first imperssions: Olympus 770 SW

After a bit of research, I purchased the Olympus 770 SW (Amazon ~$200). I got it specifically to take with me while surfing. I took a bright orange shoe string and attached it to the strap eyelet. When surfing I either keep it in my trunk pocket or around my neck.

Cons:

• The xd "H" memory card is hard to find (curently using the "M"
• No view finder, you have to use the screen - which is tough to see in direct sun
• Photos turn out best when the right mode is selected (like underwater) - there are 20+ modes!
• It's hard to quickly change modes and they aren't ordered the way I would like (wish you could customize this)
• Water stays on the lens which has messed up several pictures
• There are tiny drops of water in the battery/memory card area after opening the door
• Very hard to read the white button labels (camera is dull silver) , more contrast is needed
  

Pros

• great size
• tough (I have landed on it with no damage)
• Can take a burst of pictures in most modes - great for action shots
• good photos
  

After a few days, I'm overall very happy with it. I have a lot to learn about shooting in the water, but that's part of the fun. I've been taking about 70 shots per session ... I got a 500 gb external drive to store the photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/barreled/Olympus770SW/