Olympus Stylus 790 SW (Silver)
Manufacturer: Olympus America Inc. Part number: 226090
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- If you need a camera that you can take snorkeling or skiing, then the Stylus 790 SW might be just the ticket, but you can find better image quality elsewhere for the same price.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/02/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Olympus Stylus 790 SW (Silver) price range: $499.00
- Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
- Reviewed on: 09/27/2007
The good: Camera is waterproof to 10 feet, shock resistant to short drops and mild impact, and freezeproof down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit; also, has nifty Perfect Shot Preview function.
The bad: No manual exposure controls; slightly soft images.
The bottom line: If you need a camera that you can take snorkeling or skiing, then the Stylus 790 SW might be just the ticket, but you can find better image quality elsewhere for the same price.
Do you like to drop your digital camera on the floor? Dunk it in water? Bury it in snow? Who doesn't? But usually, that can cause some problems, since most cameras hate water, won't operate in freezing cold temperatures, and don't take well to falls. However, Olympus' Stylus 790 SW, like the Stylus 770 SW before it, is tough enough to shoot in 10 feet of water or when it's 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Plus, it can withstand drops of up to 5 feet, so if you're klutzy, you won't have to worry quite as much. If you swim deeper than most, the 770 SW might be better for you than this model, since it can operate down to about 33 feet. Other than that, a slightly different body design, and a new feature or two in the 790 SW, the two cameras are basically the same.
If it didn't say so on the front of the camera, you might not think that the Stylus 790 SW is a waterproof camera. While last year's 770 SW's body design screamed rugged, with its all-metal construction and tougher-than-nails look, the 790 SW has a softer look, with plastic accents on the top, side, and front. Also, the 790 SW is about one ounce lighter and comes in five bright colors, while the 770 SW only had three, more-muted colors.
All of the camera's buttons are on the right side of the camera back, except the shutter and on/off buttons, which are on the top. The mode dial, also accented with black plastic, is on the back, and in my opinion, a bit small. The plastic has little notches in it, though, so it's thankfully not all that hard to turn. Menus are separated into the shooting menu, accessed by pressing the OK button in the center of the four-way rocker, and the main menu, which you get to by pressing the Menu button. The main menu lets you activate the silent mode quickly, but makes you choose a submenu before proceeding to anything else. This slows things down a bit, but Olympus does organize the menus well, and the shooting menu and four-way rocker let you quickly change anything you need while shooting.
In our lab's performance tests, the Stylus 790 SW had decent shot-to-shot times, but otherwise didn't impress. The camera took 1.3 seconds to start up and capture its first JPEG. Thereafter, it took 2.3 seconds between images with the flash turned off. With the flash turned on, that wait increased to 3.2 seconds. Shutter lag measured 0.6 second in our high-contrast test and 1.6 seconds in our low-contrast test, which mimic bright and dim shooting conditions, respectively. In burst mode we were able to capture an average of 1.5 full-resolution frames per second.
Image quality isn't the 790 SW's strong point, but it isn't particularly bad either at lower ISOs. Colors aren't quite as saturated as they can be on some other cameras, but they do look fairly accurate. The images also aren't as sharp as I'd like to see, but the clarity is not terrible, and given that this is a waterproof camera, it's not totally unexpected. The 790 SW's automatic white balance leaves photos shot under incandescent lights to look slightly warm, but it does a good job with fluorescent lighting and, of course, natural sunlight.
Olympus keeps noise down through ISO 200. While you can see the beginnings of noise at ISO 200, it's only visible as a slight mottling of colors and won't mar prints. At ISO 400, this gets a little more pronounced, but you can still make good prints and there's only a slight loss of fine detail. At ISO 800 noise becomes heavy, there's a significant loss of fine detail (the markings on the measuring tape in our test scene became illegible), but only a mild loss of shadow detail. At ISO 1,600 noise is extremely heavy, fine details are obliterated, and a lot of shadow detail is lost. I suggest staying below ISO 800 when using the Stylus 790 SW and avoiding ISO 1,600 at all costs.
