One Tough Little Waterproof Camera

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A Camera for All Seasons

Summer is here... and you're looking for a camera that will capture all your summer fun. No, I mean ALL your fun. You want a camera that you can take to the beach, camping in the mountains, to the swimming pool... even IN the swimming pool.

Winter is here... the warm months seem like ancient history and you are looking for a camera that can capture all of your wintertime fun. No, I mean ALL your fun. Your camera must do more than just take indoor holiday shots around a warm fire; it must be able to grab those images of your amigos catching some backside air in the middle of the worst blizzard since 1910.

If this sounds like you, then the Olympus Stylus 770SW is the camera you've been looking for. This all-weather, shockproof, freeze-proof, crush-proof, waterproof digital camera is designed for those who live an active lifestyle, and is rugged enough to survive it.

• Shockproof camera: For the accident prone, or for those who simply don't know the meaning of "take it easy," the Stylus 770 SW is designed to withstand a drop, bump, grind or hustle, up to 5-feet off the ground. As long as it doesn't fall out of your pocket while you're skydiving, hang gliding or bungee jumping, you should be covered.
• Waterproof camera: We're not kidding. You can literally take underwater shots with this camera -- down to a depth of 33 feet -- without any kind of special camera case or sealed bag. Olympus has added its innovative waterproof sealant technology to this precision point-and-shoot camera. You can capture still snapshots at the waterpark, in the ocean, or in the pool, and even record underwater movies with sound. Do you want to capture definitive proof that the Loch Ness Monster exists? This cameras will get it for you (as long as Nessie comes to within 10 meters of the surface).
  Disclaimer: The picture above was not taken with the Olympus Stylus 770SW
• Crush-proof: If this camera could talk, it would say "I'll be back" in an Austrian accent. The Stylus 770SW has a stainless steel body and a reinforced LCD, so it can withstand a force up to 220 lbs. of pressure.
• Freeze-proof: The Olympus 770 SW can perform at below-freezing temperatures down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius). In other words, you will give up (and go inside to get some hot chocolate) before it will.

Oh, yes, it is a digital camera after all. Here are the basic technical specs for those who care. (And you should.)

• 7.1 effective megapixel CCD image processor
• Memory: 18MB internal memory, accepts xD-Picture Card up to 2GB
• 27 shooting modes including Movie with Sound
• 3x optical & 5x digital zoom; 15x seamless zoom en total
• Bright, hi-resolution 2.5-inch (6.4cm) HyperCrystal LCD (approx. 230,000 pixels)
• Digital Image Stabilization
• Light sensitivity up to ISO 1600
• Recording formats: Still-JPEG, Video-AVI Motion JPEG, AVI Movie with Sound: 640x480/15fps, SHQ; 320x240/15fps, HQ; 160x120/15fps, SQ
• Built-in flash

If it wasn't already taken, I would assign the following motto to the rugged and dependable Olympus Stylus 770SW:

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays this little camera from the swift completion its appointed photographs.

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Tags: Digital Cameras, Olympus Digital Cameras, Olympus Stylus 770SW, shockproof camera, waterproof camera, Olympus Cameras

Digital Camera Highlights from PMA 2007

With a month's worth of hustle & bustle, events, contests, demos, announcements, and thousands of attendees crammed into four hectic days, the 83rd annual, 2007 PMA International Convention and Trade Show is ready for the history books.

For the consumer, the most interesting news from PMA 2007 is focused around the product announcements; the digital cameras and other photography equipment that you and I can buy off the shelf or order online. This year, there was no shortage of product news. We have previously written about product (and photo workshop) announcements from Panasonic LUMIX, the new digital camera models from Nikon Coolpix, and of course, the new 10.2 megapixel Nikon D40X.

Here are more digital photography and imaging product highlights from PMA 2007:

The FujiFilm IS-1 digital camera wins a DIMA Innovative Digital Product Award. The Digital Imaging Marketing Association (DIMA) Innovative Digital Product Awards recognize products or services that are at the forefront of digital imaging technology or the "first of their kind." FujiFilm stated that, "DIMA's recognition of the IS-1 digital camera underscores Fujifilm's commitment to creating unique products and rich new technologies that meet the imaging needs of today's customers."

Fujifilm's IS-1 is the world's first production point-and-shoot digital camera that can capture images in the IR (infrared) range of the light spectrum. Although this camera won't be owned by the average family photographer (the camera is more practical for science labs or law enforcement professionals), we congratulate FujiFilm on pushing the envelope with this unique camera.

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New FujiFilm FinePix Digital Cameras: Speaking of FujiFilm, FujiFilm USA, Inc. announced three new consumer models in its line of consumer digital cameras, including the 8-megapixel Finepix A820 and the 9-megapixel A900.

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New Olympus Digital Cameras: Not to be left behind, Olympus Imaging America has also announced several new models of high-quality digital cameras for Spring 2007, such as the Olympus EVOLT E410 and the Olympus EVOLT E510.

Both digital cameras are advanced digital SLRs that include a dust reduction system; a bright, high-resolution, 2.5 inch, 230,000-pixel HyperCrystal LCD screen; Auto-focus; and a 10-megapixel Live-MOS sensor that lets you preview your shots with all of the nuances of your own overrides and custom settings. The E510 also includes Advanced Image Stabilization.

Other new point-and-shoot Olympus cameras that have been recently announced include:

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Olympus Stylus 760 Digital Camera: A 7.1-megapixel, 3x optical zoom point 'n shoot that was designed to be used in adverse weather. The camera includes a bright, wide angle, high-resolution, 2.5-inch LCD, dual image stabilization and 26 different shooting modes for video capture and still images. The stylish Olympus 760 comes in four different colors: silver, black, light blue, and pink.

 

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Olympus SP-550UZ Digital Camera: The high-speed, 7.1-megapixel, full featured Olympus SP-550UZ offers more features than many digital SLRs, sans the interchangeable lens. Most notably, its wide-angle, 18x super-telephoto lens is the equivalent of a amazing 28-504mm telephoto lens on a 35mm camera. Super-sensitive, the ISO 5000 SP-550UZ will capture images in extremely low-light conditions (or for extremely fast-action photos). Its bright, 230,000-pixel 2.5-inch LCD allows you to review your shots even in bright sunlight, and the dual image stabilization ensures that a shaky hand or a fast-moving subject will be captured with crystal clarity.

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For more news and daily updates related to the PMA 2007 show, please visit the Virtual Press Office at:

http://www.virtualpressoffice.com/show/index.jsp?showId=1152106483613

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Tags: Digital Cameras, FujiFilm Digital Cameras, Olympus Digital Cameras, Photography Trade Shows, PMA 2007, Photo Marketing Association, PMA, PMAI