This is a really nice camera with lots of features, however, I would caution anyone looking at it to note that it is limited to only 10 seconds (yes, ten seconds) of video at high resolution. I called Olympus, and they said it is an issue with their memory card and could not say if the problem would ever be fixed.

I upgraded to the Stylus 1010 from the Stylus 830. Though it is arguable whether it is a true upgrade.

Besides the obvious improvements such as the better zoom and higher MP's, it is essentially the same camera. It has a better battery, simpler controls and improved software on the camera, but it is not weatherproof, which used to be a standard feature on Stylus models. It lacks the rubber gaskets on access doors and the anodized aluminum body of the 830 has been replaced with a plastic one. The one major improvement the 1010 has is its ability to accept SD micro cards (up to 2GB, don't go buying High Capacity SD micro's for this thing) which are much cheaper than their bigger brother the XD (who are also limited to 2GB's)

The SHQ movie feature seems to be a reoccurring problem with Olympus though. The Stylus 830 was only able to record 20 second clips at 640x480/30fps. The Stylus 1010 can only record 10 second clips at that setting. However the 1010 does give you the option of recording 640x480/15fps with longer clips.

Overall I am happy with the purchase and am impressed with the picture quality, and expanded options in the software. However Olympus could have spent a little extra time developing a true upgrade for the stylus series instead of throwing in a few improvements, (and retrogrades in my opinion) and calling it two different cameras (the 1010 and 1020 whose only difference is the LCD screen, and flash option on during high speed sequential shooting.)

Pros:
7x Optical Zoom, 10MP, 2.7" LCD, MicroSD Compatible, Small Size, Loads of Features

Cons:
Panorama requires Olympus Memory, 10 Second Best Quality Video Limit

Aftering having this camera for a couple days, I feel confident in its features to write a review.

Things I really like about this camera. :
*It is the size of my cell phone + a little thickness
*10 MegaPixel resolution
*An unheard of 7x Optical Zoom for a camera it's size.
*The 2.7" LCD is large, bright, and clear even outside
*Light weight design even with the battery
*Quick 2 hour recharge time on a long lasting batter
*I can use cheaper MicroSD memory with the provided adapter.
*It is packed with features and shooting modes
---Auto - Point and Shoot
---Manual - Adjust Options Freely
---Scenes - Pre-Selected Modes based on Environment
---Guided - List that sets camera settings based on what you want to do
*2 Continuous Shooting Modes
---Standard - normal resolution w/ 1 to 2 second delay
---High Speed - 3 MP resolution w/ very almost no delay
*Super Macro Mode - allows the camera to focus on objects less than an inch away
*30 minute video clips in the other modes

Features I am not fond of:
*To use the onboard and computer panorama, art, and 3D features you must use an Olympus/Fuji Branded XD memory card
---The alternative is getting some photo "stitching" software
*The highest video quality setting of 640x480 at 30fps allows only 10 second video clips
---This may be solved by an eventual firmware update

I was able to purchase a 4GB MicroSD memory card for $23 after shipping, compared to $30+ for a 2GB XD card or more for Olympus Brand. The 4GB works perfectly in the camera and allows for 1600+ pictures on 10 MP Normal quality. I ran my own test between fine and normal qualities, but did not find enough of a discernable difference to warrant the doubling of the file size.

I plan on taking the camera with me on a 2 week cruise in Europe. I wanted a camera with a great zoom, quality, and the ability to store all of my pictures on a single memory card. I feel I have found the perfect travel companion in this camera for size, quality, and weatherproofed travel conditions.

Overall I think this is a great camera and while I can't use the panorama mode on the camera, I can easily get some "stitching" software to create my own. I would recommend this camera to those that want a portable large zoom camera with a plethora of features for the basic to intermediate photographer.

First of all, I am not a great expert. But I do like to take good pictures, and do have a special need for close-up photos, and both of these needs are accomplished by this camera in a way that exceeds my rather high hopes and expectations.

My special 'close-up' application doesn't seem to be covered by other reviewers, and my experience using the Olympus 1010 in this way may be of interest to someone with similar needs. I do scrimshaw wherein images are produced on ivory-like surfaces by an engraving technique known as stippling (creating tones with closely spaced dots). I like to photograph my work in a way that reveals the technique, and shows how images with fine detail are created. In most cases it is necessary to photograph the subject at a distance of about 3 to 4 inches. I could go into much detail about how I struggled to get results approximating what I wanted using other cameras, but with the Olympus 1010 all I need to do is put the subject in reasonably good light and shoot the picture with the camera hand-held in the regular macro mode. The results are so good that I have already consigned my tripods and special lighting platform to the storage shed where they will reside until my next yard sale.

