Whether you are gravity-challenged, born to be wild or simply like relaxing below sea level, the Olympus is the perfect companion for your next great adventure.

Olympus Stylus 850SW

Photo Gallery for Olympus Stylus 850 SW

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Underwater Movie
Olympus Stylus 850 SW

Relax below sea level.
Waterproof, shockproof, and freezeproof.
Your underwater photography dream come true.

OVERVIEW

Impressive underwater and outdoor images from a bright, tough, and easy-to-use camera.

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When you are crashing your motorbike, wiping out on the slopes, or cutting yourself on coral reefs, the camera you choose may be secondary to your great adventure. If, however, your extreme-sports regimen includes breastfeeding, rush-hour commuting, and wading with a mai tai in hand, then it is clear that you are in need of a shock- and waterproof camera that can be shaken, stirred, and frozen without incident.

The Olympus 850 SW not only challenges the seemingly absurd notion of mixing water and electronics, but it does it with relish.

WHAT’S SPECIAL

Underwater shooting. This is the perfect camera for day spent snorkeling or at the pool. In your pursuit of stills or video, you can sink with it to a depth of up to10 feet. (Special waterproof seals and gaskets protect the battery-card compartment and USB port.)

Dust- and dirt-resistant. Ideal for a trip to the great outdoors since the airtight design shields the camera from dust, dirt, and other particles.

Shockproof. Butterfingers will delight in the insurance that a shockproof camera offers. The Olympus can drop from a height of 5 feet, which is 5 feet more than every other electronic.

Freezable. You can freeze this puppy to temps of –10C/14F degrees. Most of my urban extreme sports don’t involve freezing, but for those of you who are coordinated enough to ski and photograph simultaneously, you have found your camera.

In-camera Panorama Mode. This feature captures three images and stitches them together to create one amazing panoramic picture. In practice, the stitching together can test some of your principles about perspective but, regardless, it is fun and cinematic.

A WORD ON INDOOR vs. OUTDOOR SHOOTING

In practice, I found this camera to be simply adequate in indoor scenes that rely mostly on In-camera flash. Photographs taken outdoors in natural light faired much better, showing decent color reproduction and details. If you are looking for a precise indoor-use camera, consider the Sony Cybershot DSC-W120.

THE LOOK

• Comes in a choice of several hyper-vivid colors. (Skiers take comfort: this camera will stand out in any snow bank.)

• 2.5-inch LCD screen

• Shiny and sleek like a wet-suit

ABOUT MY REVIEW

While on vacation, I took the Olympus to an indoor pool and had someone hold me under so that I would not float up. (If you do this, decide on a signal other than gagging to indicate you are ready to come up).

Believe me, you simply cannot resist wanting to photograph on, around, or underwater. The camera is a huge conversation piece and everyone wanted to be in my underwater movies. The quality of the underwater images was impressive and viewing them was also fun since most of us had never had our photograph taken underwater before.

The menu navigation system is easy to use, even for novices. You should know that the shooting delay is slower than that of others in a similar price class, but this camera is in a class of its own; there is no other comparably-priced camera capable of underwater photography—and shockproof, to boot.

BOTTOM LINE

This durable and capable sub-compact is the perfect companion for an outing. Your underwater shooting enthusiasm will transform you into a mermaid.

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Mega- pixels	Lens	LCD	Size/Weight	Street Price
8.0	3x Optical Zoom	2.5 inch	3.7 x 2.4 x 0.84 inches/4.8 oz.	$219.

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