Product Description

Olympus MJU1050SW DigCameraBlackN3220892

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20992 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Olympus
• Model: Mju 1050SW-Midnight Black
• Released on: 2008-09-15
• Dimensions: 2.44" h x 3.66" w x .89" l, .33 pounds
• Display size: 2.7

Features

• Olympus MJU1050SW DigCameraBlackN3220892

Customer Reviews

OK Camera, Unlucky User
This camera has many good features, and whilst away last Christmas snowboarding, it withstood many a wipeout and quite happily got plastered in snow and still worked. (The main problem with cameras and snow is freezing due to temperature, but the 1050sw held up fine in my experience). I do agree with other reviews that if you are shooting pictures of people and objects against snow, prepare for some very dark and often illegible shots. Scenery quality is great however, especially with the panoramic function.

However. On a recent 4 month traveling experience in Asia, my temper was tested. On the first day of my 4 month trip, whilst snorkeling (easily within limits stated by Olympus) the camera chamber flooded and instantly rendered the camera unusable. I was forced to buy (at greatly inflated cost) the same camera again, as i had bought it specifically for its underwater capabilities and other features and had all the accessories for it.

The camera broke under the same circumstances once more, just a day later. The same problem - flooded chamber and the LCD screen became fogged up shortly before the camera died completely. It wasn't for another month that I once more repurchased the same camera. It has held up much better over the last 2 months and seen my return to the UK.

I now have three of these cameras, and my final opinion will rest with Olympus' customer services relating to the two cameras i have no need for and the many great photo opportunities i missed whilst without a camera, and the financial burden it put on my trip (having forked out nearly £400 to buy two whilst away).

All in all, the camera had great potential, does have some great features, on paper outclasses any other camera within it's price-range. I just hope you are luckier than my experience and i have to say, when my (third) 1050sw finally packs in (sooner rather than later?) i won't be tempted to buy this again, or Olympus for that matter. Sorry, but this camera disappointed and frustrated me.

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UPDATE JUNE 25th 2009 - I would like to add that Olympus saw my criticisms of this camera, and fully refunded my two purchases, and gave me an MJU Tough 8000 camera AND underwater housing free of charge. I feel I should highlight Olympus' excellent customer relations in this instant, as they more than made up for my troubles in this case.

Bang for yer buck
I bought this as I muck about a lot near water and mud and fall off bicycles a fair bit too. Plus I do a bit of snorkelling on holiday, and wanted something for that. Will be useful for skiing too (can it survive my wipeouts...?) My old Nikon 5MP was a great camera but was finding it couldn't keep up with all the whizzy features on the newer models, so it made sense to buy something whizzy, something water and dirtproof, and something cheap. I got this for £127 on amazon, and I reckon for that its an absolute bargain.

I haven't tried the video - video on a stills camera is not my thing - but I'd have to agree that the photos I've taken so far are very good - but not excellent. Playing about with the huge amount of modes supplied makes a huge difference - I guess I'll just have to get to know what suits what occasion - but on the whole after a bit of fiddlling I've been able to get some very nice snaps.

For such a supposedly "rugged" bit of kit the front cover slides a lot - I can see this opening in pockets etc. and giving me a flat battery and a scratched lens. Then again, its a good looking camera and you don't want to throw it about. The instructions are on a CD - I found this more annoying than I thought I would, as (even though I don't usually read instructions) its nice to see what menus, modes, features are available without being tied to your laptop - say when you are out and about - as there are absolutely loads! Would be nice to have a pocket guide while learning, but once again, this probably all comes with experience and regular usage.

I'm not finding the menu system totally intuitive yet - maybe that's just cos I'm new to Olympus - but having said that turning on, pointing, shooting and viewing is no problem - which is what a point and shoot is all about. Have seen some complaints anout long start up time - but I've disabled the start up sound/visual sequence (helpfully labelled PW on setup?) and it's ready to go in a reasonable enough amount of time.

Good looking camera, fast charge and easy to use for easy functions. The amazon price seems to change by the hour - anywhere from £126.50 to £190! As its last year's model, strongly suggest you wait for the bargain price - you won't get a top brand waterproof shockproof for any less, and it ain't a bad bit of kit really.

Good but no cigar
I had this for a few weeks but I ended up selling it as the package was let down by the awful video. Still pictures were fine though not excellent due to the small lens but when I video'd outside it was worse than my phone. The camera is a perfect size and feels light but solid. I dropped it many times thogh only in snow and only had a problem for 1 day which with hindsight was not acceptable as I missed some good pics (I think it just froze from the weather condition even though it claims it can withstand -10 degrees C). If video is not a problem and you arent too extreme this could be for you, but if like me you enjoy testing yourself then the camera is not up to the task.