Calm before the storm

[amsurferoceanbeach]

Jan 2 2008 had to be the calmest day
I have ever spent on the ocean. From dawn
till dark, no wind, no swell, not even a
ripple on the water.
I got an Olympus stylus 770 sw camera
for Xmas. The verdict is still out if I like
it or not. Too many modes to choose
from. Thought I'd share a couple cool
picks.

[Iceman]

nice whale shot!

[lamb]

Very cool... that’s a big whale!

Paul, I got your cam's older brother, Stylus 720 SW. I've had it since the last summer.

I like how tough the camera case is. The thing seems indestructible.

I love how I can just rinse it with fresh water after fishing, and never ever have to worry about getting my camera wet.

But I haven’t been happy with the picture quality, especially in the quick point-and-shoot situations. More often than not it seems out of focus. My old Cannon Powershot was waaaaaaaaaay better for that.

The modes are probably similar in our cameras – I find “auto” mode to be the best bet for majority of situations. I only play with manual mode if I’m taking underwater shots.

The sucky thing is – my camera remembers the last setting mode it was on after you turn it off and on. And add to that that putting it back in auto mode is not as intuitive as you'd expect... I don’t like that.

Make sure it’s in full Auto mode.

[amsurferoceanbeach]

Thanks for the tips Adi. As you can see in the photos, quality
is lacking. I tried to get the blow, but the lag in the shutter
only caught some after spray. My manual photos come out with
happy trails.
If any one has this camera and knows how to use it to take
good quality photos from a kayak, I'm all ears.
I miss my Cannon. Point and shoot was so simple.
Andy I still miss all the nature shots you use to take of
LJ.
Paul

[FISHIONADO]

Paul, I've been using the 770sw for about a year now, I really like it. For most photos I reduce the resolution to 2048x1536, I'll crank it up to the max if I'm taking someone's fish photo. I like how fast it powers up and is ready for a photo and how the lens cover keeps the lens dry between photos. I've never noticed a shutter lag on it compared to my previous Pentax waterproof camera. It's important to push the photo button halfway and wait for the green dot to show that it is focused. I always use the auto mode on the water. I dropped it 3' onto concrete once, it seemed broken, lens cover flopping, wouldn't power up. Just before I sent it in for repair I tried powering it up while holding down the button furthest from the power button, the printer button, and it rebooted and has worked fine since. Sounds slightly stoopid but it worked. Hope to see you on the water soon.

[tylerdurden]

For action shots see if you can use a "burst" mode so you don't have to worry about shutter lag. I don't have an Olympus camera, but I know at least some digital cameras have a burst setting where it will take a couple pictures a second for as long as you have the button held down. You usually have to set it to burst mode first, you can't just hold down the button in regular mode.

I have tried this to get good whale pics and failed still, but I have gotten some cool pics of dolphins and kayak surfers this way.

[nunyabizness1]

I "had" that same camera until it got stolen on a recent trip to NYC. That was a bummer! Anyways, I used the camera all summer kayaking at LJ and I was not happy with the quality of the pictures either. They came out very grainy and there's not enough zoom capabilities. The switching of the modes was a pain as well for when I wanted to switch from video shots to still shots. I missed several great opportunities when a ton of dolphins appeared and I was in still shot mode and wanted to capture on video.

In order to get shots in focus when out on the water, I ended up shooting in the Sport mode. That mode froze the action and helped so that I would not get blurry pictures.

I really liked the fact that I didn't have to worry about the water or dropping this camera but that didn't do me any good to have the camera when the quality of the pictures weren't good enough to print larger than a 4x6. I was extremely disappointed in the camera and thought it was a bit pricey for the lack of quality. I have always been a huge Canon fan too and wish they would come up with something waterproof!

So the best advice I can give you is to use the sport mode and put the camera on the highest resolution setting there is.

By the way, I have an extra battery and the battery charger here that is no longer needed if you want it. Send me an email at nunyabizness1@yahoo.com.

[Iceman]

Andy I still miss all the nature shots you use to take of
LJ.

Now I am just looking for that perfect sunrise in the harbor.......yesterday was a nice red one.........followed by some lack luster fishing