Digital Trends

Olympus Stylus 770 SW May 1st, 2007 | by David Elrich

Features and Design

At first glance, the 7.1-megapixel Olympus Stylus 770SW looks like every other silver digital camera. Yet there are a few hints at its sturdy build including a sliding metal lens cover that looks like a tank’s gun port. There are screws and studs on the front and back of the all-metal body, giving it a stark industrial look. As you’d imagine, this one feels sturdy even though it weighs 6 ounces with the battery. It measures 3.6 x 2.3 x .8 (WHD, in inches).

The front of the Stylus 770SW only has a few unobtrusive decals and logos. There’s the hidden, non-protruding 3x optical zoom that translates to the usual 38-114mm in 35mm terms, as well as a flash, AF Assist lamp and tiny microphone. The top features the shutter key and on/off button.

The rear is dominated by a 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD screen rated at 230K pixels. This is an excellent screen that holds up very well, even in direct sunlight. The remainder of the controls on the 770 SW are similar to those found on even non-ruggedized digicams. There are two keys to control the zoom, (wide/tele), others for playback, menu, and delete. Rather than a circular mode dial for access to preset scene modes, it’s controlled by a single key. Once you press it there are 24 including four underwater options and movie. Like other Olympus cameras when you scroll through the choices, you’ll see a sample image and get a brief description. This is very well done and a no-brainer to use. There’s also a four-way controller with OK button giving quick access to macro, flash, self timer and LCD brightness adjustments. I like the fact the LCD screen adjustments are readily accessible instead of requiring you to drill down into the onscreen menu system.

The right side has a compartment for a combination USB, DC in and AV out connector. This has a snap switch to keep the door closed as does the battery-memory card compartment on the bottom. Since this is an Olympus, the camera uses optional xD Picture cards. There is 18MB of internal memory to get you started but you’ll definitely need a 512MB card or more for a day’s shooting.

The camera comes with a decent kit including the camera, a 300-shot battery with charger, wrist strap, 84-page Owner’s Manual and Olympus Master 2.0 software on CD ROM. There’s even a separate sheet to help you keep the camera waterproof with such helpful hints as keeping the compartments tightly closed when you go scuba diving (thank God for lawyers!).

Image Courtesy of Olympus