Great Point and Shoot Knock Around

My aging Sony needed a replacement. I had many accessories, batteries, waterproof housing, etc. and hated the thought of losing all those items because I wanted a new camera.

My needs were simple. Find a Point and Shoot camera that is tough enough to drop from a table, have at least some water resistance, small enough to fit in a jean front pant pocket, and a name brand.

On paper one camera fit the bill perfectly, the Olympus 770SW!

1. Shock Proof from 5 ft
2. Water Proof to 33 ft (Not just resistant, fully submersible)
3. Freeze Proof to 14 deg F
4. Crush proof to 220 lbs.
5. Very Compact Dimensions 3.6” W x 2.3” H x 0.8” D

And in my hands it was what I was looking for. Size was nice and the feature set were everything I could ask for! So I bought one and have really enjoyed it.

It is so nice to know I don't have to baby this camera. It is a truly a tough little gem. I have tried in underwater with great results, dropped it a few times with no problems, and leave it in my pocket when I sit down with no flex in the body of the camera.

For a family Point and Shoot it really makes sense. The picture quality is really quite nice. I won't claim to know if it has vignetting or soft edges because 90% of my photos are put in 4X6 format and you don't notice any of that with this camera. Shot to Shot performance is good without much wait time like cameras of the past. If you use too many features such as red-eye reduction it will delay the shutter speed.

Battery life has been great so far. I bought a spare battery and have not ever had to use it. I have always been able to let the camera sit around for weeks, use it, then site some more then use it, and then swap out the spare and charge the original.

I would recommend this camera for the average everyday family cam. You go to a party you don't have to worry about water, dirt, etc. And picture quality doesn't suffer in my opinion. It is no DSLR, but for a quick grab camera it has been a joy to have!

As for durability, I think an outdoorsy type person would get great use of it's "tough" features having it ready to go in a backpack!