Product Reviews (15)
Great Design, TERRIBLE Photos
Strengths: Sleek design, all-weather, fairly quick from photo to photo
Weakness: Terrible quality photos!!!
I love the design and durability of this camera, but when it comes down to it every photo is grainy and the colors are off. My bulky old 5MP Kodak takes much better, crisper, true to color photos! I\\\'m really disappointed and would NEVER recommend this camera.
By angelicarose - Dec 10, 2007
happy happy joy joy
Strengths: beautiful colors, flash that behaves, really fast startup/shutdown of lens, ergo-spacy styling, pocket-size without being too tiny, video with sound (oddly many cameras don't have sound record w/video
Weakness: half-weakness = proprietary battery (but worth it for the light weight)
I adored my 4 year old olympus D40Z, but it was too chubby to easily slip into a pocket. I've waited over a year as the olympus site kept announcing slim pocket-friendly models but never releasing them in the U.S.
Finally this one was released, and I am pleased to say it has almost all the relevant features that I loved of my olympus d40z (except for remote control), in the size I've been waiting for. I was afraid that with the down-sizing, quality would be sacrificed. The colors are as perfect as I would expect from Olympus. (I am particularly picky about how flesh tones come out, in my experience Olympus and Kodak come out perfect, Canon too yellow, Fuji too pink).
The size is pocket-friendly, I can finally take it everywhere with me, and not even feel its weight. It's shaping is interesting, it's got curves and angles, which are not only visually appealing, but end up having a subtle effect of being easier to handle, because you instinctively grab (if you're right-handed) the fatter end to handle it, which is where you should be holding it to snap the picture. I had one of the first tiny canon's a few years back (faces and teeth came out too yellow, and faces too blown out in flash pictures), so I've experienced the tiny rectangle style, and even with relatively small hands, I found handling it awkward. This Olympus is more ergonomic and easier to handle, and I don't feel like I'll drop it like I always felt with the Canon.
So colors - great. Size - not as tiny as some other brands, but still pocket-friendly, and the size/shaping is actually an asset for being able to hold it properly. No viewfinder, which I thought I'd find hard to get adjusted to, but I got used to the large LCD within minutes. The startup time is LIGHTNING fast. Press the power button, and the lens powerfully motors out faster than any camera I've ever had.
You can rotate to the SCENES setting, where you can pick from more than 20 presets for common situations. I was excited to try out "available light" mode, because many of my nicest pics are where sun streams in and have a dream-like quality. But I found I got better results by forcing the flash to OFF and using IMAGE STABILIZATION mode (picture of little hand blurring), and holding still while taking the shot. So basically, I know the SCENES are meant to be helpful, but I'm learning I can get better results by experimenting with the manual settings (white balance, ISO, forcing flash on/off) myself.
My biggest concerns of picture quality have always been flesh tone accuracy, and how bad is the blow-out when using flash in low light settings. I am thrilled to be able to say I took the camera to a medium-dim lit party the other night, and as long as I was more than a couple of feet away, flash would illuminate the entire scene, and not overdo it on the faces, I am very relieved. That said, unless people are moving fast, I often ask the subjects to stand still, and do my no-flash mode because the pics come out dreamy and beautiful. They look grainy upon viewing, but I run a Blur filter in my good old Paint Shop Pro and they're perfect. But even if you don't want to bother with that, using flash in the party setting was still way better than I expected. So low-light test = passed.
Reviewing the pictures in the camera, there is a fun feature that will do a fade-between slide show, with even background music, perfect for those after-party head huddles where you're narrating and clicking next-next-next. The large viewing screen and auto slide show makes this a breeze.
You can film videos WITH SOUND (which is omitted on so many cameras for some reason). You can't zoom while you're filming, but you can zoom first, then film.
General common sense tips to have the best shots: use both hands to steady the camera. If experimenting with no-flash photography, try spinning the wheel to the "no blur" mode. Press the shutter button purposefully, take an extra couple of milliseconds with your finger to take the button down halfway to let it autofocus before continuing all the way down. If you do it carelessly you don't realize how your hand might jerk in what seems to be an instant motion of pressing the button, and blame the camera for blur.
The battery take like 4 hours to charge, but it also lasts a while. For day activity, it's plenty. If you're going adventuring and going to take hundreds of shots and are uncertain when your next opportunity to recharge will be, you might want a backup battery.
