Olympus Mju 1030 SW
£276.00
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Worried about knocks and scratches on your holiday compact? Fear not, the Olympus Mju 1030 SW is crushproof up to 100kg and even has a scratch-proof metal body just to emphasise its street-tough credentials.
Photo answers review
Photo answers rating
We’ve all seen the TV ad – boy tosses camera around garden, washes camera under tap, camera works perfectly. Not sure too many D-SLRs could withstand such a battering, but then most manufacturers don’t claim that their cameras are shockproof, waterproof, crushproof and freeze-proof. Want to take the Olympus Mju 1030 SW for a swim? No problem, it’s waterproof to 10m (there are several bottom-of-the-pool clips on You Tube).
While the Mju 1030 SW’s robust build is obviously its Unique Selling Point, its spec is almost as impressive. The 10.1MP resolution, top ISO speed of 1600 and 3.6x optical zoom (28-102mm) are fairly standard among today’s pricier compacts, but the Mju’s True Pic Turbo III processor is on a par with the E-3, Olympus’ top-of-the-range flagship D-SLR.
In 3MP mode you can shoot 5.2 fps for 11 frames; couple this with minimal shutter lag and you’ve got the perfect camera for holidays and action.
The menu is surprisingly intuitive and the mode dial is nicely designed, with a shallow recess allowing the thumb to scroll through the options. Our only grumble here is that, while the 2.7in LCD screen is incredibly bright and the refresh rate is virtually real-time, it’s forced Olympus to compromise the size of the buttons. The four-way multi-selector is absolutely tiny! Saying that, image quality is superb for a compact – sharp with minimal noise, though not overly punchy. That’s our only gripe.
Specification at a glanceResolution 10.1MP
Zoom range 28-102mm
Card type xD
Weight/size 173g/93x61x21mm