Olympus MJU Tough 6000 Review

The Olympus MJU Tough 6000 is a rugged digital camera. It is waterproof to a depth of 3m, freezeproof to -10 degrees centigrade and shockproof to falls of 1.5m. In addition to this it has a 3.6x wide angle lens and a 10 megapixel sensor. It also offers image stabilisation.

As well as its robust body the MJU Tough 6000 takes a decent snapshot and is also easy to use. It is a good choice for a family where a digital camera may take a knock or two.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
The MJU Tough 6000 gets off to a solid start. Focusing is about right throughout most of the photo, although it does slip away towards the right hand edge of the shot. Some of the blue lines on the boats take on a purple tinge where they caught by the sun. Some detail is also lost to sun glare.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
This is a good effort for a digital camera with a wide angle lens. Levels of sharpness are a bit above what I am used to see from this type of lens. My only complaint here is that the top and bottom of the picture look darker than they should.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
Focusing is similar to the first test shot. It is good through most of the shot, before softening towards the right hand edge of the photo. Based on my three tests so far I would say you should be able to take decent scenic snapshots.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
Up to now focusing may not have been pin sharp, but I cannot see any major flaws. This is especially true if you produce snapshot size prints. Again with this photo the brickwork is clear enough to see without quite hitting the razor sharp standards a small number of cameras manage.

Outdoor Portrait
All three of my portrait shots work well. The MJU Tough 6000 manages to inject a good deal of brightness into this outdoor shot. I cannot foresee too many problems with standard portrait snapshots.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
The amount of light in this shot is about right. It is also spread evenly across the photo. Some of the skin tones are on the pink side, but that is a minor gripe.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
This is one of the brightest versions of this test shot I have ever produced. The MJU Tough 6000 also shows more detail and less noise in this shot than I am used to seeing.

Colours
Olympus digital cameras produce natural looking colours. There is enough punch in blues and greens to produce vivid, colourful scenes.

Macro
This is not one of my best macro test shots. Part of the problem is caused by the white body of the MJU Tough 6000 reflecting back off the watch face. This could be a problem if you are planning to photograph jewelry or other reflective objects. I would expect much better results for say nature subjects in natural light.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
I was pleased with my indoor portrait as that suggests this camera can handle light that is not perfect without pumping out high levels of noise. As ever it is best to only use higher ISO settings as a last resort.

Overall
When it comes to picture quality the MJU Tough 6000 ticks most of the boxes. The colours are true and sharpness is good, especially when the subject is close to hand like in a portrait shot.

The MJU Tough 6000 is not the fastest camera around when it comes to shutter delay or being turned on. It took 0.52 seconds to take the first photo and 19.68 seconds for five photos. Flash did not have a major impact on times. A single photo took 1.92 seconds and five took 22.19 seconds.

To turn the camera on and take the first picture took 4.49 seconds.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The MJU Tough 6000 is available in a range of bright colours. You can buy versions in white, orange, blue and yellow. The lens sits in the top right hand corner and makes the camera look a little different to other models.

95.3 x 63.4 x 22.4mm

149g

Lithium Ion.

Olympus has built 42mb of memory into the MJU Tough 6000. That is enough to get you started with around 20 shots. The camera is compatible with xD and Micro SD memory cards.

Click here to save money on xD cards..

Very good. The menu system is bright and easy to read. You also have quick access to the most common functions.

Robust features - ease of use

Start up and shutter lag times

Other cameras in this range include the Olympus MJU 1050SW. Other brands have recently announced their first tough digital cameras and I will be reviewing cameras from Canon and Panasonic in the coming months.

The Olympus MJU Tough 6000 does what it sets out to do. As well as being a robust digital camera it can take a good snapshot and you should have no problems finding your way around the camera.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menu

	GBP 269.99
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Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Olympus MJU Tough 6000