Make sure to get an Olympus-branded xD card, so that you can take advantage of the panorama function. Unfortunately, the screen doesn't display a snippet of the last shot taken to assist in the next shot.
I got a 512MB xd card, which is plenty for me. That's enough for hundreds of pictures and minutes of video. I honestly think 1GB is overkill, but if you think you'll want more than a few hundred shots on your next trip, well, go for it.
By Tsarina - Feb 26, 2006
good buy
Strengths: stylish design, light weight, big LCD, reasonable price and good still picture quality under ordinary condition.
Weakness: The LCD is deem in the daylight. Seems to be prone to scratch.
I've been using Stylus 710 for three weeks. If you Google the reviews for this camera, you may not find a good one from experts. Obviously, it is not for a tech savvy or a serious user. For the rest of the people like me, it is a reasonable choice for everyday use.
It is very stylish and light. There are several buttons, and if your hands are big and fat - not are mine - there may be a problem to push the buttons correctly. But, the interface itself is very intuitive.
I took pictures under various conditions of weather, except for underwater, day and night, indoor and outdoor during my trip to New Mexico. All images are good. I didn't change any default parameter. I didn't try to take a picture of fast moving objects or under little light, which I was not wondering.
I do not recommend that you film videos with this unless you don't need to zoom. It means, it is good to film your golf swing but not more than that. Anyway, if you really need to do more, a camcorder is far more suitable.
Now a couple of bad things. This camera does not have a view finder and you must use the LCD. It becomes a problem if the daylight is really bright. It is hard to see what's in there. Also, it does not come with any case: you must be very careful or need to buy an iPod-size case to protect it.
So far, it works well without any trouble. Finally, an additional xD card - 0.5G or 1G - is a must.
By orive - May 22, 2006
Stylus 710 Digital Camera (7.2MP, 3072x2304, 3x Opt, 19.1MB Internal Memory, xD Slot)
Strengths: 7.2MP, built quality, all weather proof, and Image Stabilization Built in.
Weakness: xD memory slot(a little expensive than normal memory card), However, I read that xD provide a better image quality.
Well design and fit to our hand. I try to using this camera in the rain and it's proof that it's all weather proof. I try a vibration mode and it took a pic pretty well. For those who has a problem with taking a pic, with this camera, don't worry about the unstabil hand shaking. It will take the image very2 well done. I would highly recommned for others who consider a 7MP camera with Built in IS(Image Stablization), and all weather proof, should consider this Stylus 710. It was a well done quality for Olympus.
By leonardy_tan - Dec 4, 2006
Olympus Stylus 710
Strengths: Price, size, fantastic LCD, ease of use (BIG TIME).
Weakness: A little slow in low light - might be prone to scratches for some.
OK my wife was getting a little tired of her old 3.2 megapizel Olympus and set me to work on a replacement. I found this at a fantastic price 224.99 at a local office supply store. She loves it! Size is perfect for her purse so its always with her and the learning curve is shallow because her previous camera was also an Olympus. The LCD on this camera is PERFECT! All in all a great improvement for her and other than some little concern about its low light performance (not a big factor for her) its the one to own!
By rzaguli - Dec 7, 2006
Stylus 710 Review
Strengths: The camera has an excellent exposure quality, the colors are beautifully vivid, the focus speed and shutter time is excellent, and the buttons are well placed.
Weakness: Some cons about the camera are the red eye problem, that theres no optical view finder and the lens speed is pretty slow when your zooming in and out.
The Olympus Stylus 710 is a great camera, among being one of the slimest cameras i have ever owned it also takes excellent pictures. I would have to say that the battery life on the camera is average, taking about five hours to fully charge it.
By slipster08 - Jul 13, 2006
Excellent buy for the money
Strengths: Camera takes excellent pictures, and built with total quality. My son purchased this same identical camera and I was so impressed I had to have one for myself
Weakness: Definitely no weaknesses I can think of.
This camera is a fantastic buy for the money and I haven't found another camera that can compare cost wise or feature wise to the Olympus 710. We now have two in the family I just purchased one for my wife for Christmas.
Respectfully,
Martin Pettersen
By mpettersen - Nov 19, 2006
My little & cute camera
Strengths: Little, cute, fancy, easy-handling. Youngsters' favorite. Large LCD.
