Photo : Olympus Stylus 1030SW 10.1MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Wide Angle Zoom (Black) |
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Rating:  - * takes LOUSY, Grain, noisy picutres ... I've always leaving 4,5 stars reveiws, and there is a reason I think 1030 sw sucks. I bought a refurbished one on Amazon on Oct 27,2008; and I first seen this camera when hiking with my friend in New Hampshire last winter, I heavily relied on the customer reviews on Amazon to make a decision (was going to by a canon SD), and somehow I pretty set up my mind in buying one so I just ignored the negative reviews and think they either got a lemon or they don't know how to shoot a good picture. And this Thanksgiving my friend came from Detriot to Boston and brought his Canon 1100is, we went to Boston, Harvard University and took a trip to Ipswich which is a beautiful town north of Boston. I wasn't trying to compare anything but just copied all our photos into one folder and boy was I surprised. ALL & EVERY picture that was taken by my $300 something camera was noisy and not focused well, while pictures taken by canon were way better. My friend tried to convince me that my investment was good but even he can tell the huge difference, all the details, focus are lost with this olympus SW 1030 camera. I know how to shoot good pictures and I am so pissed that I spend 300 bucks on this high-end camera and it takes lousy pictures. I was upgrade from a Canon A610 and bought my girlfriend a Canon SD 900, I moved to Olympus because I read an article said that they had a very good DSLR E520, so I figure the SW 1030 should be good, and also I do lots of hiking, mountaineering and sea kayaking, it's just the picture quality is too bad to tolerate, it's far worse than my 3-year-old A 610. Don't say I am not buying the right camera because this camera is good for waterproof, shockproof and all that things. Of course I love those features but I love good quality too!!!!!!!!! If you think quality matters than don't buy this camera, believe me or not you will find out yourself. I've sold mine after Thanksgiving plus the extra 60 bucks I spend on the cases, xD cards, I am thinking of moving to a canon sd 990 but don't have the money now, I'll just wait for the price drop on sd 990. Rating:  - * Not great.... ... I got this camera a few months ago to have a rugged camera that I could use at the beach and stick in my pocket. I had a Canon Powershot SD600 before that had been ruined by beach spray. Previous to that I had an Olympus Camedia D-560 Zoom in college which had been abused thoroughly and survived 5 years and mutliple countries. I was disappointed with the Canon as it was so delicate so I decided to switch back to Olympus. To summarize... This camera is well below average. I have tried using it in a variety of settings and all have been subpar. I waited to write a review after a few months, thinking I might be able to work out the kinks - but after a wonderful Thanksgiving - I felt I must mention this camera's inadequacies: 1. The camera takes rather blurry pictures when it should not - it's pot luck - some turn out alright, many do not. There is a setting that is supposed to eliminate this problem, but it does not. 2. I like simple cameras that don't require me to adjust the setting for any moment. This camera doesn't allow that so when a moment strikes -pictures often come out either overexposed, blurry, or grainy. Ridiculous for a camera of this price. 2. The movies are absolutely terrible - seriously, I could probably draw a flipbook better than the movies this thing takes. I was amazed how absolutely horrible the movies are after my previous two cameras - one 3.2MP and the other 6.0MP. I realize this is not a camcorder, but it's nice being able to take brief movies when the moment arises - as my old Canon was able to. Overall - I am very dissapointed with this camera. I have not used the underwater capabilities but have let my 3 year old niece use it to see how rugged it is. Actually that's the best thing so far - I have no worries that she'll break it and don't really care if she does. Back to Canon now..... Rating: - * It does the job well ... I won't go over all the points & features others have already covered well. So I'll just quickly note I am very happy with this camera. It doesn't have the best lens by any means or the strongest zoom, but it is amazingly waterproof. We used it in the ocean snorkeling as well as in the pool taking various shots and videos. Worked like a charm. You do have to play with the numerous settings and modes to get some pictures to look just right -- especially in lowlight situations. (Daylight pictures were no problem.) I found some night pics didn't always come out so well and it was very much a matter of trial & error to get them to work, so be sure to practice before trying to take pictures of an important event, trip or moment. Also the flash is not the strongest either so be sure your main subject(s) are fairly close and pretty much forget about the background showing up if it's any real distance away. The panorama function worked really well in just about every situation and the