Olympus u [mju:] 770 SW review

Image quality
Images from the mju 770 SW weren't perfect, but that's not surprising given this camera is built more for extreme durability than optical purity. For example, our test images looked slightly soft overall and had more image artefacts than we're used to in a camera in this price range, though you can't jump into a swimming pool and shoot images underwater with those cameras. Colours were generally accurate, though they seemed slightly undersaturated in places.

Olympus keeps noise well under control at ISO 200. At ISO 400, noise due to sensitivity manifests itself as a light covering of off-colour pixels (mostly bluish in nature), which robs a slight, but noticeable amount of sharpness from the image. At ISO 800, that off-colour covering becomes heavier, reduces sharpness even more, and severely decreases shadow detail. At ISO 1600, all of those same problems become even worse. We suggest you stick to shooting below ISO 800 when possible, though higher ISOs may still yield acceptable 100x150mm (4x6-inch) prints

Shooting Speed
(Seconds: smaller is better)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Time to first shot

Shutter lag (typical)

Nikon Coolpix S7c

2.1 

2.2 

0.7 

Olympus mju 770 SW

2.4 

2.1 

0.6 

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T30

1.6 

1.8 

0.4 

Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS

1.3 

1.1 

0.4 

Casio Exilim EX-Z1000

3.5 

1.8 

0.3 

Additional editing by Kate Macefield