Olympus 1030 Sw

[rfmichael]

I just purchased this camera...
I am a bit tentative about placing it in water, but then that is why I bought it. So, any advice would be helpful...
Then there is the panorama feature I hope to use in Hawaii, but that feature will not open up. I have the correct card et al, but it won't allow me to access the feature. Any step by step instructions anywhere to help?
Thanks

[OldClicker]

Google is your friend. - TF

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_se...ct.asp?id=1363

[Photo-John]

I understand your apprehension about putting it in the water. There are clear instructions for how to handle the 1030 SW before and after you have it in the water. I reviewed the 1030 SW here (Olympus Stylue 1030 SW Pro Review) and our review camera has been in the water a bunch of times and hasn't had any problems. The best thing to do is just get it over with. And yuo really should test it thoroughly before your vacation.

I'm not sure what the problem would be with the panoramic feature. It's worked fine for me. However, I do think it's best to use the mode that allows you to assemble your panorama on the computer. The in-camera panorama modes are neat, but the image quality ends up being pretty poor.

I hope that helps. Let us know if you have more questions. And after your vacation, please post a review for your camera. User reviews are the foundation of this site and I know we need more reviews for the 1030 SW. Here's a link to that review page:

Olympus 1030 SW User Reviews >>

[another view]

I have a 720SW which was the first one of the waterproof/bombproof series. It looks like it's been through a war and has spent as much time wet as dry (it gets used on kayaking trips). Still just fine although I'll probably upgrade next year to get the wider 28mm equivalent lens. I never knew there were specific things I was supposed to do with it once I got it out of the water, so I guess that's a testament to durability. However, I'm in fresh (not salt) water and if it's submerged it's only by about 2'.

As far as the Pano thing goes, I seem to remember needing an Olympus brand memory card to make it happen. I've never tried it on mine, but do you have one of their cards?

[Justintoxicated]

I'm thinking about getting one of these for my trip to Hawaii as well. I'm not sure my e520 will be enough and I don't own a water proof camera. Then again other than this trip I don't really need a waterproof camera either...

[another view]

Then again other than this trip I don't really need a waterproof camera either...

Maybe not, but I bring my 720SW a lot of places where I normally wouldn't bring another camera. Some of it is due to the small size, but also I really don't have to worry about trashing it due to dropping it or having it get wet (rain, etc).

[Justintoxicated]

I bought the 1030sw for about $200 but I can't seem to find a nice floating strap for it. Reviews say the olympus wrist strap will not float the 1030sw. Although one review I read said it floated it in saltwater but not in freshwater?

What gives?

Will it float if I buy 2 of these straps?

http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-202204...6610552&sr=8-1

[Greg McCary]

I bought the 1030sw for about $200 but I can't seem to find a nice floating strap for it. Reviews say the olympus wrist strap will not float the 1030sw. Although one review I read said it floated it in saltwater but not in freshwater?

What gives?

Will it float if I buy 2 of these straps?

http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-202204...6610552&sr=8-1

The website indicates that it sinks, but slowly. If you are scuba diving you don't want the camera always trying to go to the surface, so it sinks. Just not real fast.........
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_se...cccategory=all

[Justintoxicated]

The website indicates that it sinks, but slowly. If you are scuba diving you don't want the camera always trying to go to the surface, so it sinks. Just not real fast.........
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_se...cccategory=all

I was planning to use it for Snorkeling (depth may go down farther than 33 feet and exceede cameras rated depth.)
What About kayaking though or use on a boat?
Would getting 2 of these be the solution?

[Greg McCary]

I was planning to use it for Snorkeling (depth may go down farther than 33 feet and exceede cameras rated depth.)
What About kayaking though or use on a boat?
Would getting 2 of these be the solution?

I would think the one would be enough. The camera and strap probably would drift downstream before it would sink if you were Kayaking and it got away. The camera may be rated for less than 33 feet but unless you stayed down a long time it would probably be fine.

[Justintoxicated]

Ok camera mem card and floaty strap on the way. First thing Im going to do is toss it into the pool and see if it floats

[Greg McCary]

Ok camera mem card and floaty strap on the way. First thing Im going to do is toss it into the pool and see if it floats

Please share your results here and I expect a full review of the camera and strap. I hope it turns out for you and you have the time of your life.

