Olympus µ Tough 6010

Of course with the word 'TOUGH' in the product name, there's an expectation that the camera will be quite rugged. Olympus designed the µ TOUGH-6010 for use when the going gets rough, wet and cold, and claims the camera can withstand drops from 5ft...

The cons...Well a very lousy manual, many functions not properly described. The filters are unlabeled so one has to guess what they are. But for those who are already partial to the Olympus menus, it is easy guesswork

Versatile and tough, surprisingly usable ISO 1600 pictures

Soft images, no AF assist, slow performance

Olympus' Mju Tough 6010 is a rugged camera that can be operated in almost any conditions. It doesn't snap particularly crisp images even in ideal conditions, but if you can live with this there is only a small loss in quality at higher ISO ranges.

Nice colour reproduction, good overall image quality, environment proofing

Lens cover, controls a little convoluted, far too expensive, video quality not great

Good images and the appeal of weatherprooing are offset slightly by a few niggles. The price, however, seems far too high over previous models

Stuendous build quality ; Beautiful images ; Waterroof ; Foolroof

Exensive ; Slow continuous mode ; No manual control

Solid feel construction; user-friendly - especially tap-control option; freezeproof, waterproof and shockproof

Uninspired design; small buttons; poor results in low light without flash

Tough on the outside it may be, but otherwise a modest snapshot camera with average image quality

Smart and chunky styling ; 3.8x wideangle zoom range

Lens becomes hazy towards the edges ; Heavy noise reduction and smoothing ; Over-complicated EV compensation

Conclusion The Olympus mju Tough-6010 lives up to its name. It looks good, and it sits at the bottom end of the price range for this kind of camera. But its image quality is only so-so, and, if you buy it, you may always have the nagging feeling that...

If you're looking for a camera you can just throw in a bag whenever you're heading outdoors, but which also won't look out of place at a party, the mju Tough-6010 is ideal. It's easy to use, robust enough to take the knocks, has reasonable performance...