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The Olympus Stylus 720 SW is a 7.1 megapixel digital camera with a 3x Optical Zoom which is being promoted by Olympus as a camera with 'rugged versatility and style).
The Olympus Stylus 720 SW is shock proof (to MIL-STD-810F standards - dropable up to 5 feet, although we won't be trying it) and water proof (JIS level 8 - allowing it to be up to 10 feet underwater). If you want to dive deeper use the underwater housing designed for this camera (PT-033).
The Olympus Stylus 720 SW also features a 2.5 LCD display, USB 2.0, xD-Picture card and 19.1 megabytes of internal memory.
It will retail for an estimated price of $399.99 and should be available to purchase in March 2006.
Compare prices on the Olympus Stylus 720 SW and get the latest price on the Olympus Stylus 720SW
Shock Proof, Waterproof Body Design Combines with Bright Capture Technology to Deliver a Breakthrough in Digital Photography
With the new Stylus 720 SW, Olympus Imaging Inc. unveils its latest evolution in the Stylus series – a digital camera that can withstand a 5-foot drop, shoot under water down to 10 feet, and capture phenomenal photos in any situation. The Stylus 720 SW combines light, durable body construction and shock-absorbing materials throughout the interior with the sealant technology used in Olympus underwater housings. The fully-featured, compact Stylus 720 SW offers 7.1 megapixels, 3x optical Olympus Zoom Lens, 2.5” LCD, Bright Capture Technology, Digital Image Stabilization Mode and much more.
“The shock-proof, waterproof, dust proof design of the Stylus 720 SW sets a new standard in digital camera performance and versatility,” said Michael Barnett, product manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “Powerful, durable, yet slim enough to fit in your pocket, the Stylus 720 SW is designed for capturing amazing images, anytime, anywhere.”
The rugged Stylus 720SW is packed with a wealth of premium features such a large 2.5” LCD and Olympus’ exclusive Bright Capture Technology providing dramatically improved shooting in low-light conditions – indoor, sunset, night time, and underwater. The combination of Olympus’ TruePic TURBO Image Processor and the 7.1-megapixel image sensor captures crisp, high-quality images fast. And the 28 shooting modes – including Digital Image Stabilization Mode – offer maximum versatility for shooting in most any situation.
Designed to Withstand Drops Up To 5 Feet
Built with durable materials and shock-absorption technology that minimizes the impact delivered to the lens and circuitry, the Stylus 720 SW delivers superior durability in a premium point-and-shoot digital camera.
Waterproof to 10 Feet
By combining a lightweight, metal, all-weather exterior with rubber gaskets and O-rings to seal the camera’s interior, Olympus delivers a slim body design that performs as well under water as it does on land. The camera can shoot under water to depths up to 10 feet. The large 2.5-inch LCD, Bright Capture Technology, and four underwater scene modes make it the perfect camera for the pool, beach or snorkeling. Want to dive deeper? The PT-033 underwater housing, designed specially for the Stylus 720 SW, enables the camera to shoot at depths up to 130 feet.
Stylish, Compact Design
Like all Stylus series digital cameras, the 720 SW is defined by high performance, durability and style. In addition to the shock proof, waterproof construction, the Stylus 720 SW features the metal body and clean, smooth lines that make it the ideal pocket camera. At a thickness of less than one inch – 3.6" (W) x 2.3" (H) x 0.78" (D) – the camera easily slips into a pocket, handbag or backpack.
Bright Capture Technology for Easy Low-Light Photography
Low-light photography has never been easier thanks to Olympus’ revolutionary Bright Capture Technology. Shooting in low light is easy with a brightened preview on the LCD; and with specific scene modes for high sensitivity settings (up to ISO 2500) and rapid auto-focus, even fast-action photos can be captured under low levels of available light.
Digital Image Stabilization Mode
The Stylus 720 SW also features Digital Image Stabilization Mode for capturing crisp, clear pictures - free from the blur sometimes caused by camera shake or moving subjects - with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speed.
Large 2.5-Inch LCD
With a bright 2.5-inch LCD, the Stylus 720 SW easily doubles as a portable digital photo album. The larger LCD makes it easier to see your images clearly both when shooting and sharing photos with friends without having to download to a computer.
7.1-Megapixel Image Sensor for Superior Image Quality
The 7.1-megapixel CCD image sensor inside the Stylus 720 SW delivers high-quality images that are consistently sharp and vivid even in large-format prints – up to poster sizes as large as 16 x 20 inches.
