In summary
An affordable, high resolution digicam that’s waterproof and shock-resistant and includes 25 scene presets.With a slimline stainless steel and aluminium body the new 7.1-megapixel Olympus µ 720SW has rubberised gel sealing and shockproofing around the lens, circuit board, battery/card slot and USB port. Waterproof to three metres and withstanding a 1.5 metre drop, the 720SW deserves its “Tough” tag. It’s available in silver or Polar Blue and sports a 3x optical zoom lens and 2.5-inch LCD but no viewfinder. . . [more]
Full review
With a slimline stainless steel and aluminium body the new 7.1-megapixel Olympus Mju 720SW has rubberised gel sealing and shockproofing around the lens, circuit board, battery/card slot and USB port. Waterproof to three metres and capable of withstanding a 1.5 metre drop, the 720SW deserves its ‘Tough’ tag. It’s available in silver or blue and sports a 3x optical zoom lens and 2.5-inch LCD, but no viewfinder.
Three shooting modes are provided: Program AE; anti-shake; and scene; which are accessed via a tiny button on the rear panel. Anti-shake involves digital image stabilisation, which doesn’t affect subject coverage. Twenty-five scene presets include four underwater modes, four portrait modes and two shoot-and-select settings. The Movie mode is located in the Scene menu and offers VGA or QVGA recording with sound at 15 frames/second.
The 720SW also offers extended sensitivity, with ISO settings from 64 to 1600 and up to ISO 2500 for Available Light Portrait and Candle modes. White balance adjustments are limited to auto and six presets (three for fluorescent lighting). In-camera editing functions include red-eye fix, resizing, adding frames or text and colour, brightness and saturation adjustments.
Pictures from the test camera were rather contrasty, although saturation was modest and most colours were accurately recorded. Imatest showed resolution to be good up to ISO 800, after which it deteriorated sharply as image and colour noise increased. Moderate lateral chromatic aberration and slight distortion were found at both ends of the zoom range. White balance performance was average.
The camera took roughly two seconds to power-up but shut down instantly. We measured an average capture lag of 0.9 seconds, which reduced to 0.1 seconds with pre-focusing. The high-speed burst mode recorded shots at intervals of just under 0.3 seconds, while the standard mode captured at one second intervals. Images were processed within a second. [28]
Specifications
Image sensor: 1/2.3mm CCD with 7.4 million photosites (7.1 megapixels effective)
Lens: 6.7 – 20.1mm f3.5-5.0 zoom (38-114mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 3x optical, up to 5x digital
Dimensions (wxhxd): 91 x 58.7 x 19.8 mm
Weight: 149g (without batteries or xD card)
Image formats: Stills – JPEG (Exif 2.2); Movies – QuickTime Motion JPEG/WAV (VGA/QVGA at 15 fps)
Shutter speed range: ½ -1/1000 sec (night scene up to 4 sec).
Focus system/range: TTL CCD system autofocus; range 0.5 m to infinity; macro 20-30 cm; Super Macro 7-50 cm.
Exposure metering/control: Digital ESP and Spot metering; Program AE plus 24 scene modes.
White balance: Auto, Tungsten, Overcast, Sunlight, Fluorescent light (x3).
Flash modes/range (ISO auto): Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Fill-in, Off; range up to 3.8 m.
ISO range: Auto (ISO 64-400 plus ISO 2500 for Available Light Portrait and Candle modes); ISO 64, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600.
Sequence shooting: Normal – 1.1 frames per sec. up to 8 frames; High speed – 3.7 frames per sec. up to 12 frames.
Storage Media: 19.1 MB Internal Memory plus xD-Picture Card slot; internal memory holds 4 high-resolution images or up to 116 VGA shots.
Viewfinder: n.a.
LCD monitor: 2.5-inch TFT LCD with 115,000 pixels plus BrightCapture technology.
Power supply: LI-42B rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
Retailers
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Electronics Warehouse
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Australian retailer of Vapex rechargeable batteries offering factory direct prices and fast, free shipping Australia wide.
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Photographic Equipment & Supplies – Retail & Repairs. Click here for list of stores.
Ted’s Cameras
1800 186 895
Big range of cameras and photographic products with stores in most states and online.
Rating
RRP: $599
Rating (out of 10):
- Build: 9
- Ease of use: 8
- Image quality: 7.5
- OVERALL: 8.5