In my last blog entry, I wrote about the Olympus Stylus 850 SW. Today, I’m going to look at the Olympus Stylus 770 SW. Both are digital cameras. Both are labeled as “rugged.” Both, presumably, are kid-proof, a primary consideration when you have an “active” child in the household. (For you non-parents, that’s a code word for somebody who sneaks into the garage and experiments with power tools when Mommy is taking a nap.)

Why am I looking at the 770 SW? Isn’t it just like the 850 SW? No! The 770 comes in brown (as well as blue and silver). That’s my favorite color these days because dirt doesn’t show as much. When dirt doesn’t show as much, there’s less to clean, right?

Also, the 770 has some user reviews posted on PriceGrabber, and I wanted to see what folks had to say.

But first, the facts.

This 7.1 megapixel, 5.5 ounce camera is designed to withstand a five-foot drop, immersion underwater down to 33 feet and temperatures as cold as 14-degrees Fahrenheit. That’s not bad. But, it can also withstand up to 220 pounds of pressure. I don’t know what scenario this would be important for, but I’m sure my son could figure it out. It has a 3x optical zoom and a 5x digital zoom, and it includes 27 shooting modes, including “fireworks,” “behind glass” and “underwater wide macro” (for those up close and personal shots of that octopus you’ve just discovered while scuba diving in a cave). Of course, my camera usage usually requires two modes — auto-everything still pictures and moving pictures. But should I ever have spare time on my hands, say, in another 13 years, it might be fun to experiment!

But what do people say who have had their hands on one of these? christina_shonts calls it an “awesome” system for something that’s waterproof. All she’d change is the zoom range.

Esprod considers the 770 “easy to use.” Plus, it fits in a pocket. But he or she doesn’t’ care for how well it takes indoor photos.

ForSpud in California, who used seven other digital cameras before this one, likes how it’s “built like a tank.” After dropping a Minolta on the floor from about three feet up and having the focus go bad, he or she believes the 770 will be able to hand that. ForSpud took the 770 on a trip to the Caribbean and came back with these impressions: Because it’s waterproof, the shutter button is “very stiff.” That meant many of those beachside photos turned out blurry, “due to camera shake” when pressing the shutter. Also, “the flash pictures were terrible.” This camera aficionado took a Minolta, Panasonic and Canon on the trip, and all of them produced much better pictures than the 770 SW, even at a lower resolution.

So, maybe the search needs to continue. I’m already taking pictures of a little boy in motion. I don’t need any more assistance getting blurry shots.

Posted on May 31st, 2008 by dian