[D-Change]

Hey all,

I bought my wife a 770 last year for xmas. It worked brilliantly and we did a lot of saltwater snorkelling in Australia this year. After about 8 months the bottom latch became quite corroded. We tried to have it fixed but Olympus wouldn't do anything for us.

Recently, we took it out again in some freshwater and after a few minutes it got completely flooded. We have taken great care of the camera since day 1 (my wife is anal to a fault) and followed the Olympus instructions on care of the camera before and after use in the water.

After some more research we found out that this has happened to a number of people using the 770 and OIympus will not repair the camera for water damage. It's worth being aware of before you make the purchase. I am inclined to think that saltwater is more damaging than fresh and that if you use it in fresh water you'll be fine. I would be hesitant to recommend another underwater camera from Olympus at this point and would strongly recommend you look into the warranty policy of an underwater camera before you make a purchase.

Cheers

[cpbiv]

Has anybody had problems with parts of this camera breaking off? The small silver piece that houses the lens has broken twice on my camera so far. I've already had it fixed once because it was under warranty and I'm about to have it sent back again.

I have not dropped it or done anything to the camera that it's not rated to do. I am afraid to use it in the water with that piece not properly secured, and the whole reason I bought this camera is because I work in a wet environment.

Maybe I just have a bad copy? I use the silicone skin, could that cause problems?

Thoughts?

[Justintoxicated]

I know I still need to post a review but I don't really like the camera too much.

The pics just didn't come out very great, esp compared to SLR. Honestly my 5 year old canon S410 seems to have better colors and crisper pics (although it is only 4MP).

I could not get many pictures to come out in the water and every picture looks washed out. I tried different color modes but they all look pretty washed out. Underwater videos were neat, but I'm not finding I have no real need / use for this camera anymore. Well, maybe it would be nice for my ATV rides in the Imperial Sand Dunes (Algadones) GLAMIS! But honestly with my nice slingshot pack, I can take the SLR almost as easily.

So basicaly its ok for snapping a few quick pics, but I doubt I will ever print anything from this camera. Also it seems to always use the lowest aperature with no way to manipluate it, no matter what scene mode you are in...Landscape shots seem to come out TERRIBLE. Portraits are ok though.

Super buisy, but I'd love to post some pics from hawaii for anyone interested in purchasing this camera. I kinda want to sell mine since I no longer need a waterproof cam.

[Photo-John]

Please post a review. We need more reviews for these cameras - positive or negative. And if you want to sell something here, please post an ad on our free classifieds.

I agree that the image quality of the 1030 SW is less than great. It's not really fair to compare it to a digital SLR, though. For me, the burliness and waterproof case means I don't worry about it when I'm skiing or mountain biking. I've got a 12-megapixel Canon PowerShot SD950 IS that has awesome image quality and I always have a few DSLRs to choose from. But when I'm skiing, the Olympus SW cameras are what I put in the shoulder pouch on my backpack. They get all covered with snow and I just don't have to worry.

[Singletracklovr]

I have a 1030SW and found it quite usable as a P&S. In fact I am never without it.
It's even my backup camera when I take the dslr out for some exersize.
I would stay out of the digital zoom mode, picture quality really sucks.
The panarama feature is awesome.

[tysiax]

Has anybody had problems with parts of this camera breaking off? The small silver piece that houses the lens has broken twice on my camera so far. I've already had it fixed once because it was under warranty and I'm about to have it sent back again.

I have not dropped it or done anything to the camera that it's not rated to do. I am afraid to use it in the water with that piece not properly secured, and the whole reason I bought this camera is because I work in a wet environment.

Maybe I just have a bad copy? I use the silicone skin, could that cause problems?

Thoughts?

The lens surround has also just broken on my camera. I'm not sure if this affects it's waterproofness. Have you managed found out? How long did Olympus take to fix yours? I can't find my receipt anywhere so I will need to do it out of warranty!

[sakatsu]

Hello, I've had this camera for over 6months now and have been rather disappointed with my purchase and the quality offered by Olympus. I've written a review in the review section.

[Justintoxicated]

I have had mine for over 6 months now and I don't care for it. it seems to use the lowest possible aperture even when set to Landscape. Portraits are ok, and it does seem pretty rugged, but then, why did they make it so shiny?

I did take it under water when I went on vacation in Hawaii, but the pictures were kinda dissapointing mostly due to water clarity (it was pretty clear to the eye but not to the camera).

its an OK camera but I feel I paid a little too much for it.