Stylus 710: Problems with the 2.5" LCD display
Written: Jul 21 '06 (Updated Jul 27 '06)
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Pros: Excellent form factor w/great menus; lightweight; easy to use; water resistant
Cons: xD Card tough to inset/remove; screen cracked 2x; grainy pix in auto mode
The Bottom Line: Nice size & form; decent pix; very easy to use. Concerned about having the screen crack internally 2x. Reserving judgement until we use the camera at least another month.
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| zephyr99's Full Review: Olympus Stylus 710 / µ 710 Digital Camera |
We finally were able to use the 710 - after having to exchange it twice due to the screen cracking internally (see below).
The form factor is superb - the 710 is lightweight and easy to grasp with the buttons well positioned. This is important since I have severe carpal tunnel. The in-camera help system and the choice of a variety of screen modes / scene selections make this camera easy to use. The night mode works so much better than the older Olympus. You can see what you are taking, and the pix turn out okay - though some were grainy (we edited them w/ Adobe Photoshop). We took video clips and were surprised that we could record for minutes (vs seconds). We tried taking panoramic, but found this feature to be very clumsy. There is an ability to manually set the ISO which worked well for us and resulted in better image quality.
The memory card is a royal pain to insert / remove - its sandwiched next to the battery in the same compartment. Taking pix in AUTO mode often resulted in grainy images, which we had to edit to get decent results for prints larger than 4x6. We found it difficult to view pix on the screen when its sunny out -you have to shade it to get an idea of what you took. This is a real negative. When taking movies, the sound feature does not work well - give up before you try! The LCD makes the 710 a much less rugged camera than previous water resistant versions (we have one of the older Olympus). Purchase extra batteries as these do not last very long.
Problem with the screen:
We purchased the 710 a couple of weeks ago and the screen crack internally. The cracks start on the edge of the display and spider down. We exchanged it with another new 710. The screen also cracked - within 2 days! Nothing aggressive, nothing strenuous. Seems like a nasty flaw – maybe a manufacturing defect?? We exchanged it again, and this time it seems to be holding up (we hope).
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 299.99
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Fool-Proof for Absolute Beginners
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Epinions.com ID:
zephyr99
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Reviews written: 2
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