For ordinary day-to-day pnotographing I have entertained myself by shooting pictures of various subjects with various lighting conditions, and have been uniformly impressed with the results of my clearly amateurish efforts. There doesn't need to be a book entitled "Photography For Dummies" written for users of this camera. I have proof that it can make one with little photographic talent look very good.

this camera made mess with my pictures. it is no good in a low lite room,
i am very upset with the way my pictures came out.olympus should recall it. i have a old stylus 8.0 it takes much better pictures.

I have been using Olympus cameras since the OM-1 SLR many years ago, so I am probably a little biased.
I purchased The Olympus Stylus 1010 along with the 2 gig XD card a month ago and have found it to be everything advertized. It is extremely easy to use as a point and show camera though the many possibilities for additional settings may be a little intimidating for a beginner. I had been happy with my previous Stylus except for extreme closeups and telephoto. With the Stylus 1010 the 7X optical zoom takes care of most of my telephoto needs and for closeups using the macro or supermacro settings work just great.
Probably the biggest surprise for me was the Panorama feature. This provides the option of guiding you through the necessary steps for three parallel shots and then "stitching" them together right in the camera. This is the feature I show people when I say, "Hey! Look what my new camera will do!"

This is an update on this subject. The Xd M+ card is now out and with the 1.1 Firmware update from Olympus fixes the 10 second limit for 640X480 video

This camera works great! I love it. The clearness of the photos are wonderful and the battery life lasts forever.

Having been a professional photographer and even teaching a couple of college photography classes, I've shied away from anything "automatic"
in cameras, and have clung to more old-fashioned methods when taking pictures.
I purchased an Olympus Stylus 1010 as a gift for my wife.
I'm now stunned and amazed.
This camera is virtually foolproof. It simply won't take a picture that's out-of-focus, and worry that the camera might not be steady is no longer a concern. Period.
The pictures are crystal clear and I've enlarged them to 16x20 with no loss in quality.
My wife even snapped a landscape from inside a car traveling 60 mph, and the resulting shot showed no motion blur at all.
I believe.

Its just the one which I was looking for. The camera is very sleek as compared to other cams having 7x optical zoom. This is having some cool features like panaromic view. The only cons with this is you need to have Olympus memory card in order to use some of the features including panaromic view. Moreover, i would like to suggest everyone who wants to use this camera for video recording, to buy Olympus M+ xd card for it. The reason is if you buy a normal xd card or M type xd cards you wont be able to record the vedio clips greater than 10 sec.

I think that this is a great camera. I set it to "auto" and let the camera determine if a flash is needed or not. The camera really does all the work...I just push a button. I have also used the video option. I have taken video clips as long as 30 seconds and they come out great and with sound. I really think that this camera was a great purchase.

This camera is great. With a 2GB memory card you can take over 400 pictures!

I have had this camera for a few months now and it is fantastic. I have taken picture in all different lighting situations and have great bright vibrant pictures. I recently took pictures at my daughters dance recital where you couldn't use a flash and as simple as changing the setting on the camera I was able to take fantastic pictures. I am very happy with the camera it actually takes better pictures than my much larger SLR camera.

This is the best camera I have ever used. It takes excellent photo. Very easy to use. Crystal clear LCD screen. And has just about ever photo modes I will ever us. I was really surprised. I took several photos at night (in night mode)(great pics). I also to some pics of pool water. some in auto mode and the in the beach mode. Huge difference. The colors and shadows. The camera also has a close up mode. I thought I would never use it. Until I went to the beach 2 weeks ago. I found so crabs so i tried it perfect, you could see ever little detail. I would highly recommend this camera.

With the Stylus 1010, Olympus has combined a high quality 7X zoom lens with their TruPic III DSLR Image Processor in a well made, stylish point-and-shoot camera. Since receiving this model as a Father's Day gift I have taken dozens of pictures, and have been greatly impressed with the camera's focusing speed and accuracy, excellent color reproduction, and low noise levels. Of particular note are the high quality macro and super macro modes which are capable of producing floral photos such as the example that I have posted. In addition, the Stylus 1010 also offers 23 preprogrammed scene modes, and the Perfect Pix software program which allows the user to perform in-camera red eye and shadow adjustment corrections with the push of a button. All in all, another excellent product from Olympus.

I have had an Olympus for about 4 years and wanted a small one so I could use the same XD card, and also not have so much weight in my purse.
I also wanted a larger viewing screen. I love the size and the screen.
BUT when I was looking at the specs I neglected to notice it does not have a viewfinder and so in bright sunlight it is not very good seeing what you are trying to shoot. I am an artist, so that matters a LOT to me as I take a lot of shots for painting references. The other thing that isn't good is that the built-in flash doesn't reach very far at all. My older camera has a pop-up flash that does a much better job.
But now I know all this and can make adjustments. I still am using my older camera, and if I need to shoot indoors with flash, I will take it instead of my new attractive PURPLE camera! It has a great optical zoom at 7X which is better for me when outdoors shooting stuff at a distance. My old one is a 5X optical zoom. I'm not sorry I got it, but these two things are issues to consider.

