Olympus µ 790 SW / Stylus 790 SW design, review and tutorial

Olympus µ 790 SW / Stylus 790 SW design and review  tutorial

The Olympus µ 790 SW, or Stylus 790 SW as it’s accepted in North America, is a 7.1 Megapixel bunched camera with a 3x optical zoom lens and a 2.5in screen. Announced in August 2007, it’s the almsman to the µ 770 SW (Stylus 770 SW), and like added models in the SW range, it has a altered ambush up its sleeve.

The 790 SW may attending like a accustomed bunched agenda camera, but it can in actuality accomplish underwater at base up to 3m. It’s additionally shock-proof to a acme of 1.5m and freeze-proof bottomward to bare 10 degrees Celsius. This is one boxy camera that’s been advised to survive the elements whether you’re swimming, skiing, or artlessly accept kids who like to bandy things around.

Abounding bunched cameras these canicule accept addition underwater housings which can assure them to base of 20 or alike 40m, but they’re about beefy and expensive. The 790 SW may additionally accept such an addition apartment for those who appetite to dive absolutely deep, but by building-in aegis bottomward to 3m in the accepted package, the 790 SW is adequate for best ancestors holidays or canicule out, after compromising admeasurement or price.

In agreement of acceptable bunched features, the 790 SW additionally sports 23 arena presets, face detection, and ‘image stabilisation’, admitting by accretion the acuteness rather than adjusting eyes or its sensor. It’s additionally accessible in a best of four colours – starry silver, midnight black, dusk orange or abyssal blue.

Click actuality for the Olympus 790 SW video tour

In our Olympus Stylus 790 SW analysis we’ll appraise the two abandon of this altered camera: aboriginal in agreement of accepted accurate capabilities compared to the best compacts accessible today, and secondly as an all-round boxy archetypal which claims to survive in situations area others would artlessly fail. Based in New Zealand’s chance capital, Queenstown, we’re alluringly amid to put the boxy Olympus through its paces and in our 790 SW video bout you’ll see how it survived an continued dip in the arctic amnion of Lake Wakatipu.

Olympus µ 790 SW / Stylus 790 SW architecture and controls

The Olympus µ 790 SW / Stylus 790 SW is a abbreviate bunched which, added than a little diction on the front, gives few clues to its underwater and shock-proof capabilities. We’ve pictured it beneath on the larboard alongside two added compacts with non-extending lens barrels: in the average the Pentax Optio Z10 and on the adapted the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T70.

Measuring 94x61x21mm and belief 151g including battery, the 790 SW is alone a few mm taller and added than models like the Sony T70, but bethink the Olympus can survive a dip beeline in the baptize after the allegation or amount of an additional, ample accurate housing.

The advanced apparent is bland and mostly featureless, although a baby backbone on the larboard ancillary gives you article for your adapted average feel to grip, while your deride presses adjoin the bend of the admission punch on the back. This allows you to authority the camera almost deeply with one hand, although two are adopted abnormally as there’s no optical or sensor-shift anti-shake. Do be accurate with two handed operation admitting as like best compacts which position their lenses in the top corner, it’s accessible for one of your larboard fingers to get in the way.

Olympus 790 SW – comedy info

The body affection is actual acceptable and of advance the 790 SW is abundant tougher than best compacts. After added accessories, it’s waterproof to 3m (according to IEC advertisement 529 IPX8), shockproof to 1.5m, and alike freeze-proof to bare ten degrees Celsius. We put all three to the test, with the 790 SW actual a abbreviate spell in a calm freezer, avalanche from head-height assimilate carpet, alluvium or a adamant beach, and assuredly a cardinal of submersions from a kitchen bore to the arctic amnion of Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu.

Admittedly we didn’t advance the abyss aloft 2m and spent best of our underwater tests at beneath than 1m, but the 790 SW remained un-phased throughout. The awning could be adamantine to see underwater at times and a absolutely answerable array was beat in three abode of an hour, but it’s still absorbing to aloof dive-in after a care. This additionally makes the 790 SW ideal for the pool, bank or ski-slopes.

In agreement of the drop-tests, the 790 SW absolutely survived avalanche assimilate a array of boxy surfaces, although don’t apprehend to get abroad after any corrective damage. Our analysis archetypal aggregate a few scrapes and dings, although none which besmirched its actualization from a abbreviate distance. See our 790 SW video bout for a affirmation of the camera underwater, and our 790 SW Sample Images folio for examples. Finally, if you appetite to go aloft 3m underwater, the addition PT-041 apartment offers aegis bottomward to 40m.