While the Stylus 790 SW is far from perfect, it's one of the few cameras on the market, especially in this price range, that can take a beating and actually operate well under water or at the top of a ski resort. If you need a camera that can face up to those challenges, then the 790 SW makes sense. If not, you're probably better off with a regular compact camera that can perform faster and give you better image quality.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
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Typical shot-to-shot time | |
Time to first shot | |
Shutter lag (typical) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
User reviews
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Best Camera I've ever owned
by mattskisfast on November 20, 2007
Pros: WATERPROOF!!!, compact, sleek, durable, video
Cons: somewhat unorganized menu
Summary: I used this camera (I actually have the earlier version the 77osw...exactly the same except fewer colors are offered) all summer and it was awesome!! I had no fear ...
Summary: I used this camera (I actually have the earlier version the 77osw...exactly the same except fewer colors are offered) all summer and it was awesome!! I had no fear of taking it boating every day!!!! I captured everything. really small and sleek too. The video resolution is good, but you can get better for the price, but what you are paying for is the durability / waterproof
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Nothing comes close
by nicklopez6 on April 3, 2008
Pros: waterproof.... shockproof....freezeproof
Cons: noisy auto focus adjustment mechanism
Summary: Nothing in the market comes close to what the camera offers. The shots are awesome for a point and shoot camera. Plus the fact that you can almost take it ...
Summary: Nothing in the market comes close to what the camera offers. The shots are awesome for a point and shoot camera. Plus the fact that you can almost take it anywhere.. I'll be using it in Boracay this April 05 to 07.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great for the beach or watersports
by ianux48 on February 6, 2008
Pros: Small, good looking, well built, water resistant and tough
Cons: Images are soft and lack contrast
Summary: When you first see this camera its hard to believe that it's shock and water resistant, the finish is very nice and it feels solid and well constructed. I ...
Summary: When you first see this camera its hard to believe that it's shock and water resistant, the finish is very nice and it feels solid and well constructed. I purchased mine online and I was quite surprised at how small it is.
Start up is very fast and in general performance is good. Image quality is reasonable but not inspiring, this is not a low light camera, but for general use noise is well controlled, lens distortion and control of fringing is good considering the size of the lens assembly. The 3X zoom is a bit sluggish.
The card/battery and USB compartments are lined with small rubber seals, which must be kept clean if the waterproofing is to be maintained. I found the camera easy and good fun to use, although the controls on the rear are very small and rather fiddly at times. The LCD is clear but has a slow refresh rate... The case is not scratch resistant, it?s a pity that the special silicon skin that you can get in the US does not seem to be available in Europe
You should consider this camera if ruggedness and water resistant features are high on your list of requirements, there are plenty of other cameras out there in this price range that will give you better looking images straight from the camera but not many you can take in a swimming pool with you !.
I have not tested the camera underwater yet, preferring to refer to it at this stage as water resistant, bear in mind its only waterproof to 9 feet so its not IMO and underwater camera as such.
There are some nice features for beginners such as the very comprehensive scene modes and a very useful "guide" mode which can be used to adjust many camera functions, the menu system in general is reasonably easy to follow.
If you need a strong and water resistant compact Camera that you can take out in a kayak or to the beach that?s easy to use and you are happy to post process the images to get the best out of them, then this is the one to get.
Problems
Images are soft, and lack contrast although exposure is balanced and they respond well to post production. Check out some sample images on review sites before buying.
No way to control image parameters such as sharpness, contrast and saturation within the camera, which is disappointing.
30 fps movies are limited to 10 seconds! (I read somewhere that this is a Hardware limitation to prevent overheating)
No Paper Manual, I know Olympus have been doing this for years, but its annoying, especially for beginners. There is a quick start guide, who covers the basics, but most people want something they can slip in a bag and read at their leisure.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Olympus America Inc.
