Olympus MJU Tough 8000 Review

The Olympus MJU Tough 8000 is freezeproof, waterproof, drop proof and crush proof. This makes it a good choice of camera to use around the pool and on ski slopes. It is also a good choice for anyone with a young family who like to get in on the picture taking. Drop most digital cameras and you are looking at an expensive repair bill or the replacement of the camera. The MJU Tough 8000 on the other hand will take the odd knock and bump in its stride.
Looking more closely at the figures the camera is waterproof up to 10m or the equivalent water pressure. This means it is not really suitable for diving to any real depth, but is fine for messing about with in the swimming pool. It is freezeproof to temperatures of -10 degrees centigrade. This should cover most situations you find yourself in. It is drop proof up to 2m, so roughly head height or a little higher. It is crush proof to 100kg.
For a while now Olympus has had the robust digital camera market to itself with just the occasional offering from Pentax and Fuji to contend with. As of spring 2009 this part of the camera market has started to hot up with new cameras being introduced by Canon, Fuji and Panasonic. These companies have now identified just how popular this type of camera can be. I am not surprised as I often get asked for recommendations of r digital cameras that can also be used by younger children.
Other key features worth mentioning include a 12 megapixel sensor and a 3.6x, wide angle lens. That is more than enough pixels for most requirements. In fact if all you are planning to do is make smaller, snapshot sized prints then it is well worth considering shooting at lower resolutions. This will help to conserve space on your memory card. The wide angle lens comes in handy if you enjoy taking photographs of wide scenes such as landscapes, groups of people or wide buildings. Olympus has also built image stabilisation into the MJU Tough 8000 to help you create sharper photos.
When it comes to ease of use there are no major issues. There are not that many features to get to know within the menu system. On the back of the camera you will find all the standard buttons, plus one that gives you access to a shadow adjustment feature. The menu system also has a handy help guide too. To speed up changing settings Olympus has given the camera tap control. This means you simply tap the camera to change a feature. I am not sure just how useful this is likely to be, but it might help you here and there.
The design of the camera is a little different to most. The front is highly reflective and the lens has been placed in the top corner. There is a small box around the lens giving the MJU Tough 8000 quite a distinctive look. It comes in three different colours. You can choose from black, silver and blue versions.
Picture quality is good enough in my view. The Olympus MJU Tough 8000 handles most snapshot situations well. Detail can be lost from the lightest areas of a shot and you may also notice a slight softness from time to time if you are planning to make large sized prints. All in all though there is not a great deal to worry about.
Andy writes and reviews digital cameras for Cameras.co.uk. See his test shots and ratings for the Olympus MJU Tough 8000
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