High Quality Olympus Lens Elements
Olympus lenses are known worldwide for producing sharp, vibrant image quality. This is achieved through a number of key technologies, such as Olympus ED and high-refractive lens elements, designed specifically for digital cameras. The lens provides the equivalent of 38 to 114mm focal length in 35mm photography, with 15x combined total zoom (3x optical and 5x digital) to bring the action closer, and a Super Macro Mode that captures details as nuanced as the iridescent petals of a flower, from as close as 2.8 inches.
TruePic TURBO for High-Speed Response
Olympus’ exclusive TruePic TURBO Image Processor enhances image quality and delivers faster overall processing speeds for rapid startup, shutter release and playback. TruePic TURBOTM enables the Stylus 720 SW to capture information from all 7.1 million pixels with pixel “micro-smoothing” that delivers clearer and more color-accurate photos. The fast startup of less than one second and nearly instant shutter release time ensures a high-speed response so your camera is always ready to take great pictures.
28 Selectable Shooting Modes
With 25 pre-programmed scene modes, such as Beach & Snow, Available Light Portrait, Sunset, and Under Water Snapshot, the Stylus 720 SW makes it easy to capture beautiful images in a variety of lighting and shooting situations. And with its QuickTime® Movie Mode, the Stylus 720 SW can also record VGA-quality videos with sound, limited only by the size of the internal memory or xD-Picture Card in the camera.
PictBridge Enabled – No Computer Necessary!
The power of PictBridge technology enables your photos to be printed directly from the Stylus 720 SW to any PictBridge-enabled printer without using a computer. And the one-touch “Print" button makes printing a single-step process. Printing and sharing images has never been easier.
In-camera Editing
With in-camera editing features such as red-eye fix, resizing, adding frames or text, and color brightness or saturation adjustments, users can edit photos anywhere with ease – touch up or embellish your photos without your computer.
Easy USB Auto-Connect
Connecting the Stylus 720 SW to a computer is easy with the USB Auto-Connect feature, which connects directly via USB 2.0 cable and requires no software.
OLYMPUS Master Software
OLYMPUS Master software provides the ultimate in digital imaging management. An intuitive user interface makes downloading to your computer quick and simple, and images are searchable by date or keyword in the Calendar View. And with one-click editing tools, such as red-eye removal, images can be touched up before printing or e-mailing. Online support, templates, firmware upgrades and other user services are just a mouse-click away.
Availability
The Stylus 720 SW will be available in March 2006. It includes: a wrist strap, camera WIN/Mac USB cable, audio/video cable, Li-42B Li-Ion rechargeable battery and charger, quick start guide, basic instruction manual, warranty card, (2) CD-ROM’s with OLYMPUS Master software and advanced manual.
U.S. Pricing
Stylus 720 SW Estimated Street Price: $399.99 (U.S.)
DigiCam Review has posted a review (one of the first going around) of the Olympus Mju Stylus 720SW and writes - 'The Olympus Stylus / Mju 720SW has a LOT going for it, and would be especially suited to someone who wants to take their camera with them everywhere they go, especially if they're prone to dropping things, getting things wet, getting things dusty. The shockproof and dustproof qualities, and the solid build of the digital camera is likely to make the digital camera last much longer than other digital cameras, this makes it excellent value for money compared to less solid digital cameras. Image quality was generally good, although slightly under-saturated for some people's tastes, and images were slightly soft. Noise was quite well controlled. The camera is very easy to use and there were several features built into the camera to help get better results, such as the digital image stabilisation mode and numerous scene modes.'
Digital Camera Info has posted their review of the 7.1 megapixel Olympus Stylus 720SW Digital Camera which they give mixed opinion on. They write - 'Perhaps the camera�s best asset is its thick metal body: the Olympus Stylus 720SW can be dropped from 5 feet without incident because of its floating inner circuitry and sturdy outer body. This digital camera, with a waterproof classification that allows it to be immersed for an hour in 10 feet of water, also takes the all-weather Stylus line to a new level. On paper, the Olympus Stylus 720SW looks extremely attractive. In practice, however, many of its features fail to impress.'
