Olympus Stylus 850 SW

So far this is a great little camera! I had been using a 5 megapixl Sony Cybershot for the past few years and decided it was time for a new point and shoot. I looked at 8 megapixl cameras because they seemed to be a good upgrade for my price range and needs.

I decided to look at the Olympus Stylus because a friend of mine as well as my brother owned them and I thought it would be cool to have a waterproof, shockproof camera for my active lifestyle. I love to snowboard, hike, camp, mountain bike, wakeboard, and in general just down and dirty with Mother Nature. In the past I've always worried about messing up my camera and at times it wouldn't see the light of day simply because it was safely packed away and I'd forget to pull it out. No more!

For me there isn't anything more important than to be able to take photos anywhere, anytime, while doing anything. Having this camera has proven that to me. I may at some point want to spend the money to buy a camera with really great image quality, but I'll keep this camera around too. I have a feeling that even then, it would get more use. It's the camera I can carry around in my pocket and pull out at a moments notice, even in a rain storm....especially in a rain storm. It gets the shots others don't and they all want copies.

Two thumbs up!

It's waterproof! I took this camera on a trip to Lake Powell and really put it to the test. I was able to take it out on the ski boat for wakeboard and waterskiing shots which turned out pretty good. I took a lot of fun shots from underwater and the ones where the camera was half submerged turned out great! I even took it with me on a canoe ride and on the jet ski. My friends would see me with me camera and look worried for me, but I'd tell them, "relax, it's waterproof," and they'd be amazed. It certainly doesn't look waterproof, but it is! I had no issues with it being in and out of the water at all. Very cool! I also took it on a mountain bike ride in the pouring rain and was stoked to be able to record the adventure.

It's small! There is nothing chunky about this camera. It fits well in my pockets, small purses, and little pouches on my backpack.

I will say that the quality of the pictures isn't quite as good as some I've seen with other cameras in its class. Sure it's much better than my old Sony, I should hope so, but I was disappointed that it didn't have the optical Image Stabilization common in many of the current point and shoot cameras I considered buying. Even so, I have been happy with the results and since I've never owned a better camera, I'm not complaining. The action shots I took wakeboarding weren't exactly crisp and focused, but they were still really sweet! I also got some pictures of landscapes from a moving boat that turned out a lot more focused than I expected. Makes me wonder how great they'd have been with that extra oomph!

I've played with an older Olympus Stylus and also a newer one. I'm mostly familiar with my old Sony Cybershot.

No experience with customer service yet, but was happy with the ordering process at B&H Photo.

It is a nice camera easy to operate and takes very little space to pack in the camera bag.

Basically I was tired of purchasing the one time use cameras and after paying for prints and processing having little to show for it. I have tried the technique where I held my Sony V-1 in a clear container underwater being paranoid that water would splash on it and ruin it. Plus I lost a camera at the beach when a wave hit me when I was wading. So when I saw this I thought it was the answer to my adventurous style of photography. I just want to capture the times when my kids do what they really enjoy, body surfing, swimming and the like. I have used it in the ocean and at the lake and have really got some good quality shots. I don;t pay for the bad ones though. The other advantage is you get the ability to shoot a movie.

My only wish would be that the battery was a bit longer lasting.

Sony V-1, Toshiba m25, Olympus c-450

Haven't had to use it yet.

I have bought 3 of these cameras and they have all sooner or later within 1 month water has gotten into the battery compartment. I even had to send one of them to the Olympus warranty. I strongly do not recommend this camera for water operation.

salt water , beach

okay