[pct-l] CAUTION: Olympus Stylus Digital Camera IS NOT WATERPROOF

[blisterfree at isp01.net (Brett)]

Dude wrote:
>>>The weatherproof stylus is definitely a great camera for 
>>>hiking.

My reply:

The Olympus Stylus Digital camera IS NOT WATERPROOF. THE 
TERM "WEATHERPROOF" IS MEANINGLESS. Rather like the term 
"fresh" on a bag of potato chips. Nor is Olympus likely to 
honor repair or replacement on any of their "weatherproof" 
models that happen to have their interior exposed to 
moisture, as happened to me while using the camera in a 
drizzle atop Mt Katahdin last summer. Never mind the sexy tv 
ads in which the Stylus is shown sitting in a pool of water 
during an indoor rain storm. Olympus warranty department 
claims to know nothing about that ad. According to them, if 
the camera has moisture on the inside, then indeed it MUST 
have been sitting in a pool of water during a rainstorm, 
which they admit is beyond the intended use of the Olympus 
digital line of cameras. Never mind that my Stylus 300 
received only a light drizzle and was otherwise well cared 
for. What's more, the photo quality ain't all that hot with 
this camera, as many an online reviewer has likewise 
admitted. Suggest giving these cameras a miss, despite their 
otherwise great set of features. The analog Stylus might 
still offer rugged functionality as in days of old, however.

- blisterfree


> Good to know that the digital version of the stylus is 
> still tough like
> the film version. My film Stylus is nearly unbreakable.; 
> I've had it
> since 1997.  In 1998, I passed two people on the PCT who 
> both say they
> dropped their Styluses into streams and reached in quickly 
> to grab them
> and they both reported that the cameras suffered no ill 
> effects
> whatsoever from the submersion!  The weatherproof stylus 
> is definitely
> a great camera for hiking.
>
> peace,
> dude
>