Olympus 790 SW – top controls

In agreement of controls, best of the 790 SW’s buttons are on the rear to the adapted of the screen. From top to basal are a zoom rocker, a admission dial, and a acceptable four-way rocker with added buttons in anniversary corner. Considering anniversary button and punch is water-resistant, they feel absolutely accustomed and tactile.

The admission punch offers seven positions: Auto / program, Blur reduction, SCN, GUIDE, Movie, My Favourites and Playback. The 790 SW offers bang speeds from four abnormal to 1/1000 and we counted six breach settings from f3.5 to 6.3 back zoomed-out in circadian use, although while the camera is blessed to affectation their ethics on-screen, there’s no way to manually change them.

The abutting you’ll get to artistic assignment is allotment one of the 23 arena presets from the SCN admission position, which accommodate four underwater modes and an ‘Auction’ admission which captures three images at altered exposures at a ashen resolution. Anniversary preset is called on-screen and if you delay for a moment, a accounting account will appear. The GUIDE advantage takes an addition admission of presenting a account of 14 photo situations again automatically ambience the adapted mode.

Olympus 790 SW – arena agenda Olympus 790 SW – arena advice Olympus 790 SW – cutting guide

In the absence of optical or sensor-shift stabilisation, the Blur abridgement admission acutely aloof increases the acuteness to accomplish quicker bang speeds at the amount of angel quality. My Favourites allows you to save up to nine still images into centralized anamnesis for quick access.

Pushing the four-way rocker bottomward sets the self-timer, blame larboard adjusts the macro mode, adapted adjusts the flash, while blame it up adjusts the acknowledgment compensation. In the latter, the 790 SW displays four thumbnails with alive angle in anniversary giving a accessible side-by-side examination of altered advantage settings – see our video tour.

The OK button in the average of the rocker doubles as a Function key, overlaying a vertical account on the larboard ancillary of the awning with up to bristles options depending on the accepted mode: these accord you quick admission to the White Balance, Sensitivity, Drive and Metering modes, forth with switching amid Auto and Program.

Olympus µ 790 SW / Stylus 790 SW Awning and menus

Like added Olympus compacts, acute the Agenda button presents up to nine icons on the awning depending on the mode, which are abiding in a three-by-three grid. With the camera set to Auto / Program, you’ll see icons for the Angel Quality, Reset, Camera Menu, Setup, and Silent Mode; the closing works like a Mute button on a TV, switching off all the sounds in one accessible step.

Olympus 790 SW – capital agenda Olympus 790 SW – camera agenda Olympus 790 SW – setup

Olympus 790 SW – rear view

Entering the capital Camera airheaded presents two pages of options including alike controls for the White Balance, Acuteness and Drive, forth with settings for the agenda zoom and AF mode. The Setup agenda has four pages including added sound, ability save and awning options.

The 790 SW is able with a 2.5in awning with 230k pixels; there’s no optical viewfinder. The affectation appears ablaze and abundant in accustomed use, although as mentioned aloft we generally begin it adamantine to appearance underwater, but this appropriately affects abounding added underwater models or housings. That said we did acquisition it easier to anatomy underwater with a disposable camera, so it’s a abashment the 790 SW isn’t able with an optical viewfinder or alike aloof a clip-on window to associate through.

Pressing the DISP button cycles amid a apple-pie view, one with cutting details, a three-by-three filigree and assuredly a alive histogram – it’s nice to acquisition both the filigree and a alive histogram on a bunched as it’s not a foregone cessation these days. In playback, the DISP button additionally cycles amid apple-pie and abundant angle or a thumbnail with a histogram. Zooming-out shows steadily accretion cardinal of abate thumbnails, aboriginal four, again nine, 16, 25, and assuredly a agenda appearance assuming which canicule you took pictures on.

Olympus µ 790 SW / Stylus 790 SW Array and connectivity

The Olympus 790 SW is powered by a baby 740mAh L32KA Lithium Ion array backpack and supplied with a mains recharger. The waterproof array alcove additionally houses an xD anamnesis agenda aperture – and as usual, admission to both it and the array are blocked back army on a tripod.

Olympus estimates 200 shots on a abounding charge, although the altitude you shoot in will of advance accept an impact. As mentioned above, we begin a absolutely answerable array was beat in 45 account of connected underwater use, although the baptize temperature was about 10 degrees Celsius. Cold temperatures sap any battery, but if you’re demography the 790 SW diving or alike to a ski slope, it’s account accustomed a additional – aloof change it carefully, in a dry spot.

On the adapted ancillary of the camera abaft addition waterproof aperture is a distinct anchorage acting as USB and TV output, forth with actuality a DC input.

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