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Olympus Stylus 1030SW Ten Features I Love About This Camera by Jon Sienkiewicz Article rating: 10.00

The Stylus 1030SW is the latest in Olympus’s lineup of strikingly gorgeous, rough-and-tumble waterproof cameras. It has a wealth of compelling features, like a 10-megapixel (3648 x 2736) CCD and a large, 2.7” LCD monitor, and comes in three eye-catching colors. But despite how smitten one might become with the external attractiveness and superficial specifications, there are many less obvious features that make this a camera you’ll want to add to your picture taking arsenal.

Built Like a Brick Ice House
They say it will withstand temperatures down to 14 degrees F° (that's -10° C) and pass a 220 pound crush test. And that it will survive a fall from a height of six feet (two meters). I don't know, because I don't have the heart to drop a camera this good-looking. But I can tell you this: so-called “Impact Damage” is the number one killer of cameras. By virtually eliminating this risk factor, Olympus has improved customer satisfaction to the nth degree. (By the way, the #2 camera killer is “Liquid Damage.” See below.)

Foul Weather Friend
It's a true underwater camera, suitable for snorkel and shallow SCUBA (waterproof to a depth of 10 meters, or about 33 feet). That makes it perfect for the backyard pool. Even non-divers will appreciate the ability—at long last—to be able to take digital pictures in the rain and snow without running the risk of ruining your camera and voiding the warranty. Combined with its resistance to impact, the watertight feature makes the camera virtually kid proof.

Wide, Wide, Wide!
The Olympus Stylus 1030SW has a true wideangle lens. Many cameras in this price range offer 3X zooms, but few have true wideangle 28mm lenses.  The 1030SW has the equivalent of a 28-102mm zoom (3.6X) and the advantage is clear: it's far easier to shoot group pictures, scenic landscapes and even street scenes with a 28mm than the traditional 35mm found on most compact cameras.

Great Cosmetics
It's a truly handsome camera. When you see the Stylus 1030SW and when you hold it in your hand you know immediately that you're dealing with a camera that's strong and durable without being bloated with armor and unnecessary padding. Available in Platinum Silver, Midnight Black and British Green finishes, the surface is scratch resistant, too, so you can carry it in your pocket without worry.

I Can See LED
One of the challenges we all face when shooting macro (close-up) pictures is the unsharpness that results from not having enough light. In addition to offering Super Macro—the ability to focus as close as 2cm (about 0.8 inches)—the Stylus 1030SW has a built-in extra-bright LED that provides the illumination the camera needs for proper exposure and accurate autofocus.

Panorama Power
Panorama images are created by “stitching” together two or three normal images end-to-end. Some cameras offer assistance in the way of alignment guides; others provide software that lets you manually produce the composites on your PC. The Stylus 1030SW does something truly remarkable. Tell it you want to shoot a panorama (by selecting it from the menu) and shoot the first frame. Gently swing the camera in the direction you choose and the camera displays a “target” on the LCD screen. Continue moving the camera until the target intersects with a small crosshair-type box and the camera automatically fires and captures the second frame. Keep moving and it fires again. Then, like magic, it quickly stitches the three frames together, binding the overlapping segments, and creates an incredible panorama image. Tip: don't be afraid to try this indoors! Do avoid moving subjects.  (Click on second image below to view full size image)

Would you like to see a Menu?
The Stylus 1030SW's main menu is clean and intuitive, but it's the “extra menu” I'm crazy about. Press the function button in the center of the Jog Dial and the left hand side, up pops a menu that allows you to quickly check and change settings for White Balance, ISO, Drive, Metering Mode, Resolution and Compression.

Preview
The Shoot with Effects Preview function displays four versions of the scene and allows you to see what the results will look like before you change the settings. You can preview different Zoom settings, Exposure variations, Color (White balance), Metering mode and Movie Smoothness. The Preview mode is activated when you select “Guide” on the main control dial. The selection also enables other on-screen tutorials that help you get great images—easily.

Fun Scene Modes
Nowadays, most point-and-shoot cameras have Scene Modes that automatically set the camera for ideal results under certain specified conditions. The Stylus 1030SW goes well beyond the ordinary and offers a couple of very cool shooting modes. One is the Shoot and Select option (two options, actually) that allows you to bang out a rapid-fire series of snapshots then save only the good ones. Another useful mode is the Documents Mode. It facilitates capturing printed text, white board scrawls, etc. You're sure to find a favorite Scene Mode—there are so many to choose from.

Face Detection
Select this option from the Autofocus Mode menu and the camera will automatically zero in on the human faces in any scene. Focus and exposure settings will be based on the faces, not the background clutter behind your main subjects. There's no longer any need to “lock” the focus or jiggle the camera around to make sure that the people in the picture come out clear and sharp.

But, wait—there's more!
There are plenty of additional features that make the Olympus Stylus 1030SW easy to recommend. For example, in the Playback Mode you can open the Edit menu and add a border to an image—or make it part of a calendar that can be printed like any other image. Another favorite: you can change the LCD monitor so that it displays a live histogram or composition-friendly grid lines. And then there's the Silent Mode that turns off all of the noises so you can sneak your snapshots surreptitiously.

In the final analysis, the Olympus 1030SW is not perfect, but it does have an extraordinarily rich set of useful and amazing features that sets it apart from other 10-megapixel cameras. If you ever run out of fun things to do with this camera it’s because you ran out of imagination.

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