Slimline

Sought-after successor to the Mju 720 SW, the Mju 725 SW is now even tougher, offering underwater shooting up to five metres. Shockproof and waterproof, it also resists sand and dust, making it an ideal camera for active photographers. A new Underwater Snap mode has been added to the available Scene Program modes, along with 'Nightproof' capabilities and an extended battery life.

This would be a great camera for water sports if only the button controls were larger and easier to operate and the menu required less toggling. (We found it impossible to use with gloves!) Nevertheless, the 725 SW has many features to attract active photographers.

Test pictures were similar to those produced by its predecessor, which is to be expected as the cameras are almost identical. Image contrast was high in bright conditions, producing blown-out highlights and blocking up the deepest shadows. Most colours were accurately recorded, although Imatest revealed some hue shifts in orange and yellow. Saturation was average for a compact digicam.

Imatest showed resolution to be good up to ISO 400 but it deteriorated thereafter as image and colour noise increased.  Noise was evident at ISO 800 and 1600. Minor lateral chromatic aberration was detected and we found slight colour fringing in contrasty areas in outdoor shots. Digital zoom shots were visibly affected by processing artefacts but close-ups were competently handled.

White balance performance was better under fluorescent lighting than incandescent, where the auto setting under-corrected, while the manual pre-set over-corrected the inherent orange bias of the light. No manual measurement is provided. Powering up the 735 SW took roughly one second and we measured an average capture lag of 0.9 seconds, which reduced to 0.1 seconds with pre-focusing.  The standard burst setting recorded shots at 0.9 second intervals, while the high-speed mode delivered 3 fps speeds. The flash required ISO 400 to illuminate an average room.

IMATEST GRAPHS

TEST IMAGES

The Super Macro setting produced excellent close-ups.

Digital zoom shots showed processing artefacts.

The auto white balance failed to correct incandescent lighting.

But the manual pre-set over-corrected. 

Image sensor: 4.8 x 3.6 mm CCD with 7.4 million photosites (7.1 megapixels effective)
Lens: 6.7-20.1mm f3.5-5.0 zoom lens (38-114mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 3x optical, up to 5x digital
Image formats: Stills – JPEG (Exif 2.2); Movies - QuickTime Motion JPEG with sound (VGA, QVGA, QQVGA at 15 fps)
Image Sizes: 3072 x 2304, 2560 x 1920, 2304 x 1728, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024x768, 640x480.
Shutter speed range: 1/2 to 1/1000 s (up to 4 sec. in night mode)
Exposure Compensation: -2.0EV to +2.0 EV in 1/3 step increments
Focus system/range: TTL iESP auto focus with contrast detection; range 50 cm to infinity; macro 20 cm to infinity; Super Macro 7-50 cm
Exposure metering/control: ESP light metering, Spot metering; 25 scene modes
White balance: Auto, Sunlight, Tungsten, Overcast, Fluorescent (x3)
Flash modes/range (ISO auto): Auto, red-eye reduction, fill-in, off; range up to 3.8 m (wide) / 2.6 m (tele)
ISO range: Auto, ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Sequence shooting: Standard: 1.1 fps up to card capacity; High-speed: 3.7 fps up to 12 frames
Storage Media: 19 MB internal memory plus xD-Picture Card slot
Viewfinder: n.a.
LCD monitor: 2.5-inch LCD (115,000 pixels)
Power supply: LI-42B rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Dimensions (wxhxd): 91 x 58.7 x 19.8 mm
Weight: 149 g (without battery and card)