Opinions on Olympus 850 sw?

[MamaParrotHead]

Looking for something around $100, user-friendly, just for snorkeling (no intent on scuba, so only needs to be waterproof to 10-15 feet) and good customer reviews. Found some factory refurbs of this particular model on ebay going for around $75, from a really reputable seller, with a 3 month factory warantee. OR, go new on amazon for around $170.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

[pierces]

A good camera that was much more expensive when just released.

 

Within your budget, you would be hard-pressed to do better.

 

 

Dave

[Colorado Kat]

As long as it's a reputable seller, with a 3 month factory warranty. But test it as soon as you get it. Big tub of water ok, bottom of a pool is better. You want to make sure that no water droplets appear on the insides.

 

Check out how long before they need service. Can you do it yourself, or do you need to send it in someplace?

 

The camera quality is one issue, but the camera seal being water-tight is different.

 

Kathy

[MamaParrotHead]

OK, so I'm sold on the brand. Now the question is, should I go for it refurbished (with the warranty)? Yeah or nay. Thanks everyone! ;)

[pierces]

OK, so I'm sold on the brand. Now the question is, should I go for it refurbished (with the warranty)? Yeah or nay. Thanks everyone! ;)

 

Refurbished can be ok, especially if it's a reputable outlet like Amazon or one of the major online photo sources. Make sure you have it far enough ahead of your vacation so you can test it in a pool or something. That warranty will replace your camera, but not the hundreds of lost photo opportunities you could miss if it fails.

 

Dave

[MamaParrotHead]

Thanks, you've been so helpful!

 

Is there any chance I could get you to take a quick glance at the particular item listing/seller I'm eyeing on eBay? I'm a veteran eBayer, and as much as I love my gadgets and the digital camera I do have, I'm really gun-shy and wary when buying eletronics, and would really value your opinion.

 

Only if you have a minute...I'm sure you're busy and have other things to do, understandably. :o

 

Thanks again!:D

[pierces]

Thanks, you've been so helpful!

 

Is there any chance I could get you to take a quick glance at the particular item listing/seller I'm eyeing on eBay? I'm a veteran eBayer, and as much as I love my gadgets and the digital camera I do have, I'm really gun-shy and wary when buying eletronics, and would really value your opinion.

 

Only if you have a minute...I'm sure you're busy and have other things to do, understandably. :o

 

Thanks again!:D

 

Electronics, especially cameras and memory cards are the most susceptible to fraud on eBay. Cameras priced too low to be true are often grey-market items that are generally the same as the ones shipped to the US, may have foreign language manual or even menus and no USA warranty.

 

Here's a new one on Amazon from Beach camera for $164.95 with free shipping.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011E87P4/sr=8-2/qid=1242935331/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242935331&sr=8-2

 

I would be reluctant to buy a refurbished or open box camera, sight unseen, from an eBay supplier. Especially one I planned to dip in the ocean.

 

That's my 2¢...

 

Dave

[MamaParrotHead]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=310142715964

 

oops, I forgot to include the link. Yes, I've fallen victim to fraudulent DVD's and such before on ebay. The only reason I'm considering is because of all the great reviews, and the sheer NUMBER of them. Hmmm...

[calgarygary]

I purchased through them and had no issues. Very quick delivery. I could be wrong but I think they are actually a retail arm of Olympus for selling reconditioned or delisted models.

[pierces]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=310142715964

 

oops, I forgot to include the link. Yes, I've fallen victim to fraudulent DVD's and such before on ebay. The only reason I'm considering is because of all the great reviews, and the sheer NUMBER of them. Hmmm...

 

I did a bit of research and as calgarygary said, The OlympusAuctions storefront is a sort of outlet store for Olympus America. That would be the added bit of info that I would need to give eBay a go on this one.

 

Dave

[MamaParrotHead]

Excellent. I ended up getting one from them for around $100, including shipping, and then Square Trade actually emailed me and offered me an extended 2 year warranty on the flash, zoom and LCD screen for $17 total. I took that. So I'm excited to get the camera, and thankful for all the help!

 

Goodbye crappy disposable camera pictures! :D

[snowbird1]

Sam's club has this right now in a package for about $159 new and it comes with the flotation strap which is worth over $20 alone and not a bad idea to have. If you read you will see that there have been more than a few people who have had their cameras sink to the bottom and in some cases they are gone. I don't have that flotation strap but I have thought about buying one, right now I have something else I wear around my neck that floats that would slow it down enough for me to grab it otherwise they will sink fast so be careful.

 

Next new one I buy will probably be the Cannon or a waterproof case for my Cannon 880IS

[Sarapdot]

I have this camera and used it on my 04/26/2009 cruise. In most cases it took better pics than my travel partners cameras did. I used it in the ocean for the sting ray excursion and also playing in the water in jamaica. It did excellent and I got some good pics of the rays. However, when we got back on the ship after the camera had dried off I opened the battery cover and there was one small drop of water in there. I wouldn't think that was normal but it didn't cause me any problems so who knows.

