Photos: Olympus mju 1030 SW telly tough guy
You've probably seen the telly advert with the kid and the dog and the tap and the Olympus mju 790. The waterproof, shockproof 790 has been succeeded by the even tougher Olympus mju 1030 SW, which parachuted into Crave this week and crashed through the window with a cigar in its mouth, liberally spraying bullets and wisecracks. We've seen these tough cameras on TV, but how tough are they in the flesh?
The waterproof ability of the tough Olympus cameras is shown off in this Singaporean ad. The 10.1-megapixel 1030 is waterproof to 10m, perfect for the pool and snorkelling. It's also shockproof to 2m, and crushproof up to 100kg. We could stand on it if we wanted to -- or rather we could if if we went on a diet.
When photographing huge landscape vistas, the 28mm wide angle lens should come in handy. A 3.6x optical zoom lets you go in for a closer look. Face detection is also in there. You get a whopping 24 scene modes, including two underwater wide options, a watery snapshot option and fish-spotting macro. Just don't let the dog eat it.
If you thought the little boy in the UK ad was mischievous, just wait until you see these chuckleheads, featuring in an ad that plays like the Eastern European version of Skins. Style-obsessed teens will be pleased to know the 1030 is available in a selection of colours, including silver, black or military-style olive green. It's supposedly scratch-proof to keep it looking pristine, but we fancy smacking it on rocks and doing some impromptu plumbing work might take the shine off it.
We'll be putting the £200 Olympus mju 1030 though its paces in an in-depth review to see if its a real-life hardnut or if it just plays one on TV. Click through for more -- if you think you're hard enough. -Rich Trenholm
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AnonymousMon 7 April, 2008 4:42pm
Can't agree more about the bluetooth; why doesn't every camera have it as a standard feature? If i had a quid for everytime i heard, "ooh thats a nice one, will you email it to me" or i wasted 2 minutes looking through the "junk" draw in my kitchen for the camera cable, i'd be about £14 richer!!!
Rich TrenholmMon 14 April, 2008 10:13am
In theory, definitely, although I'm not sure Bluetooth is ready for transferring 8-10 megapixel images just yet (phones only have to cope with sending 2 megapixel images). Sending one to a mate, maybe, but transferring hundreds from camera to computer: not likely. Standardised USB sockets so you have the same lead for camera, MP3 player etc might also help.
AnonymousTue 6 May, 2008 2:26pm
Been playing with the panasonic sdr-sw20 for the past month, and wish I had something that was better in the image quality of stills but can still be used around a farmyard or field. If you drop it in a muddy puddle, needs washing off.
Perhaps this one would be better 2 metre drop - cool gotta see that one. Have you got a picture of the locking tabs, as the panasonic ones fly open sometimes - don't think they really tested it in the field, probably just the office. Even so thats for another review.
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MadM@Mon 7 April, 2008 12:15pm
Sounds like a decent little snap shooter.
But, surely some sort of bluetooth or wifi would lessen the need for a USB port?
Just one less hole to plug then.