Olympus Stylus 1050 SW

As a semi professional photographer, I am extremely disappointed with the Stylus 1050 SW. For a camera that is supposed to be used in active conditions it is painfully slow to auto focus and has major shutter lag. I bought it because some days I don't feel like lugging my DSLR and a bunch of lenses mountain biking and snowboarding.

A major issue is that the sliding face plate turns the camera on while in your pocket; killing your battery, even when you have the auto turn off feature on. Also, I never had an accurate reading from the battery meter. And had my camera die on me in the middle of the day. So, I have to make sure I charge the battery every evening.

Olympus uses too many preparatory items on the camera. The port to transfer files is not a mini USB so that is one more cable you'll need to carry and make sure you don't loose. XD cards are only used in Olympus and Fujifilm cameras. So, most media card readers do not have a XD card slot. If you use the microSD adapter, you can only record video for only a few seconds and you cannot use the in camera panoramic feature. Another, reason not to buy.

The image dimensions are pretty limited. I shoot 3:2 ratio (standard 35mm size). To shoot in this ratio with the Stylus I have to loose megapixels. So, I shoot in 4:3 and crop in post to maximize image quality. Another annoyance.

This camera is an expensive paper weight me. If you are some what serious about photography don't even think about this camera and I wouldn't even recommend this camera to a novice. Save your money and buy something else.

- Waterproof and shock resistant

- Painfully slow
- Sliding face plate
- Too many preparatory items
- Only record video for only a few seconds and cannot use the in camera panoramic feature with microSD adapter
- Loose megapixels while shooting in 3:2 ratio

Not even close to what its cracked up to be. Was dissapointed that after 29 days my camera picked up this ugly black spot that showed up on all images and video. Was an internal problem that needed to be fixed at the factory. I sent it in and was told that I would need to pay for the repair even though the camera was less than a month old. Very unhappy. Will not purchase Olympus products in the future.

Small compact size. On/Off slider is nice feature.

Not as durable as they claim

Not overly helpful.

Overall I really liked this camera. I got to try this as part of the 2009 Tahoe Snowcial, hosted at Heavenly Valley in Lake Tahoe. The weather was incredible--full sun, lots of (highly reflective) snow and plenty of action and stunning scenery. I have been using a slightly larger and older Nikon pocket camera so this is my basis for comparison. We were part of a photo scaveger hunt organized by the Reno-based marketing firms Twelve Horses and Boot Leg Courier. We definitely put this camera through its paces.

The two features I appreciated most were the bright, large display screen and the thin physical profile of the camera. In bright sunlight most cameras will take a decent picture: the challenge is seeing (on the screen) what you are shooting when ambient light levels are very high. On this camera, it was easy. I am just over 50, so anything that makes it easier for me to see things clearly is appreciated!

Equally, the camera was fairly simple. For the most part it was point and shoot, and the images it produced looked great. Color correction, important for high-altitude shooting, was easily accomplished. Standard control were easily accessible through the hardware (button) interface.

As a test, we tossed the camera in a snowbank: The black body made it easy to find. We blew the snow off the lens, let it dry for a minute and were back in business. In real-life, this happens.

Ironically, one of the features that attracted me to this camera turned out to pose a challenge. The 1050SW has a slide-open case: This seems like a great idea as is keeps snow and other stuff off the lens. However, with gloves, a jacket, etc. it is very easy (too easy) to inadvertently "open" the camera (thereby turning it on) when slipping it into your pocket. More often than not, when I took the camera out of my ski shell the cover was already open.

The other issue that I had was the tapping and the menus. I've SLRs for years: If I want complexity I know where to find it! In a camera like this one, and for this specific application, I want simplicity. Being able to set preferences in advance of course helps, but I still occasionally found myself is a menu or facing a choice that I neither needed nor consciously asked for.

Finally--and this is perhaps a nit related to gloved sports (like skiing) -- a hand-held remote or bulb that could slipped inside your glove would be an awesome add-on. Imagine a ring or similar device that when "squeezed" would trip the shutter. With that, I could pull out camera--in my gloved hand--aim, and shoot. In sports like skiing, the less time spent futzing with gloves the better: it's just too easy to drop your gear. That's a story for another day, but believe me when I say we tested that too.