Olympus Mju 1030 SW Review

Also known as the Olympus Tough, the new Olympus Mju 1030 SW is one of the few digital cameras around that can survive more than a few knocks. The 10 megapixel 1030 SW can withstand pressures of up to 100kg without being crushed, survive a dive to a depth of 10 metres, can be dropped from a height of up to two metres, and is even freeze proof down to -10°c. Of course there’s a price premium to pay for all that protective technology - £320 / $399 to be precise, which is a substantial outlay for a compact point-and-shoot digital camera. Gavin Stoker found out if the Olympus Mju 1030 SW is worth it in our 230th product review…

Website: Olympus Mju 1030 SW Review

Published: Friday, April 11, 2008

Reader Comments

1. Just returned from the St. Thomas area having taken a 1030SW on the trip. Being able to throw the camera in my pocket and take it snorkeling was GREAT. Got some good stills and movies of sea turtles, fish etc. Not Jacques Cousteau quality, but it made the camera purchase worthwhile.

   Mosley hardy at 06:54pm on Friday, April 11, 2008

2. I almost forgot - Panorama mode is disabled unless you use an Olympus xD card. 4gb MicroSD works great with the adapter, but you give up pano mode.

   Mosley Hardy at 06:59pm on Friday, April 11, 2008

3. For a camera you can take to the pool, sun sea and sand and wash it when your done. Your review only covers what you would find in a "dry" review. This camera is fantastic, no longer having to worry about protecting it from rain or sand its a must have take anywhere camera. The 28mm wide angle is great.

   Mike . at 08:57pm on Friday, April 11, 2008

4. One thing that is a big gotcha about the 1030SW (and indeed all the SW models) is that you can record only 9 seconds (yes, nine) of video at 640x480/30fps. A fast card (Type H) doesn't help. This is compared to other, older cameras, like the Fuji F31fd, which can record as long as they want on any xD card, and in this day and age, it's absolutely LUDICROUS. It's also not mentioned in the specs, so you have to actually buy it to find out. Yes, it can take long 15fps movies, but 15fps is shoddy. The only reason I'm keeping my SW is because I can't find an underwater housing for my F31fd where I live. Otherwise I'd have run over it (and it's lousy image quality and stupid video) with my car.

   ccmanga at 04:38am on Saturday, April 12, 2008

5. I asked Olympus support about the 9 second VGA limitation. They responded with a link to a firmware update that:
   
   microSD Firmware Version 1.1
   
   Now supports movie recording on 4 GB and higher microSDHC cards.
   Using an xD-Picture Card TypeM+ or TypeH, you can now continuously record movies with VGA quality ( 640 x 480 ) 30 fps up to the capacity of the card.
   
   The link is:
   
   http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_support_downloads.asp?id=1363&os=w
   
   Cheers!

   Mosley Hardy at 02:05pm on Friday, April 18, 2008

6. That may be, but what about all the other SW models out there? So Olympus is only going to update the firmware (since it seems that's all it needs) for the latest and greatest and leave everyone with an older model (710, 720, 725, 770, 790, 795.. that's A LOT OF SW MODELS which are practically the same camera) to live with 9 seconds?
   
   Yes, it's a good step that Olympus has finally caught up with digicams from 5 years ago, but god knows they can do better. And remember, an aging Fuji can record unlimited high-quality movies to ANY type of xD card.

   ccmanga at 09:44am on Tuesday, April 22, 2008

7. An update: Olympus's answer is that the only models getting the update are the newest (the 1030SW and the 850SW). Every single other SW owner gets the shaft (no planned firmware updates, ever), even though it's quite obvious that a firmware update is all that's required.
   
   Hooray, Olympus. I'm never buying one of their products again. The combination of poor image quality, outdated capabilities, and uninterested customer support is really killer.

   ccmanga at 05:21am on Saturday, April 26, 2008

8. Yeah I got the same reply, anything before and including the 770 probably wouldn't be able to get it as it has a different image processor. The 795SW has the exact same image processor so there is literally no reason why they cant do it for that camera, (which happens to be the one i have.) Whole reason I got it was for underwater filming.
   
   Ill just bite the bullet sell it all and get a better sony, nikon or cannon at least the photos are decent. Good bye olympus what a shit time I had with you.

   Angus at 01:44am on Tuesday, April 29, 2008