Customer Reviews:
 Excellent "special purpose" camera August 30, 2008
Camera is excellent for outside use, regardless of the conditions. Couple drawbacks are the
1)proprietary (& expensive) memory cards
2)lack of docking cradle
I shoot 150-250 pictures a day. The camera holds up to one charge just fine. Actually, I was able to go 2 days on one charge and got about 400 pictures total. Only problem is that you get the low battery warning, and then about 20 pictures left before it won't turn on at all. There's a vendor on ebay that sells a car charger and spare battery for about ten bucks shipped....well worth the extra peace of mind if you think your battery's going to run out. Plus it plugs into the cigarette lighter in the car.
I would have preferred a docking cradle, but it seems only low end cameras are coming with these now. My experience with using digitals is that the battery door is the first thing to go, especially if you have to open it every day to charge and remove the card, battery, etc. My last camera was a Casio Exilim that had a cradle which charged and transferred images. That camera lasted twice as long as my others in the past. Since the Olympus is waterproof, I wonder how long the seals will last, opening and closing the door constantly... Had it for a few weeks now and it's excellent overall. Time will tell.
The modes are all fairly easy to use. I only had to reference the manual a couple times, but it's worth reading since there are a lot of extra hidden features. There was a review somewhere maybe cnet, saying that the camera didn't remain in certain modes if you power off/on. That's not the case. If you have it in macro, turn off, etc. It'll be in macro when you turn it back on. Same for underwater, video modes, etc. Just press the button with the camera icon to go back to regular mode. It'll hold whatever specialty mode you leave it on.
Camera also has a cool flashlight feature (hold Menu for 5 sec) the bright white LED stays on for 30sec or so.
Overall awesome. Can't complain. Definitely great for $199. No need to get the 1030SW for $100 more. There weren't many upgrades other than the 10mp if you need that. (I personally don't). Great camera for the $$. Best I've used so far.
 Great camera.... August 27, 2008
This is a great little all-around camera, with the added ability to take pics underwater! Has been dropped by the kids already and still functions beautifully! Would recommend to anyone...
Olympus 770SW August 27, 2008
I have used the camera for less then a month so far, but in a variety of situations and environments. This is an excellent product, takes good pictures, and has multiple options for various situations, from underwater to extreme close-ups. For the latter, it even provides its own illumination, which is far more desirable than a flash.
The most annoying aspect of the camera is the lack of optical viewfinder. Even though it has a bright and large LCD screen, it is still difficult to use in bright sunlight. It is also heavier than most cameras of its size, but that is necessitated by its shockproof construction. A cord, worn around the neck, while kayaking or diving, will keep it from disappearing into the deep.
Very satisfied with the results. August 26, 2008
I did a lot of search before buying this camera. Opinions were all mixed and had my doubts but decided to purchase it. I bought this camera specifically to use it on water sports and the beach. I took this camera for a seven days cruise on the Caribbean and use it on the river, on the beach, on the air, underwater and for regular pictures. I am very pleased with the results not just on the pictures but for the video too. The picture quality is not like an SLR, but in general are very good especially pictures on sunny days and underwater if the water is as clear as the ones on Grand Cayman Islands. For the price you just can't ask for more.
Great Bargain! August 26, 2008
This camera takes decent photos outside in the daylight and underwater. The images are a little grainy and the colors aren't as vivid as my Canon point and shoot, but I can't take the Canon underwater! Taking photos indoors with the flash didn't overly impress me.
This is a solid four star product, especially at the current price. I use it while snorkelling and in my kayak which it works great for. If you are looking for bright crisp images and don't need the underwater capability, I wouldn't recommend this camera. If you are looking for a camera to fill the niche of being crushproof, shockproof and water resistant while willing to sacrifice some image quality, this is the right choice.
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