3rdalarm's Full Review: Olympus µ TOUGH-6000 Digital Camera
I held the camera a few inches off the water and snapped some shots of my daughter splashing on her float. "Aren't you worried about dropping that?" said the gentleman next to me." I smiled and said, "Nope," and went on to extole our new camera
This summer, I replaced my wife's camera. I was looking for a digital camera to replace the Fuji Finepix A600 (3.0 MP, 3x optical zoom) that got dropped. I wanted something that would be easy for her to use, compatible with our existing collection of memory cards, had decent battery life, and took a decent picture. My final pick was the Olympus Stylus Tough 6000.
I did not need a megapixel powerhouse, because I have a Nikon DSLR setup for that. I really liked the idea of a waterproof camera that could withstand a bit of punishment. I realized that the 3.6 optical zoom was a bit limiting in comparison to some other similar cameras in its price range, but I think the picture quality and waterproofing were more important for us. I purchased the camera from B&H Photo Video. The camera was in the $300-$325, but finally came down to $250.
The camera is available in 2 models, a 10 MP 6000 series, and a more-expensive 12 MP 8000 series. It is also available in several colors, including orange, blue, yellow, and white. The package includes the camera, battery, charger, proprietary USB cable (more on this later), strap, micro SD adapter, and documentation.
The 6000 can utilize XD cards, or Micro SD with an included adapter. I recommend this option, as Micro SD cards are dirt cheap. Just be aware that the adapter has a "bump" at the end that is compatible with the camera, but not compatible with standard XD card reader slots. Therefore, you must remove the Micro SD card from the adapter and place it in a Micro SD card reader. Not a huge deal, but some people may have trouble manipulating the tiny Micro SD cards. The card slot and battery slot are both under a door on the bottom of the camera. Being a waterproof camera, this is one of the "critical areas". The door has a gasket liner, and a slide lock. My advice would be to keep the gasket clean, and use caution when opening and closing the door, keeping the gasket clean of dirt and debris.
Another nice feature is that the lens does not extend beyond the camera body. This will hopefully prevent mechanism jams as most lenses have to go through extension/retraction to zoom in and out. The 2.7 display is bright and vivid. In fact, it was clearer than my sister's new Nikon P90 (about $400). The 6000 does lack a viewfinder, which means you are dependant on the screen (and therefore your precious battery power) to compose shots.
Startup is fairly quick, and menus are easy to setup. The camera modes include automatic, scene mode, beauty mode, video mode, and playback mode. The beauty mode attempts to ballance lighting and remove blemishes. Scene mode contains a number of presets for different photo situations, including portrait, landscape, beach and snow, underwater, night portrait, fireworks, etc. The smile mode is pretty neat in that it waits until a subject is smiling before snapping the shutter. All modes seem to work well. Autofocus lag is present, but not bad. The tap feature is also nice. The camera contains an accelerometer, and if the tap feature is turned on, key features can be accessed, like cycling through taken pictures, by gently tapping the camera left, right, top and bottom. Brilliant!
I am very pleased at picture quality. Photos are bright and colors are vivid. Shots are nearly comparable to my Nikon D80.
The Tough 6000 is well built. I wouldn't go running over it with my jeep or tossing it out a window, but it is solidly built and looks like it can withstand a drop with minimal (cosmetic) blemishes. I took it to the beach and took some wonderful family pics, and a few quick dunks in the pool or the sink cleared the sand.
I find myself frequently borrowing this camera to avoid lugging around my DSLR. I slipped it in my pocket for bike outings, accompanied me to the pool, beach, and restaurants on vacation, and even onboard a helicopter for some rescue training.
The only place where Olympus dropped the ball was on the USB port. This hides behind a door on the right side of the camera. Unfortunately, the plug is proprietary, and only fits the (included) specialized USB plug. Very inefficient, but also essentially unnecessary with a card reader.
Overall, I highly recommend this camera.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250.00 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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