Olympus' Tough 725SW digital camera is an incremental upgrade to the popular 720SW. The camera's design has not changed, though the choice of silver and 'Polar' blue colours have been intensified and are now available in bolder hues.
Feature-wise, the 725SW ups its waterproof capabilities from 3 metres to 5 metres. The shockproof distance of 1.5 metres remains the same. The new model also offers an Underwater Snap scene mode for increased ease-of-use, and adds Nightproof technology via a dedicated "ISO booster" button.
For performance results and further details on Olympus underwater camera range, check out our review of the Olympus Tough 720SW.
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docdiz
26/05/2008, 12:09 PM
rating
80/10
All comments about picture quality is next to non-sense. OK, picture from this gem may be worse than that of DSLR or compact camera this price WHEN COMPARED SIDE-BY-SIDE. However, it's more than enough for printed 5x7 pictures or viewed on computer screen.
If anyone whant to compare side-by-side, he/she must do correctly. This gem is designed to withstand harsh picture taking situations at the lowest cost.
Take _any_ $500 DSLR or compact camera into the wave on beach. Into the pool. Into the ponds. Then take picture. Wish every goodluck that he/she get picture back.
I shooted hundred, thousand, of pictures. On the beach, under sea water (sking diving), in the swimming pool, under the pond water, etc, etc ... NO problem at all.
Then shooting normal scene. Plain trip. In the resort room. At scenic area. On the mountain, etc, etc. Yeah, the picture is .. acceptable. Enough for 5x7 printing as said.
High ISO (400 up) is bad. But who care? Night time photography is another beast in itself. Night is time for sleeping, not madly shooting the picture.
Pros: In the bright light. On the beach, Under water. HARSH ENVIRONMENT easy picture taking at very low cost.
Cons: Batt charging and picture transfer require you open the water sealed lock !! No sensor for water leaking through lock.
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olympus camera
24/05/2008, 07:34 PM
rating
9/10
This time Olympus wins. Excellent camera with great functions which never seen early in any mobile. Night vision photo shoot's result is great. Tough 725SW water proof camera so we can enjoy photography under water.
Pros: Raw capture.
Flexible and user-customisable ISO settings.
Lightweight.
Water resist.
Excellent image quality for an inexpensive camera.
Night vision mode is great.
Great focus.
Stylish design and graceful blue in color.
Cons: Nothing.
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Andrew
26/11/2007, 10:46 PM
rating
6/10
I think Took sums it up pretty well. You are missing out on some features and operational convenience in return for the durability. I feel confident letting my kids use the camera and it handles the beach or snow. WARNING. It is MNOT waterproof. I have had a 720 and a 725 and both have leaked at shallow depths. I was meticulous in checking that the two openings were correctly sealed but the cameras leaked after a few minutes under water. The bottom line is that they are nowhere near suitable for use underwater. They are OK to be rinsed off if splashed with salt water but dive and swim with tem at your own peril.
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Took
07/02/2007, 01:10 AM
rating
7/10
I bought this camera mainly for it's durable & robust reputation. A friend of mine owns the previous 720sw model & raved about it.
So given that I'm predisposed to being clumsy & somewhat reluctant to invest several hundred dollars on a decent compact that may be rendered inoperable or unwarrantable after a drop or two, the 725sw seemed to be the optimal choice for me. Especially given that I intend to be doing a fair amount of travel over the next 18 or so months.
Unfortunately, the camera's actual performance wasn't quite what I was hoping for, given that it boasts 7.1mp resolution & ISO booster technology. It's not bad, but neither is it class leading.
My biggest gripe is the combination of a relatively slow shutter speed & an overly bright flash that combine to produce washed out & pale images that often need to be corrected with a PC photo editing software programme.
From as low as 200 ISO, there is visible grain & distortion but with the ISO booster technology, picture quality from 800ISO up doesn't deteriorate as badly as many other compacts so the compromise is that you will have uniform, but mediocre to good quality images across the ISO range.
The other area where I feel the 725sw is let down is it's movie mode. Filming at only 15fps at 640x320 resolution will give jittery playback under all but ideally lit environments not requiring fast sweeps or fast motion capture.
Given that many compacts even below this price range offer 30fps with 640x320 resolution, I feel that this is a big performance letdown.
Whilst the optical zoom isn't the best that I've encountered for closeups, it's fine for my purposes. But the reported battery life is a concern with some reviews stating that getting over 100 stills from a full charge can be a struggle. Given that most compacts in this price range can achieve better than 300 stills, this is probably the biggest **** in the 725sw's armour.
So at the end of the day, its about compromise.
If above all else, you need a rugged, reliable well built compact that you can use under water, takes decent stills & you aren't overly fussed about having 15fps movie capture, then the mju 725sw would be a must have.
But If you are looking for class leading still & motion capture from the compact cameras in this price range, then go look at something like the Fujifilm finepix F30 or F31fd. Which is what I'll be doing as my camera shop offers a 2 week exchange guarantee.
As much as I like the mju725sw, it's performance shortcomings may be enough for me to sway towards a better performing if not quite as robust compact.
Pros: Sturdy, rugged, excellent build.
Attractive
Takes photos under water to depths of around 5 meters.
Potentially decent high ISO still capture.
7.1mp resolution
Cons: 15fps movie mode instead of 30fps.
Poor battery life
Average to good all round still capture performance is bettered by some cheaper competition.
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