I purchased this camera as a gift, because I already have an Olympus camera. The display screen is big and clear and takes wonderful pictures. Pretty easy to use, even right out of the box. I would recommend this camera for anyone who likes a little bit of color (I purchased a purple one!) and a whole lotta fun!!

I bought this camera for the 7x optical zoom and the image stabilization. I was disappointed when I read other reviews talking about a 10 sec video limit but I need a small point and shoot camera not a video camera so it didn't matter as much to me. I popped in a 2GB xD card and just to test out everything shot some video to see how it worked. The camera started to count down from 29 min. I put it in a tripod duck taped the whole thing to my motorcycle and drove it around my neighborhood it was a short trip but it recorded 6 minutes of really clear video and I was still counting down so I'm sure I could have recorded another 24 more minutes. It corrected for lighting the sound was good and the picture was excellent.

great camera - really happy with it. Easy to operate, got the features I was looking for: large zoom, "wide angle" via in camera stitching, dual stabilization, high mega pixels, pocket size, good price, good quality, nice design.

This is a great camera. I purchased several and had to return them due to slow shutter speed. This one is pretty fast. The purple color is a little more hot pink than purple, but is pretty. The screen is large. The camera fits well in your hand and is very easy to hold and use. Great settings too, with descriptions of what each setting does and means. Highly recommended.

Great camera for anyone who wants a little more than the basic point and shoot camera. Haven't played with it enough to be too specific, but to date have found that the super macro settings are amazing, have gotten terrific closeups of flowers, etc. Not so sure about low lighting, but haven't experimented much. Digital zoom also seems to be very good. Would definitely recommend this camera.

I really like this camera. My previous digital camera was an Olympus but much bigger. This one fits in my pocket. It also takes pictures fast so allowing you to catch the moment and with grandkids that is great. I really recommend this camera and Amazon is the cheapest place to get it.

This camera snaps a picture more quickly than any other I've ever used. That is important when you have a baby and a puppy to catch looking just right.
The screen is large and easy to view. The 7x zoom is a great feature. The pictures are gorgeous with the 10 MP.
The only negative is that the flash seems to be on the opposite side of the lens of any camera I've used. This takes getting used to when you want the flash on top when taking pictures.

When a buy an item for over 250$, you expect a reliable delivery. Don't you. But instead amazon chose to ship it via USPS, who just keep it outside your side and here in Redmond where at a lot of places the letter boxes are outside the houses, anyone can just pick it up.
An item worth 250$ ought to be delivered by a courier like UPS or Fedex.
If amazon has to ship anything via free shipping it should just mention that we have no responsibility that it would be be delivered to you.
If am not buying anything from Amazon from now onwards..

I have had this for about a month but used it on a vacation so it got lots of use. Lovvvve the color but beyond that it takes great pics. I am replacing a Canon-S2IS with a 12x zoom (zoom is a major consideration for me in getting a camera). I was tired of the bulkiness of it and looking for something smaller but with camparable zoom and pic quality.
It was between a small camera with a 10x zoom and this camera that caught my eye, I confess, with the color! The other had higher zoom, larger viewer (another concern for me)but was a bit bigger. the Olympus was smaller but less zoom. I decided to buy the other when I took one last look through the viewers of both and realized I could see much clearer through the Olympus! Even without my cheater glasses - even though the screen was smaller! That sold me! I don't miss the difference in the zoom, it takes great pics, flash is great and I haven't begun to try all the easily accessible options for special shots, no flash, etc. Battery charge lasts a long time. I got the XDm+ memory card for it so I could take longer videos. Price was $30 for 2 gig, not terrible. The size is great - I carry it everywhere now and get more chances to have some great shots!
The one drawback that I stated in the title is the USB connection. I cannot believe that they made it so slightly different that you cannot use a standard PC to camera cable - you need the one they supply. I hadn't tried downloading and I almost didn't take that cable on the trip since I have a standard one I used for everything! I would have been steaming! Bad Olympus!

This camera is amazing! I can take great videos with the XD M+ memory card, the picture quality is outstanding, you just have to make sure you put it in the right mode, you don't even have to open the manual, the camera tells you everything about each mode. I went on a trip and blew up certain pictures to 8x11 and everyone that comes over thinks they are professional! This camera is worth the money, if you are looking, you've gotta get it!

This camera fills all our needs. We particullary like its small size and it is amazing how much technology is packed into its small frame!

