June 23, 2009

Olympus MJU Tough 6000 Review

Digital cameras can be delicate things. The Olympus MJU Tough 6000 is somewhat different. While some digital cameras cough and splutter and come to a grinding halt if they meet with a little bit of water or fall apart when they drop from a small height, the MJU Tough 6000 is built to withstand the odd bump and bruise. It can cope with the odd soaking too. Olympus has built the camera to be waterproof to 3m and shockproof to drops of 1.5m. For good measure they have made it freezeproof to -10 degrees centigrade. Altogether these features offer quite a lot of flexibility. The camera should be able to stand up to action around the swimming pool and on the ski slopes. The fact it can overcome the occasional drop can make it a good choice for a family where a camera may fall into young, unsteady hands from time to time.
Aside from these more obviously qualities there are a number of other reasons why you may be attracted to the camera. For a start it is easy to use. The menu screens are bright and easy to use. Olympus has also added a function button. This gives you access to some of the most common settings you may wish to change from time to time. These include white balance and ISO settings. The camera also has something called tap control available. This lets you change some settings by tapping on the camera rather than accessing the menu.
In terms of looks this camera is a bit different to the many identikit digital cameras in the shops. The lens sits in the top right hand corner. It has a small protective piece around it. You also have a choice of four colours. These are white, yellow, blue and orange. All four are bright and eye catching.
The 10 megapixel sensor gives you scope for extra large prints. Alternatively it gives you the chance to crop photos for a more dramatic effect and still be able to make a smaller print. The 3.6x lens offers wide angle capabilities. This is great for family group shots while away on holiday. It also means you can squeeze in wider landscapes. You also have access to image stabilisation if you need to counter camera shake.
As you might expect features such as face detection are available. These can help you to produce sharper portrait shots. There is also a beauty shot mode. This can help produce smoother looking skin and it also lightens skin as well.
Images can be stored on either xD Picture cards or micro SD cards. Olympus has also built 42mb of storage into the camera to get you started.
When it comes to picture quality I had no real complaints. Here and there I noticed sharpness would fall away, especially on the right hand side of a photo. This was true of more distant scenes. For closer in shots there were no issues of this nature. If you are photographing reflective surfaces the bright body colours of the MJU Tough 6000 can cause problems if you are in close as they tend to be reflected in the subject.
One area where I think the camera can improve is with start up and shutter delay times. Here the camera was on the slow side and this always increases the chances of a missed shot here and there.
Up to now Olympus has had this corner of the market to itself. In the spring of 2009 both Canon and Panasonic have announced cameras on similar lines to the MJU Tough 6000. I am looking forward to getting my hands on those models later this spring to see how they compare.
Andy writes and reviews digital cameras for Cameras.co.uk. See his test shots and ratings for the Olympus MJU Tough 6000
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Needham

May 7, 2009

Olympus Stylus Tough-6000 Detail


-10-megapixel resolution for photo-quality, poster-size prints
-Waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, crushproof and shakeproof
-3.6x wide-angle optical dual image stabilized zoom
-2.7-inch Advanced HyperCrystal III LCD screen
-Compatible with xD Picture Cards and microSD memory cards (not included)
-Waterproof: Equivalent to IEC60529 IPX8/JISC0920 (10 feet/3 meters)
-Shockproof: MIL-STD-810F Shock Equivalent (5 feet/1.5 meters)
-Freezeproof: MIL-STD-810F Low Temp Equivalent (minus 10 degrees C/14 degrees F)
-Aperture: f3.5 (W) / f5.1 (T)
-Display: 2.7 inch HyperCrystalTM II LCD with Backlight Boost
-Power Source: Li-ion Rechargeable Battery (LI-50B), AC Adapter (D-7AC) with the optional DC Coupler (CB-MA1)
-Storage Media: 42MB Internal Memory, xD-Picture Card (1GB, 2GB), microSD (MASD-1 is required)
-Optical Zoom: 3.6x
-Digital Zoom: 5x
-Minimum Focal Length: 0.8 inches
-Maximum Focal Length: infinity
-Focus Modes: iESP Auto, Spot Auto Focus, Face Detection Auto Focus
-Focus Type: CCD Contrast Detection
-Focus Range: 5 to 18.2 millimeters
-Exposure Metering: Digital ESP Metering, Spot Metering, Face Detection AE (when Face Detection AF is selected)
-Exposure Compensation: Plus or minus EV steps in 1/3 EV steps
-Picture Quality: 10 megapixels
-Shooting Modes: Intelligent Auto, Program Auto, Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization, Beauty Mode, 14 Scene Modes, Movie
-Shutter Speed: 1/2000 second to 1/4 second; Up to 4 seconds in Night Scene mode
-White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten and 3 Fluorescents
-Light Sensitivity: Auto, High Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
-Minimum Flash Range: 0.33 feet
-Maximum Flash Range: 13.1 feet
-Included Flash Types: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-in, Off
-File Formats: Still Image: JPEG Movie: AVI Motion JPEG
-Width: 3.8 inches
-Depth: 0.88 inch
-Height: 2.5 inches
-Weight: 5.3 ounces