The Olympus MJU 790 SW is a digital camera with a difference. Not only is it waterproof to a depth of 3m, it is also shockproof if dropped from a height of 1.5m. There are very few other digital cameras that offer either a waterproof or a shockproof body, so to find a camera offering both is a very rare combination. The camera can also be used in extreme cold and can cope with temperatures down to -10 degrees centigrade. Aside from those features the MJU 790 SW will slip into a pocket and is a straightforward, easy to use camera. It has seven megapixels and a three times optical zoom lens.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
The most noticeable point on looking at my first test shot is that the lens on this camera is not the sharpest I have ever come across. Add in problems with sun glare and the photo lacks definition. I would suggest that you could get away with this to a degree if you are planning to make relatively small prints, but these problems will become more and more apparent when compared to other digital cameras when you make larger prints.

There are areas of the photo where the focusing is indeed quite soft.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
The wide angle test is a difficult one for any camera. The MJU 790 SW makes a decent attempt although the sharpness of the photo is again below the standard I like to see. On the edges of lighter colour objects I can also see a small amount of purple fringing. This is where a thin purple line is added to the edges of objects.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
With the lens zoomed into its maximum capacity the same problems and issues arise. Although this scene is still a little distant for a 3x zoom lens I would still expect to see greater sharpness in the photo.

Outdoor Portrait
With the subject a lot closer to the lens quality improves quite dramatically. This photo shows a great improvement in terms of sharpness compared to my scenic shots. Even with the white balance control set to cloudy I would still like to see more zest in the colours and I feel the photo looks a little washed out.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
Moving indoors with the camera, focusing remains much better. The strength of the flash does wash a lot of the colour out of the shot, but overall this is a good attempt. There is no red eye showing in the photo. This does not mean that the camera will never produce red eye, but does suggest the MJU 790 SW does a fair job of suppressing it.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
With the flash turned off I am very impressed with my indoor shot. This is much better than I have achieved with other cameras. The advantage of not using the flash is that the colours in the shot are far more natural.

Colours
Overall I would like to see a greater depth to the colours in all my test shots. I also feel that a number of the photos are too bright for my liking. Perhaps if the brightness was toned down more colour would come through. In my special test for colours I also notice that blue have bled into areas that should be white.

Macro
This is not the sharpest macro shot I have ever taken. The occasional macro shot of a nature subject might work well, but I could not recommend this camera to anyone who wanted to take regular close up shots.

ISO 400
At ISO 400 the camera does quite a good job. As with any compact digital camera noise starts to appear in the shot, but it is still a fair effort.

ISO 1600
At higher levels noise becomes a major issue. Colours also go awry at this setting.

Overall
As you can see picture quality is some way from being the best. Distant scenes tend to overload the focusing capabilities of this camera, but there is a big improvement on closer subjects.

I was able to take a single photo in 0.45 seconds and five photos in 7.34 seconds. The time taken for a single shot is on the slow side. The time taken for five shots is average. With the flash unit on times increase to 0.59 seconds for a single shot and 14.92 seconds for five. These are average times. You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The MJU 790 SW is quite classy looking in my opinion. It is available in a number of colours (Starry Silver, Midnight Black, Sunset Orange or Marine Blue) and I personally prefer black. It is small and compact and will fit easily into a pocket.

93.6 x 60.9 x 21.3 mm

136g

Lithium ion. A battery and charger are supplied with the camera.

14.7 MB of storage have been built into the camera. It is also compatible with xD picture cards. I was able to take 12 photos before the internal memory was full.

Click here to save money on SD cards.

This camera is straightforward. The menu system is quite simple without being perfect and it should not take you long to get up and running. There is also a 14 point guide with tips for taking better photos.

Indoors when light not perfect - ease of use - style and design - waterproof - shockproof

Sharpness of photos - photos very bright

There are no real alternatives to this camera on the market. If you are looking for better picture quality, but would still like a pocket sized camera then you can find my reviews for pocket cameras at: Pocket Sized Digital Camera Reviews.

The Olympus MJU 790 IS may not be the greatest digital camera ever produced when it comes to picture quality, but if you are looking for a fun camera for the beach it is well worth considering. The fact that it is shockproof will also appeal to many families where children see themselves as budding photographers.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menus

Description:	7 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom lens
Ease of Use:	9
Features:	9
Colour:	7
Macro:	7
Indoors:	8
Value for Money:	8
Style:	8
Movie Mode:	8
Image Quality:	6
Build Quality:	8
Total:	78
Verdict:	"There are not many waterproof, shockproof and weatherproof cameras out there. If you are expecting the very best in picture quality you will be disappointed, but if you are looking for a fun camera to use at the beach then this one is worth looking into."
Review Date:	November 2007
Click for:	Specification Sample Images Features

Camera	Rating
Olympus MJU 1030 SW	81
Olympus MJU 850 SW	75

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Olympus MJU 790 SW