- Part number: 226090
- Description: The camera built for life's adventures. The Stylus 790 SW is packed with technology tailored for active people. The Shockproof, Waterproof, Freezeproof and Dustproof design means it's incredibly durable, but it's also sleek and stylish. The new Face Detection feature recognizes subjects' faces and automatically focuses and optimizes exposure for sharp, brilliant portraits. Whether you're playing volleyball at the beach, mountain biking or just hanging out at the pool, the Stylus 790 SW is a must-have vacation and party accessory.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Point and shoot
- Width 3.7 in
- Depth 0.8 in
- Height 2.4 in
- Weight 4.8 oz
- Enclosure Color Silver
Main Features
- Resolution 7.1 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Effective Sensor Resolution 7,100,000 pixels
- Light Sensitivity ISO 80, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO auto
- Digital Zoom 5 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Candle, Indoor, Sunset, Auction, Cuisine, Documents, Fireworks, Landscape, Beach/snow, Night scene, Sports mode, Behind glass, Portrait mode, Night portrait, Shoot & select 1, Shoot & select 2, Underwater macro, Underwater wide 1, Underwater wide 2, Landscape-portrait, Underwater snapshot, Candlelight portrait, Available light portrait
- Special Effects Sepia, Frames, Black & White
- Max Shutter Speed 1/1000 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 4 sec
- Exposure Metering Spot
- Exposure Modes Program, Automatic
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- White Balance Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (daylight), Fluorescent light (cool white), Fluorescent light (warm white)
- Digital Video Format AVI
- Still Image Format JPEG
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture AVI - 640 x 480, AVI - 320 x 240, AVI - 160 x 120
Memory / Storage
- Supported Flash Memory XD-Picture Card
- Integrated Memory 14.7 MB
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage JPEG 3072 x 2304, JPEG 2560 x 1920, JPEG 2304 x 1728, JPEG 2048 x 1536, JPEG 1600 x 1200, JPEG 1280 x 960, JPEG 1024 x 768, JPEG 640 x 480, JPEG 1920 x 1080
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective Flash Range 8 in - 12.5 ft
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 6.7 mm - 20.1 mm - F/3.5-5.0
- Focal Length 6.7 mm - 20.1 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 38 - 114 mm
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Min Focus Range 19.7 in
- Macro Focus Range 20cm
- Lens Aperture F/3.5-5.0
- Optical Zoom 3 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 8 group(s) / 10 element(s)
- Features Aspherical lens
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 12 sec
- Additional Features DPOF support, Direct print, Face detection, Audio recording, Auto power save, Shock resistant, Water resistant, Brightness control, Built-in manometer, PictBridge support, USB 2.0 compatibility, Built-in LED illuminator, Bright Capture Technology, Automatic Pixel Mapping (APM)
Display
- Type LCD display - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Composite video/audio output, 1 x DC power input
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x XD-Picture Card
Software
- Software Olympus Master, Drivers & Utilities
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.3 or later
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive
Miscellaneous
- Carrying Case None
- Underwater Depth up to 9.8 ft
- Included Accessories Wrist strap
- Cables Included 1 x USB cable, 1 x A/V cable
Power
- Power Device Power adapter - External
Battery
- Supported Battery Olympus LI-42B
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included )
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 14 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
- Min Storage Temperature -4 °F
- Max Storage Temperature 140 °F
- Humidity Range Storage 10 - 90%
CNET Labs' Benchmarks
- Labs information All values are expressed in seconds. Please visit our labs information page for information on how digital cameras are tested.
- CNET Labs Flash shot to shot time 3.2
- CNET Labs Shot to shot time typical 2.3
- CNET Labs Shutter lag bright 0.6
- CNET Labs Shutter lag dim 1.6
- CNET Labs Typical burst speed 1.5
- CNET Labs Wake up time 1.3
Product series
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Manufacturer: Olympus America Inc.
Specs: Ultracompact, 7.1 megapixels, 3 x, 2.5 in LCD display, 14.7 MB - Integrated
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Manufacturer: Olympus America Inc.
Specs: Ultracompact, 7.1 megapixels, 3 x, 2.5 in LCD display
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Manufacturer: Olympus America Inc.
Specs: Ultracompact, 7.1 megapixels, 3 x, LCD display
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Olympus Stylus 790 SW (Silver)
Manufacturer: Olympus America Inc.
Specs: Ultracompact, 7.1 megapixels, 3 x, LCD display
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Olympus Stylus 790 SW (Orange)
Manufacturer: Olympus America Inc.
Specs: Ultracompact, 7.1 megapixels, 3 x, LCD display
Manufacturer info
- Olympus America Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Olympus America Inc. products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.olympusamerica.com/
- Address:
Two Corporate Center Dr., Melville, NY 11747 - Phone: 631-844-5000
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