 

Overall the camera did excellent for me. I hope you enjoy it and have good luck with it. :D

[MamaParrotHead]

Can someone tell me how many pics this camera holds with the memory card it comes with? Trying to figure out if I need to buy an additional card. Thanks.

[pierces]

Can someone tell me how many pics this camera holds with the memory card it comes with? Trying to figure out if I need to buy an additional card. Thanks.

 

I don't see anything on the link indicating that it comes with a memory card at all (original retail package didn't). It has about 14mb of internal memory which will allow 3-4 photos to be taken. Olympus is one of the few manufacturers of compact cameras that doesn't use SD or SDHC memory. They use xD Picture Cards and while they aren't really that expensive anymore, they are limited to a maximum of 2GB. You can use 4GB Micro-SD cards with an adapter (included in the original packaging, but not mentioned on the eBay site) if your firmware version is 1.1 or higher. here is a link to the firmware update if you need it (step-by-step instructions are on the link):

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_support_downloads.asp?id=1365&os=w

 

A rough estimate would be 300 images per GB, but that depends on the image and how much it gets compressed. Take a look at my article on resolution, compression and image quality (newbie-friendly): http://www.pptphoto.com/ArticlePages/VivaLaResolution.htm

 

Enjoy your new camera!

 

Dave

[snowbird1]

Can someone tell me how many pics this camera holds with the memory card it comes with? Trying to figure out if I need to buy an additional card. Thanks.

 

Probably not many, you will need to buy one and they aren't expensive anymore. Most cameras come with a real small card. My last cannon came with a 32 mb card and I didn't even waste my time to open it. I can't remember in the package Sam's has comes with an extra card I saw it here again yesterday.

[MamaParrotHead]

I don't see anything on the link indicating that it comes with a memory card at all (original retail package didn't).

 

OOps. I meant internal memory. I'm looking at an M+ 2G card....I'm doing some research and it's my understanding that since the Olympus is compatible with the M xd card, the M+ card is just faster writing/recording time. Am I getting that correctly? Thanks.:D

[pierces]

OOps. I meant internal memory. I'm looking at an M+ 2G card....I'm doing some research and it's my understanding that since the Olympus is compatible with the M xd card, the M+ card is just faster writing/recording time. Am I getting that correctly? Thanks.:D

 

You are correct. It won't speed up your picture-taking since the camera is the limiting factor in most cases, but loading images onto your computer will be faster.

 

Dave

[back to the islands]

Mama,

Let me know how your camera does on your cruise. When are you cruising? I'm wanting an underwater camera before our July cruise.

Also, Sara, what kind of underwater camera did your friend have for comparison's sake? Las year our disposable pictures were a HUGE disappointment. :(

[Sarapdot]

Mama,

Let me know how your camera does on your cruise. When are you cruising? I'm wanting an underwater camera before our July cruise.

Also, Sara, what kind of underwater camera did your friend have for comparison's sake? Las year our disposable pictures were a HUGE disappointment. :(

 

I had 5 travel partners and they each had diff camers. There was a Cannon cheapo, Fuji, Samsung, Coolpix and another better Cannon. The better Cannon was my only competition, it held up the best in comparison to my Olympus 850sw.

 

You can check out my review here. All the pics of the stingrays were taken with my olympus.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=992214

[back to the islands]

Thanks, Sara!

[MamaParrotHead]

I'm actually not cruising til November, but am taking the camera for a "trial run" in the next few weeks when the kiddos head to the pool for "snorkel practice". :) I'll let you know.

 

I'm almost too chicken to get it wet, it just seems so WRONG, LOL. ;)

[Sarapdot]

I'm actually not cruising til November, but am taking the camera for a "trial run" in the next few weeks when the kiddos head to the pool for "snorkel practice". :) I'll let you know.

 

I'm almost too chicken to get it wet, it just seems so WRONG, LOL. ;)

 

I was the same way with mine but I eventually got over it and it's worked great for my needs so far.

[MamaParrotHead]

Just wanted to update everyone about buying refurb from Olympus on ebay. First off, the camera is AWESOME, LOVE it. Although I did end up getting a decent sized crack in the housing somehow (so much for shockproof) and called to have it repaired (still under the 90 day warranty they provide with their refurb stuff). They emailed me a form, I filled it out, sent it in via UPS (although it kinda burned me to pay $13 to ship the thing) and less than a week later, they have it repaired and in the mail (UPS 2nd Day Air) to me.

 

So anyway, just wanted to put that little plug out there for anyone considering buying the refurb Olympus products from their online ebay store. I'm a happy customer.