Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Compact Digital Camera - Design
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The Olympus 1030 SW is a beautiful piece of compact machinery. It has a 3.6x wide-angle zoom lens, allowing a wide field of view that ensures you'll never miss anyone or anything in your shot ever again. Whether you're interested in shooting scenic, panoramic landscapes, lush underwater scenery or large group portraits, the 1030 SW's luxurious design makes all of the above possible. The 1030 SW design is also inclusive of Olympus's patented 2.7 inch HyperCrystal II LCD screen. With improved contrast and color reproduction, the HyperCrystal LCD offers a more accurate and precise image display, as well as an extra wide viewing angle and increased visibility in direct sunlight.
One would think that anything that could sustain over a six foot drop and withstand over 200 pounds of pressure is going to be quite bulky, but that's not the case with the Olympus 1030 SW. This compact digital camera is sleek and solid, with an overall attractive and shiny appearance. The shine comes from a mirror-finish face plate that is riveted into place, giving the 1030 the highly industrial look seen on otherSW models by Olympus. Black plastic accents around the power, shutter release and the mode dial give the 1030 a bit more edge and style design wise. If silver isn't your cup of tea, the Olympus Stylus 1030 also comes with a black or green face plate.
Many waterproof digital cameras have a tendency to feel stiff and bulky, but that is not the case with the 1030 SW. Despite its extra build for waterproofing, this compact digital camera is surprisingly graceful. The sliding lens cover moves with ease and provides excellent protection for the lens. The controls on the Olympus 1030 SW are laid out in a very standard manner, similar to other digital cameras. The shutter and power buttons are easily accessed by your pointer finger, and the zoom controls can be reached with your thumb while in the motion of taking a photograph. You will also find the mode dial easily accessed by your thumb, in case you need to change modes abruptly. Those who are interested in using the camera in cold weather where gloves and mittens are necessary will be happy to find that the Olympus 1030 has very prominent buttons, making picture taking with covered hands a non-issue.
Users familiar with other Olympus digital cameras will notice that the user interface of the new Olympus 1030 differs very little from other models. The interface, though not as intuitive as other cameras, is easy to use once you've gotten the hang of it. Common shooting modes are available using the camera's control pad. Once you reach the menu system, the fist screen that you encounter is an icon-driven main menu; from there, you can access any category you need to.
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