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Waterproof Cameras for Surfers - Olympus 1050sw Review

Our Stylish Choice
Olympus 1050sw

10.1 Mega Pixels 3x Optical Zoom 640 x 480 Video 32mm Standard Lens Weight 5.4

More Features
Actual Shot w/this 1050sw

2.7 in View Screen Shock Proof to 5 Feet Waterproof to 10 feet Shake Reduction Panorama Photos

Our Review

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The avid surfer can take the Olympus 1050sw waterproof camera out into the surf everyday and not worry about ruining the camera.
The 1050sw is step up from all the previous 700 series waterproof cameras with its powerful 10.1 mega pixel 3x optical zoom making for some impressionable surfer shots the surf magazines would want.
The 1050 uses an xd card which hinders the video. It will only go for 10 seconds. You can however use a card adapter to use an sd card to video until it space capacity is used up.
Its weight of 5.4 oz is a bit heavy making it sloppy when trying for a quick action surfer shot, which by the way is hard to get because the 1050 shutter speed is sloooow. The slide on the front makes it quick to turn on but can be a bit nerve racking because my finger kept getting into the shot. Maybe you can be better at that than me.
This Olympus has many useless modes that any surfer will never use and will find frustrating getting around them while on their surfboard. Its touch screen doesn't do well for surfers because you'll always have some surf wax on your fingers from your surfboard and then smudge the view screen when you tap it. You can still use the manual control but when selecting from the menu item you’ll need to refer the instruction booklet even after reading the whole book twice.
The pictures are less than desirable for image quality. They come out a little soft and even with a good editing program the soft picture images still won't sharpen up.
This camera will work well in the Surf Camera case but I would recommend the Olympus 1050sw. Check other waterproof cameras.

Check out my surfer shots in a slide show using the Olympus waterproof camera.

Surfers - Things That Matter

3 feet or 10 feet rated camera depth?
For surfing IT DOES NOT MATTER! Even in double overhead surf. My old Pentax WPi of 4 years is only rated to 3 feet and it works fine. I lone it to my friends all the time in big surf. The depths on these cameras are rated after being that deep for 2 or more hours.

Optical Zoom?
With Video - It matters! You should only use the optical zoom with video because you can not zoom in on your computer with video... Unless you have an expensive edit program... and lots of time.
With Still Shots- It does not matter! (When in the water) You will want the widest angle possible with still pictures. The more optical zoom you use the greater chances of a blurry surfer shot and the surfer out of the frame. You can always crop and zoom in on your computer later.

Mega Pixels? It matters. When you're editing your still surfer shots you'll be amazed on how much you can zoom in and crop a surfer shot on your computer.

Weight? It matters. An addtional ounce or two does make a big difference in the feel and comfort in getting a steady surfer shot. The Olympus 1030sw is the heaviest out right now and you can definitely get clumsy when trying to hold steady.

28mm Wide Angel? It matters. It's very difficult sometimes when trying to get an instant last second shot of a surfer coming fast down the line. You'll wind up having a lot of shots with the surfer halfway out the picture. The 28mm wide angle will aliminate much of that.

HD Video? It matters. Specially when your filming a nice long wave. 640x480 will take in nice videos but when the surfer gets further away the HD will keep it clearer.

Olympus 1050sw waterproof camera reviews for surfers and a waterproof digital camera review with more waterproof cameras review.

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