Compact digital cameras vary a bit in design, but generally look and behave in similar ways. The Olympus μ (greek letter Mu) 770 SW is a bit different, though, as it's designed to be waterproof to a depth of 10m. This means you could drop it in a swimming pool without having to claim on insurance, or even take it snorkelling.
The camera is also claimed to be shockproof up to a height of 1.5m, though it's not clear what kind of a surface Olympus dropped it on. We'd be impressed by concrete or stone, not so much by a barrel of feathers or a bath of recently-set jelly. We take the company's word that the μ 770 SW is a sight more rugged than most digital compacts, though.
The styling fits with the rugged but smart image Olympus has set for the μ range, aiming it at the outdoor lifestyle market with a touch of extreme sports thrown in for good measure. It's cased in brushed steel with highly polished buttons and is held together by deftly-placed hex and cross-head screws.
Controls aren't that easy to use, as the buttons are small and don't project far from the surface of the case. There's a separate button for shot mode: landscape, portrait, night shot, even one for taking eBay sale items, and the usual four-way ring for menu navigation.
The 64mm LCD display is the only viewfinder and in bright sun it's not easy to see. The lens offers 3x optical zoom and focuses down to a minimum macro distance of 70mm, and the camera supports ISO ratings up to 1600, designed to give good response in low light.
This is a 7.1-megapixel device, so each full-resolution shot takes around 3.5MB and you'll only get five on the 19MB of available internal memory. The camera uses xD cards for removable storage, but none is supplied as standard. The μ 770 SW is powered by a 740mAh Lithium-ion battery, which showed notable drain after only a few shots. A charger is provided, but takes about five hours to deliver a full charge.
With all this ruggedisation, what's the image quality like? Not bad, but not the best we've seen in this price range. Set to auto, landscape shots on a bright sunny day came out slightly under-exposed and we also detected some barrelling when shooting straight edges near the sides of a frame. When we shot close up, indoors, colours tended to over-saturate.