Steves digicams reviews the Olympus Stylus Digital 720 SW where they write - 'the Stylus 720 SW is a tempting digicam in the weather resistant/water proof class. While Olympus claims it is also "Shock Proof" up to 5 feet, we opted not to test this feature; we'll take their word for it. The camera's 7-megapixel SHQ images have plenty of resolution to create high-quality prints up to 13x19 inches or larger. The only real issues we had were with the poor position of the lens and the below average results of its VGA movie mode. With an MSRP of $399, it offers a great value for a 7-megapixel underwater capable digicam.'
CNET reviews the Olympus Tough Mju 720SW and writes "The 720SW performed well but not exceptionally during our tests; for most photographic purposes it's quite well suited, although we did notice that the shutter was a touch sluggish when attempting any kind of quick photography. Despite the claims of the BrightCapture technology, we found that the camera also tended to overfill any dark scenes with its admittedly dazzling flash, leading to more than a few washed out pictures."
Get the latest price on the Olympus Stylus 720SW
Megapixel reviews the Olympus Stylus 720 SW and writes - 'The Stylus 720 SW is a camera for those with an adventurous spirit. Easily slipped into a pocket and carried anywhere without fear of damaging it, it can be used in all sorts of situations, in all types of weather, and in just about any place. Its 7.1-megapixel resolution allows photos to be printed out to a 10 x 8 size (26 x 19.5 cm) at 300 dpi, yielding excellent results. Moreover, its fully automatic modes are reliable, making it possible to leave the camera in charge of all photographic decisions, practical when wandering around.'
Trusted Reviews has posted their review of the Olympus µ 720SW and writes - 'The new 720SW raises the stakes somewhat. It is fully waterproof to a depth of three metres, conforming to “IEC Standard publication 529 IPX8�, and is also shock proof “according to Olympus test methods�.... Despite its tough-guy credentials and the excellent reputation of its predecessors, the mju 720SW is a rather disappointing camera. Limited battery life, poor image quality and a confusing control system spoil what could have been the perfect travel and adventure camera.'
T3 has a review of the Olympus Stylus 720 SW and writes, "Image quality is pretty damn good for a compact. Even at maximum size, photos have waves of colour and plenty of detail. The flash is strong, but perhaps not powerful enough for serious underwater shooting. Nevertheless, this camera’s combination of SAS levels of toughness and performance make it a real contender."
Infosync has a review of the Olympus Stylus 720 SW and writes, "Pictures had good color, contrast, saturation. The 3X optical zoom sacrificed little quality but when we pushed the 5X digital zoom, resulting in rather grainy images. ... Making a stab at improving results under poorly lit conditions and reducing the impact of camera shake, photos can be taken up to ISO 1600 - but prepare for a certain loss of quality if it's pushed that far. ... Photo quality suffers when the zoom and ISO are pushed too far, but overall snaps look vibrant."
Imaging Resource has a review of the Olympus Stylus 720 SW and writes, "the color is muted and color detail is mushy at best, even at the lowest ISO. Colors on the Macbeth chart not only appear faded next to the sharply oversaturated Verve, it looks like each color was put into a blender and poured back into each square as a pulpy mess. Admittedly, the Verve's sharpness isn't much better, but the vibrant color ads a snap back to the picture. The Canon's colors are more tame, and image sharpness in color areas is considerably better. ... this is a case where the camera is an excellent hardware design with somewhat mediocre image quality. But our printer tests show clearly that what I see onscreen doesn't really make a huge difference in printed output. Honestly, if you're like most shooters, you'll be happy to have this rugged beauty along for all your activities, getting images where you'd normally not risk having a camera of any kind. And a good majority of shooters are hardly using all those megapixels when they output their stack of 4x6 images (you only need 2 megapixels for a decent 4x6, people), so maybe Olympus is right with their strategy of building the camera not only for the rigors of the real world, but for how the resulting images will be used in the real world."
Photography Review has reviewed the Olympus Stylus 720 SW / µ 720 SW where they write - 'This camera is unbeatable if you need something that can take a lot of abuse and might get dunked or rained on. Mountain bikers, climbers, fisherman, law enforcement workers, paddlers - this is your camera. If I was taking a trip to the Amazon and had to travel light, this would be my camera. I am confident it would last the trip. The Olympus Stylus 720 SW will also be a good vacation camera for a family that needs a simple, durable camera that can go from the beach to the mountains to the pool, and get dropped a couple of times along the way.'
Posted by Darren in our Olympus category on January 27, 2006