious.
The one saving grace is its supposed ruggedness. But these days other companies like Pentax also make rugged, waterproof cameras, without the shortcomings of Olympus. For those who bought one, enjoy it, since otherwise you'll be questioning your buying decision. I got rid of mine, and I'm one happy camper.
The FE-20 seems good for beginners like me.Compact and slim and easy to carry.
I think it is much like the OLYMPUS Stylus 830 Green 8.0
http://www.pricestealer.com/deal/290/OLYMPUS-Stylus-830-Green-8.0-MP-Digital-Camera/