My wife and I could not be more pleased with this camera!
Great Pix, lots of useful features, easy to see display - even in the bright sun!

Purchased the Olympus 840 and returned due to poor quality photos . . . ordered the 1010 because I still believed in the Olympus brand. This camera is FANTASTIC! Great, high quality photos . . . !!!!
Glad I made this purchase . . .

I got this camera as a present for my birthday and it is wonderful. I am taking the best pictures I have ever taken so far. I shake like a leaf and even some of the best camera can't compensate for that. This camera kept my pictures stable even if I am not. That is what was the most important to me I don't care how great the camera is supposed to be if all the pictures end up fuzzy it isn't worth it. This camera was worth every penny to me. Also if you have children this would be great. My son never stops moving which would normally make for a bad picture but this camera adjusts even when he is running the picture turns out clear. It is also very easy to use I figure out even the fanciest of feature in just a few minutes with the camera. I would recommend it to anyone on the go that wants great pictures.

I'm sorry to say it but the Olympus Stylus 1010 didn't live up to my expectations at all. I've always had Olympus cameras that worked amazingly well, so when my last camera broke a few weeks ago I decided to splurge and get this one. I figured all the great reviews couldn't be wrong so I was very surprised to see that every single picture I took was either blurry, dark or grainy. The flash was also a mess since it only reached to around three feet - anything farther was too dark and anything closer was washed out. The coloring also made everything appear very dark and drab... everyone I took pictures of looked sickly once I uploaded the pictures onto the computer. I tried it on automatic, I tried every scene mode and I tried setting the camera myself on the manual setting. Nothing helped. I thought for sure it was a fluke so I exchanged it for another Olympus Stylus 1010 and this camera was just as bad. I don't know where Olympus went wrong with this model but the camera was completely unacceptable, especially for $300. The cheaper Canon I had before this worked 100x better, so I eventually just returned the thing and got the Canon Powershot SD1100 which works much better.

Good camera, not a great camera. It will suffice for everyday pictures, but if you want something unusual or technical, it does not cut it.

Sooo easy to take pix in any situation. Take a video as long as you want. From closeups of flowers to sunsets - I love this camera. My friends ask to see my camera so they can check out what I've shot lately because I carry it with me everywhere. The large screen is great...and you can see it in full sun. No complaints about this litte gem.

I bought the camera for the better zoom and rechargable battery. Awsome performance best zoom I have ever had. Can take almost 100 pictures on a single charge thats even with using the flash. Get features and tutorials to help you use the camera to its peak performance. If your looking for a great camera with many features and compact to boot dont pass this one up.

I have to agree with the previous poster. This camera is horrible!
I thought it was defective and exchanged it, but the new one was just as horrible. So, buy it if you don't care about the picture quality.

Previously I used a digital camera Sony, but this is very superior in quality. I am very content with it even continuous discovering new possibilities. The photos that I have done are fantastic and in spite of the great amount of possibilities that it gives you, it is relatively easy its use.
I like to make photos of the nature, of landscapes and with this camera whose zoom lens is fantastic I can easily manage to photograph with great quality which I wish.

I did a lot of research before I bought this camera on Amazon and I love it. It is simple to use, haven't quite learned the more advanced settings but to turn on and just shoot is super easy. Good quality images and quality material it is made out of. I bought it in purple and love this camera!

I forgot my camera for my son's graduation for college. We had a video camera, but I wanted a point and shoot. I've owned older Stylus models before and never had a complaint, so when I saw this with 10 megapixils and a 7x optical zoom, I knew it was mine.

As with any camera you have to discover all the features. One that I loved during the graduation was a continuous shooting mode. I have about 20 or 30 photos of him walking across the stage getting his diploma. With those kind of shots you never seem to time the best shot right, but now you don't have to. You get them all and can pick out the best of the bunch. That mode did use up alot of the battery though.

Battery life in general has been great, I don't have to recharge every 2 seconds, and I can pick up my camera after not using it for a couple of weeks and there is still "juice".

Overall very happy.

I can't find anything wrong with this camera. Both zoom and clarity outperform my friends new Nikon digital 35mm slr. That was a shock to me and him. Long battery life, very bright display, unbelievable video. Also, it is superior at low light settings, even with the flash off. Just put the dial on SCN and find the 'available light' setting. It comes out brighter than it appears to your eyes. Also very easy to operate.

This is a great camera for the price. Make sure to purchase the recomended memory card and you will be very pleased. Very fast downloads, crisp vivid pictures. Very easy to use with a sleek, attractive look.

This is an excellent camera! I feel it is the best value for the money period!

The camera is easy to use. The pictures are clear. My hands shake quite a bit and the stabalization feature is great. The only thing is you need to let people know you have to buy optional equipment to use underwater.