Watch the video

Olympus Tough 720SW

By Alex Kidman on 05 May 2006

If you're after a camera that can survive the knocks, splashes and general messy nature of everyday life -- especially everyday family life -- then the Olympus Tough 720SW is a very sensible buy.

User rating:8.6

Comments (23)

  • Milmon gave 4/10 on 31/05/2007 08:08

    • Good: Bought this camera because of the first time reviews that it was a strong camera and it could withstand rough treatment.
    • Bad: I have never dropped this camera, not even from a 1 inch height. Never submerge it in water. I took ver good care of this camera but.......one day the shutter guard stopped opening.... Oh my goodness, you hear the mechanisim working but thats it. I need help. As we all know its not a cheap camera.

    Be careful about what you buy and hope the follow-up service is good

  • Steve gave 5/10 on 30/04/2007 15:52

    • Good: Nice pics.
      Easy to use and great display.
    • Bad: Easy to break as mentioned. Olympus Australia probably won't warranty it though I think this part is really sub-standard. I bought it expecting both service and reliability, including durability but was disappointed with Olympus's response to my problem.

    The USB cover is weak. Ours is not the only one that I've seen snap off with very little pressure. So now it's not waterproof.

  • patrice gave 10/10 on 15/04/2007 21:05

    • Good: small water and shock proof
    • Bad: nothig really i have none of the problems above

    i like the look and style

  • BrokenHeart gave 3/10 on 01/03/2007 19:11

    • Good: *Small - fits in any pocket
      *very good flashlight for night shoots
    • Bad: The picture quality was not always the best compared to other cameras.
      Pictures in normal mode had a 'faint' blue hue.
      LCD display stopped working after 10 month

    I was drawn to this little camera because of
    its 'toughness'.
    My first digital camera in 97 was a olympus too and I believed this one would have all the features and durability that this one would be with me for a long time. Wrong...
    The LCD screen stopped functioning after 10 month. I never took the camera in severe conditions (hot,cold,water).
    This is about my 6th digital camera and the first one that broke.
    Camera is now for 5 weeks with the camera doctor (warranty) let's hope you
    guys will not have the same problems...

  • sgilz gave 9/10 on 16/01/2007 03:35

    • Good: This camera was purchased primarily for our bikerides. I wear it on a teather around my neck, so it needed to be able to withstand a wet environment. I need to be able to use one hand for on-the-road takes.
    • Bad: One strange thing has occurred. In the ASA 400 ("museum" mode) as well as in some of the flash mode shots, there is a small opaque round area in the same spot of each shot. . .where the color is subdued. I have not been able to find any other mention of this on anyone's review of this camera.

    I haven't made any prints yet, but a test run in Rome let me use many of the pre-set "modes", from "museum" to "night scene". The quality appears excellent, but the prints will be the ultimate determinant.

  • piyush gave 10/10 on 25/12/2006 04:34

    • Good: 7.1 mega pixel.goes with all weather condition.very cute but tough..user friendly
    • Bad: less zoom..

    its worth..dats all i can say...

  • james3163 gave 9/10 on 10/11/2006 00:18

    • Good: its awesome, takes clear shots, dropped it a few times, strong metal case, huge screen, easy menu modes and navigation, long batterly life
    • Bad: Playback mode displays picture info over the top of the picture (for about 5 seconds), ive looked everywhere and there is no option to take it off, the only way to review the pictures without the writing is via the slideshow mode, which is slightly annoying.
      Sometimes pictures save to the camera memory and not the card memory, dunno why, but its annoying

    Perfect for what i need it for. Flash is a little too bright and slow shutter speed can be annoying, esp when out at clubs or night time etc

  • Damiano Visocnik gave 7/10 on 11/09/2006 13:14

    • Good: compact, waterproof and sturdy. Large LCD. Relatively easy menu
    • Bad: LCD is not sharp! reviewing a picture taken to see if it sharp is very difficult. LCD screen hard to see in bright light. No display of shutter speed or f-stop. But above all the reproduction of colours is not up to comparison to Canon. Greens are flat and reds are dull. Imgaes need to be Photoshopped for best results.

    compact and waterproof

    This is my 4th digital compact camera. I mainlty purchased it to take sea kayaking pictures. It does an outstanding job considering the size. It is when I compare its images to a Canon digital compact (it does not matter which one, from the A series to S60 or Ixus/Powershot, they all are pretty much similar) that I notice that the colour reproduction is dull. It looks like they are desaturated. To bring an image taken on the 720SW to standard of a Canon I have to manipulate it in Photoshop. Resolution of camera is decent at 7.1M but the sharpness of the lens is a compromise.

  • Jill gave 10/10 on 28/08/2006 09:12

    • Good: As a master gardener, I appreciate the macro and supermacro modes. Outstanding results. Easy to use once you know the menus. I'm a bit of a novice photographer, although we do have four digital cameras in the household. The 720 SW is as good or better than all of them -- and the others are not compacts. The size is so small it easily fits into a purse or shirt pocket. The battery is long-lasting.
    • Bad: Lots of menus, so a lot to learn. The flip side is there is a lot of flexibility.

    Excellent Performing Camera

    On the macro pictures you can see the tiny specs of pollen and the hairs on bee's legs. The colors are great if you play with the F stop settings while photographing. The reds are the truest out of any of our digitals. They are only beaten by our 1972 vintage 35 mm film camera.

  • Alan gave 9/10 on 25/08/2006 18:46

    • Good: Tough and water resistant so I can take pictures of the fish I catch on the boat
    • Bad: Does everything I want for now.

    Its a ripper for what I need

    I had a Sony and it suffered badly. The repairer said I had taken the camera to conditions not suited to its design.Saltwater is absolutely the bottom line when it comes to tough conditions. So when I go fishing now its not a problem to chuck the camera in the boat and know there is no dramas about having good quality equipment that will handle the touigh conditions

Post your own

You must read and type the 6 chars within 0..9 and A..F

You must read and type the 6 chars within 0..9 & A..F

Submit

Enter your personal information to the left, or sign in with your Facebook account by clicking the button below.

Connect

The Explain Series

Where to buy Olympus Tough 720SW

See all options »

Must read