camera can even stitch the images together for you itself and you can see the results in a few seconds. The camera fits nicely in the pocket of your shirt or pants. The charger will charge the battery fully in about an hour or so. We also bought the orange flotation strap which did keep the camera from sinking in water. It's a good, solid all purpose camera which we had a lot of fun using. Rating:  - * Best Buy ... This is the third Olympus Stylus 1030 SW I've purchased in the last year for myself and family members. We have had no problems with this camera at all and buying through Amazon is absolutely the way to go. The only negative feature with this camera is very, very low volumn when you use the video side of the camera and Olympus is aware of the problem. Rating: - * Flawed ... The screen stopped working before a dozen pictures were taken. The warranty does not cover the shipping. Very expensive and disappointing. |
In the previous The Curse of the Black Pearl, Sparrow was killed--sent to Davy Jones' Locker. In the opening scenes, the viewer sees that death has not been kind to Sparrow--but that's not to say he hasn't found endless ways to amuse himself, cavorting with dozens of hallucinated versions of himself on the deck of the Black Pearl. But Sparrow is needed in this world, so a daring rescue brings him back. Keith Richards' much ballyhooed appearance as Jack's dad is little more than a cameo, though he does play a wistful guitar. But the action, as always, is more than satisfying, held together by Depp, who, outsmarting the far-better-armed British yet again, causes a bewigged commander to muse: "Do you think he plans it all out, or just makes it up as he goes along?" As far as fans are concerned, it matters not. --A.T. Hurley
On the DVD
Here's something you can't say about just any DVD extras: There appears to be more of Keith Richards in the outtakes, interviews, and other special features on the At World's End disc than in the actual film. For those scenes alone, this special edition is well worth the price. Richards looks as woozy and gamey as all the rumors suggested, and answers questions he's not asked, with Johnny Depp sitting next to him, almost acting as a translator. Richards offers pithy comments like, "Everything I do is original, you better believe," and smiles when other cast members call him "Two-Take Richards" for supposedly nailing his scenes.
The packed second disc also includes a terrific mini-doc on how the filmmakers created the famous maelstrom, in an enormous hanger in Palmdale, California, with the ships floating 30 feet off the ground. "Just moving the Black Pearl was an enormous undertaking," says producer Jerry Bruckheimer with serious understatement. Other cool extras include "Tale of the Many Jacks," deleted scenes with great commentary, "The World of Chow Yun-Fat," a bio of composer Hans Zimmer, features on the set designers, a look at the impressive Brethren Court, and some hilarious bloopers. "You can't curse in a Disney film," deadpans Depp when a costar blurts out something blue. "See? I told him." The extras are truly as much of a rollicking adventure as the film. --A.T. Hurley
Beyond Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
 Our Pirates of the Caribbean Store |  Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl |  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest |
 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Soundtrack |  Why We Love… Bill Nighy |  Johnny Depp Essential DVDs |
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In the previous Dead Man's Chest, Sparrow was killed--sent to Davy Jones' Locker. In the opening scenes, the viewer sees that death has not been kind to Sparrow--but that's not to say he hasn't found endless ways to amuse himself, cavorting with dozens of hallucinated versions of himself on the deck of the Black Pearl. But Sparrow is needed in this world, so a daring rescue brings him back. Keith Richards' much ballyhooed appearance as Jack's dad is little more than a cameo, though he does play a wistful guitar. But the action, as always, is more than satisfying, held together by Depp, who, outsmarting the far-better-armed British yet again, causes a bewigged commander to muse: "Do you think he plans it all out, or just makes it up as he goes along?" As far as fans are concerned, it matters not. --A.T. Hurley
In the previous Dead Man's Chest, Sparrow was killed--sent to Davy Jones' Locker. In the opening scenes, the viewer sees that death has not been kind to Sparrow--but that's not to say he hasn't found endless ways to amuse himself, cavorting with dozens of hallucinated versions of himself on the deck of the Black Pearl. But Sparrow is needed in this world, so a daring rescue brings him back. Keith Richards' much ballyhooed appearance as Jack's dad is little more than a cameo, though he does play a wistful guitar. But the action, as always, is more than satisfying, held together by Depp, who, outsmarting the far-better-armed British yet again, causes a bewigged commander to muse: "Do you think he plans it all out, or just makes it up as he goes along?" As far as fans are concerned, it matters not. --A.T. Hurley
