We continue our Flashback Friday posts featuring colorful, retro point-and-shoot digital cameras going back to the early 2000s. These pocketable point-and-shoot digital cameras have a cool vibe. Moreover, they offer a “different imaging experience” from today’s advanced compacts. Camera stores continue to see demand for these “old school” digital point-and-shoot cameras. Today we highlight the Olympus Stylus Tough 790 SW.
Olympus Stylus Tough 790 SW
The adventure-proof Stylus Tough 790 SW (called the µ outside the U.S.), debuted in August 2007. Its stylish metal housing is shockproof against falls from nearly 5 feet, waterproof down to 9.8 feet as well as freezeproof to temperatures as low as 14ºF. Plus, its 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD (230,000-pixel resolution) boasts a bright display even in sunlight as well as a water-repellent lens coating.
For added fun, the attractively styled 7.1-megapixel camera also incorporates a number of 2007 innovations, such as Face Detection technology. It improves the exposure and sharpness of human subjects by recognizing faces in a composition and automatically optimizing the settings accordingly.
In addition, the P&S sports a 3x optical zoom, 38–114mm-equivalent f/3.5–5.0 zoom lens. Plus, the lens’s inner-folded light path means there are no protruding parts to get knocked. For active lifestylers, the 790 SW also has 23 scene modes, including four underwater modes. What’s more, its ISO 80–1,600 sensitivity range works with BrightCapture technology to yield brighter results in low-light conditions. Further, thanks to Shadow Adjustment technology, dark sections in a composition are identified and the exposure intelligently adjusted in these areas for the most realistic results. 
Other niceties are digital image stabilization; VGA, 30-fps movie capture with sound; as well as a one-touch light and LED macro illuminator that’s handy for close-ups. Internal memory (14.7MB) plus an xD-Picture Card slot allow expanded storage capacity. The PT-041 underwater case was also optionally available for adventures 131 feet below the water’s surface.
The Olympus Stylus Tough 790 SW camera came in a choice of starry silver, midnight black, sunset orange and marine blue bodies. SRP at launch: about $300.