Weakness: Streamline design but in a weird shape. I got some problem in the battery. Have to get external memory and xD card is expensive.
Very good buy for people who want entry-level and fancy cameras. The battery and memory card are two killers for the affordable price. Another good product by Olympus and this is the second I owned personally.
By vviewer1 - Aug 18, 2006
crappy camera
Strengths: It's beautiful and very small, it can take a lot of light when it's dark
Weakness: crappy photoquality
I bought this camera a few days ago and yesterday I went to swap it for another one because most of the pictures it takes look very bad. Before I had a 5 or 6 year old Minolta Dimage X and I couldn't believe it either, but this old thing actually takes nicer pictures. When you take pictures with the Dimage X in the dark, it won't get as much on picture as the Stylus 710 but the pictures of the Stylus are so grainy and ugly, it doesn't even mather anymore that it can get more detail. And when you take pictures outside during the day, the pictures often get blurry. Once I took a portret of a friend outside on a cloudy day with both camera's and then I could more or less the same result. But I really didn't buy a new camera to get the same result. Now I swapped the camera for a pentax optio T10 which seemed allright when I tested it a little bit in the shop. But I haven't had a chance yet to test it more thoroughly.
By ellenvanengelen - Sep 30, 2006
slim. stylish, but odd digicam
Strengths: stylish, all-weather design, compact, 7.1 MP
Weakness: battery life, protruding zoom lens
I have little problem using this cam for indoor shots. it may be a bit slow to auto focus in low light condition, but the result is useable. This cam works great for outdoor shot and the color is a bit on the warm side which I prefer. All metal case and stylish slim design (even though a bit odd) makes this camera stand out from the crowd. My major complaint is that the zoom lens should have been internal. recommended
By johnnyclux - Aug 27, 2006
Excellent 7 mp camera
Strengths: Construction, high resolution, water resistant body, sleek
Weakness: Could have been water proof but you can buy the external waterproof housing for this camera
7 mp camera that is sleek and well constructed, the control are quire intuitive and user friendly, the body is not water proof but only water resistant. still a very good 7 mp camera for around $300..
By bsvasan - Jun 11, 2006
an outdoor camera
Strengths: nice color for outdoor shot, durable case, 2.5" lcd
Weakness: no viewfinder, useless steady shot mode and macro mode
for a camera at $299 price tag, i expect more than just durable case, outdoor shot, and weather resistant design.
even one of its feature, the steady shot mode isn't all that.
the image is still fuzzy even when the option is turned on. I can probably recommend this camera if it's around $175. Let's hope Olympus can do better next time.
By wity - Aug 31, 2006
Shame on Olympus
Strengths: Body design; weather-proof
Weakness: Terrible pictures!
My husband wanted his own digital camera that would fit in his pocket. I have had several small digital cameras, and I also have a digital SLR (Canon). We chose the 710 because of its size, the fact that it is weather-proof (my husband is a Naval officer and wanted to take it on deployments), and of course because of the name recognition of Olympus.
The 710 is the worst camera I have ever had. I have had Polaroid cameras that delivered better pictures! My first digital camera (a 2 MP Olympus) took far better pictures than the 710. I used every setting imaginable, and could not get a good picture on an overcast day. Even pictures taken under flourescent light in my kitchen came out WAY underexposed and grainy.
The design of the camera is great, and the weather-proofing is a clever idea, but there is no point in buying or using a camera that takes terrible pictures. At first, I honestly thought our camera must have been factory defective; that's how terrible the pictures are. But after reading several bad reviews, I realize it's just a crappy camera. Olympus should be ashamed to put their name on the 710.
I would never recommend this camera.
By anonymous; - Jan 15, 2008
StevieK
Strengths: style, size, features
Weakness: flash
somehow flash stop working, no matter which mode I am in, have to sent it back to factory for repair. I will update this review once I have further info.
By anonymous; - Sep 29, 2006
DCRP Review: Olympus Stylus 710
While there are some nice features on the Stylus 710, I was ultimately disappointed with its photo quality, which is the most important feature on any camera. If you're only going to be making 4 x 6 prints and can live with the flaws I mentioned in this review, then I suppose it's worth a look, but the bottom line is that there are better cameras out there in this class.
Read Full Review
By DCResource - Mar 27, 2006