Built like a tank, the previous 770 SW looked as if it was designed to withstand bullets. It was tough, heavy and just about as attractive as a silver-skinned ogre. Male geeks loved it. But because of its Incredible Hulk attributes, it was hardly a fit for a too-chic Gucci clutch bag.

Pros

The new 790 SW, on the other hand, is a decidedly prettier offering. It's available in five colors and brings to mind comic book characters like Batgirl, Elektra and even Storm from the X-men series--sexier alter egos to the beefy superheroes.



The 790 SW is waterproof, shockproof and freeze-proof. You can take pictures underwater, throw it repeatedly from a height of 1.5m onto the floor (just like the 770 SW), freeze it into a block of ice, and it will still come out clicking. But compare it with the older 770 SW and you will find that, in a sexist fashion, the 790 SW's "powers" have been toned down.

For example, instead of being able to plunge to a depth of 10m unscathed, the 790 SW can manage only 3m. The same goes for its crushability (none at all vs 100kg). It's too bad that manicured nails just aren’t as tough.

We really like the new glossy finish and the minimalist front panel. These put it in the league of designer-ish models from Canon and Sony and that's not a bad thing. The navigation menu has also undergone a bit of a spruce-up. The Jog Dial acts as a shortcut for the camera's primary functions and the Menu button is context-sensitive.



There are two menu layers. The first is a crossbar-style interface with the joypad used to access the main features. Once you get past that, it's the line-by-line layout that's pretty much standard in most cameras.

Beyond its tough guy image, the 790 SW is really a point-and-shoot that keeps picture-taking simple. You can't set custom white balance while light sensitivity is kept down to a maximum of ISO 1,600. There are 23 scene modes, like Cuisine and Sunset, with an accompanying sample picture and a caption to explain how it works. There're, of course, the obligatory underwater modes (four of them) to justify the 790 SW's marine cred.

Cons

So it's new, but Olympus, apparently, is contented to let some old flaws to remain. There is that creaking noise when the lens mechanism tries to focus and the 790 SW still accepts only xD-Picture cards. We were rather hoping that in the case of the former, it's simply teething issues (we are holding on to a prototype) and will be resolved in the final retail set.

Conclusion

We know the 790 SW is really for newbies--almost every picture-tweaking function on the camera can be previewed on multi-view, so the indecisive can check out how a picture will turn out under different settings. And everything is up for preview, from zoom levels to metering and white balance. In fact, it's like a dummies' guide for camera features and we are sure even seasoned pros would appreciate the shortcut benefits.