OLYMPUS Underwater Users

[alw1977]

Since I'm nearing the 100 day mark on my trip (yeah!), it's time to start researching what underwater camera I'm going to take with me. Are there any Olypus 770/790, etc users who'd be willing to share your underwater shots? I'd like to see what this camera does underwater.

[James S]

Here's a couple taken with a 770SW.

[sherban]

Non-color corrected (raw) from a 770SW in a clorinated pool...

[Steve S]

Here are a couple quick ones I found-

[Teresa_Rae]

Do you have the 770/790 already or are you looking to buy one?

I just bought the Olympus Stylus 1030 (10.1 MP)...I haven’t used it in the water in STJ yet but I’ll have some pictures to share in a couple weeks

[alw1977]

I'm looking to buy one. I know the 1030 is the latest and greatest, so I'd love to see your pics when you return. I'm not going to buy until September. We need to replace our point and shoot anyway, so this camera would function as our underwater and land camera for everyday use.

[Teresa_Rae]

That's how I'm intending to use mine for now. My (now old) point and shoot was failing and I almost bought a Canon SLR but decided to hold off on that for a few months and thought that the Olympus 1030 was the best "merge" of what I was looking for in a camera.

I'll be sure to share pictures after we get back

[alw1977]

I just bought an Olympus DSLR in March, so this is an expensive year, camera-wise. You really need both a point and shoot and DSLR, from a portability standpoint. Anyway, have fun on your trip and I'll probably be bugging you afterwards to see how you liked the camera.

[soxfan22]

We also just bought the Olympus 1030. We'll be on STJ July 9-16, so I'll be sure to share some of the underwater photos. We plan on only using this camera for the underwater shots, as we have the Canon Rebel DSLR for everything else. In fact, I'm trying to persuade my wife into now allowing me to purchase a wide angle lens for that camera prior to this trip - we'll see how that goes!

Teresa...I thought you had been looking for the more "budget friendly" models? I'm happy to see you decided to go with the Olympus!

[Teresa_Rae]

Yeah, I was looking for a budget friendly underwater camera but when I decided to hold off on getting a Canon Rebel DSLR my budget opened up to allow for a better underwater camera

Now I'm jealous because you have both!

I figure I'll wait on the DSLR for a birthday present in the fall or a Christmas present...that way my husband will be less inclined to think it is a waste of money because it will be a gift. He is totally not a camera person.

[soxfan22]

Absolutely no need to be jealous...We've had that camera for 4 years now! We bought it right before our 2nd trip to STJ, in 2004. The DSLR's are great cameras, the photos are really tough to beat. If I had it to do over again, I would probably go with the Nikon version, however. The only problem with the Canon has been an issue with the auto-focus mechanism...We sent it back, still not fixed. So, we just don't use AF on that camera anymore, which has probably improved our "photography skills"...It seems the less you rely on AF with those cameras, the better. It kind of forces you to learn about your camera and how to get the most out of it.

Go Celtics! (Beat L.A....Beat L.A...Beat L.A...!)

[SanDiegoMark]

We used our new Olympus 790 in FL over Xmas and on STJ (we just left this morning - overnighting in STT). I found out the hard way that you must really be SURE that all of your water tight compartments (battery/memory)are shut TIGHT. I kept seeing this error screen while snorkeling on our last day, but with out the old glasses and in the bright sunlight I couldn't see what it was. What it was trying to tell me was that one of the compartments wasn't closed tight. The camera is now dead. I don't know yet whether it can be repaired or not. Any ideas or suggestions would be very welcome!

[Teresa_Rae]

I just bought an Olympus DSLR in March, so this is an expensive year, camera-wise. You really need both a point and shoot and DSLR, from a portability standpoint. Anyway, have fun on your trip and I'll probably be bugging you afterwards to see how you liked the camera.

So do you want the good news or the bad news?

I got some decent shots (I'll post them later when I'm not in a delayed flight-induced fog that meant only 3 hours of sleep last night) but after 3 days the camera pooped out and stopped working. I was so/still am angry. So the majority of our 10-day trip is undocumented picture-wise. I was super careful with the camera and made sure there was no way any sand was messing with the seal, but somehow some condensation found its way into the camera and destroyed it. I don't know how it happened, as the seal still looks perfect.

So now I have to decide whether to exchange the camera for another and risk it or just return it.

[suzi]

I have an Olympus 770 SW . this was the 2nd trip in STJ with it. so it is about a yr old. I got it when we went in Spring 2007. this trip is June, it just went berserk. I think I got about 3 underwater shots this yr and no more. Havent taken it to see if it can be repaired.

[alw1977]

Hmmm.... well, thanks for the update. If we buy the Olympus, I'll take our old point and shoot and our DSLR as well. That way, we won't get stuck with no camera. So sorry for the non-functioning camera. That sucks.

I'll be curious to hear the store's opinion on why it malfunctioned.