Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW Review

DPInterface have reviewed the new Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW - a compact 10 megapixel digital camera that is shockproof to 2 metres, waterproof to 10 metres, crushproof to 100kg, dustproof, scratchproof and freezeproof. It also features a wide angle 3.6x optical zoom lens, 2.7" screen, 24 scene modes, and VGA movie mode at 30fps. It is available in black, silver and green from £215:

"The Stylus 1030SW is the perfect camera for adventurers, and also a solid choice (no pun intended) as a point-and-shoot camera for typical consumers too. Of course, if you would treat your camera well, for the same price or less, there are many competitive choices out there which produce better pictures and have optical image stabilization."

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Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW Review

Digital Camera Info have reviewed the new Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW - a compact 10 megapixel digital camera that is shockproof to 2 metres, waterproof to 10 metres, crushproof to 100kg, dustproof, scratchproof and freezeproof. It also features a wide angle 3.6x optical zoom lens, 2.7" screen, 24 scene modes, and VGA movie mode at 30fps. It is available in black, silver and green from £215:

"The Olympus 1030 SW is both a treat and a disappointment. We love the idea of a camera we can mistreat in a wide range of difficult shooting situations without having to worry about babying our gear. It's small and portable enough to go where an SLR would be a burden, and easy to handle quickly, even if you're wearing gloves (we tried) or warding off barracuda (we didn't, but we're confident nonetheless). And while image quality wasn't stellar, it was certainly acceptable for a compact camera."

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Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW Review

Imaging Resource have reviewed the new Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW - a compact 10 megapixel digital camera that is shockproof to 2 metres, waterproof to 10 metres, crushproof to 100kg, dustproof, scratchproof and freezeproof. It also features a wide angle 3.6x optical zoom lens, 2.7" screen, 24 scene modes, and VGA movie mode at 30fps. It is available in black, silver and green from £215:

"This tough little point-and-shoot camera can withstand conditions -- and handling -- that would wreak havoc with other cameras. The Olympus Stylus 1030SW also offers a nice selection of features that are helpful for novices and snapshooters. You won't find the best image quality, although if you don't look too closely you'll be happy with prints up to 8x10 inches at lower ISOs; and you can still get decent 5x7's as long as you don't go above ISO 800."

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Read more Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW Reviews: DCResource, Photoxels, Digital Camera Review, Cameras.co.uk, Trusted Reviews, Photography BLOG, Steves Digicams, Gizmodo

Buying a Digital Camera for Children?

Photodoto have written an excellent guide on introducing your children to photography. They suggest starting off with an older 2 megapixel camera and seeing how it goes from there, if they like it, then move on to a better camera, such as the Kodak Easyshare C613 or C713 (£49 at Amazon).

"Don’t rush out and buy a new camera for your child’s first attempt. You’ve probably got an old camera somewhere, it doesn’t matter if it’s a film camera or an early digital camera with 2 MP, as long as it works it’ll do. If your child shows interest for more than a week or so then the chances are a new camera just for him will be used and appreciated."

My only concern with this is the the extending lens could be easily damaged, and while the Olympus 1030SW would survive rough treatment, it's price is a little too much for small kids. Are there any new cameras available that don't have an extending lens, but are still budget friendly?

Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW Review

DCResource have reviewed the new Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW - a compact 10 megapixel digital camera that is shockproof to 2 metres, waterproof to 10 metres, crushproof to 100kg, dustproof, scratchproof and freezeproof. It also features a wide angle 3.6x optical zoom lens, 2.7" screen, 24 scene modes, and VGA movie mode at 30fps. It is available in black, silver and green from £215:

"How one rates the Olympus Stylus 1030SW depends on how you view it. If you view it as an ultra-compact camera, it's average, at best. However, your typical ultra-compact can't take nearly the beating that the 1030SW can. It can be dropped, dunked in water, stepped on, and frozen, without missing a beat. If you need a camera that can handle those sort of things, then you'll have to be willing to accept the 1030SW's tradeoffs -- namely, mediocre image quality."

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Read more Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW Reviews: Photoxels, Digital Camera Review, Cameras.co.uk, Trusted Reviews, Photography BLOG, Steves Digicams, Gizmodo