The Olympus MJU Tough 6010 is one of the growing number of digital cameras that is waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof. You can take the MJU Tough 6010 into water to a depth of 3m, use it in cold conditions down to -10 degrees centigrade and drop the camera from heights of up to 1.5m. Another feature that you do not usually see on a digital camera is Tap Control. This allows you to change some settings and scroll through photos by tapping the camera.

More standard features include 12 megapixels, a 3.6x wide angle lens, image stabilisation and a 2.7 inch LCD screen.

This type of digital camera is often popular with families who would like to take photos around the pool. The fact that it gives protection against accidental drops also makes it attractive.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
Quite a lot of detail has been lost from the lightest and darker areas of the shot. This suggests the dynamic range of the camera is not as large as it is with other cameras. This means it may struggle with scenes where there is a large amount of contrast.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
There is plenty of punch to the colours in this shot. Focusing is sharp enough. There is a very minor amount of purple fringing, but I can't see this being a problem unless you are planning to make super sized prints.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
Focusing levels are inline with the standard I am used to seeing from a mid range digital camera. There is a very slight haze around the white boats, but as with my previous shot this will not be an issue as long as you keep print sizes reasonable.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
On the whole focusing in my outdoor test shots has been good. There is a slight fall off as you move towards the edges of this test shot. The colour of the brickwork looks very accurate.

Outdoor Portrait
This straightforward test gives a straightforward result. There are no problems with focusing and I like the natural look the MJU Tough 6010 gives to the skin tones.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
Looking at this photo I think it could do with a little more light. This would help to brighten darker areas such as the hair. The shot is not quite pin sharp.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
The lighting at the time this shot was taken was quite good. Despite this there is still noise in the shot taking the edge off the definition. This suggests to me that the majority of indoor shots will require flash to be used.

Colours
I like the colours the MJU Tough 6010 produces. I think it does especially well with skin tones.

Macro
As I have seen with other Olympus digital cameras the picture takes on a slight purple tinge under artificial lighting. This is not really a camera I would recommend for any serious close up photography, but it is o.k. for the occasional snapshot.

Noise
Noise levels soon pick up when taking photos where the light is not perfect. Although this is true of all compact digital cameras it is more noticeable with this camera than many others.

Overall
The MJU Tough 6010 does well enough, but one or two issue hold it back in comparison to other tough cameras.

Shutter lag times without flash are about average. My test times were 0.38 seconds for a single photo and 11.93 seconds for five photos. With flash times were 0.49 seconds for a single shot and 19.55 seconds for five shots. The time for five shots is on the slow side.

To turn the camera on and take the first shot was 2.78 seconds. This is a fairly typical time.

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

When you consider the emphasis is on keeping water out of the camera it looks good. The lens is positioned in the top right hand corner. You can select from turquoise, blue and red models.

95.3 x 63.4 x 22.4mm

149g

Lithium Ion.

Olympus has built 45mb of storage into the MJU Tough 6010. That is enough for around 17 shots. The camera is compatible with xD and micro SD cards.

Click here to save money on xD cards..

Very good. There are not a massive amount of features to get used. This helps to make the camera straightforward.

Ease of use - waterproof - shockproof - freezeproof

High contrast scenes - lower light situations

If you are looking for a very good alternative try taking a look at the Panasonic Lumix DMC FT1

The Olympus MJU Tough 6010 will handle most photo opportunities as long as you do not go overboard on print size. If picture quality means a lot to you then there are better bets out there, but taking into account all the features it is still a decent camera.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menu

Description:	12 megapixels and a 3.6x zoom lens
Ease of Use:	9
Features:	9
Colour:	8
Macro:	8
Indoors:	7
Value for Money:	8
Style:	8
Movie Mode:	8
Image Quality:	8
Build Quality:	8
Total:	81
Verdict:	With its rugged characteristics the MJU Tough 6010 is likely to prove to be an attractive option to many people. In terms of picture quality it does not quite hit the heights the best cameras manage, but if you are after a tough snapshot camera it will do the job.
Review Date:	October 2009
Related Pages:	Olympus MJU Tough 6010 Specification Olympus MJU Tough 6010 Sample Images Olympus MJU Tough 6010 Features

	GBP 159.99
	GBP 219
	GBP 223.99
	GBP 229
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Camera	Rating
Panasonic DMC FT1	83
Canon Powershot D10	82
Olympus MJU Tough 8000	82
Olympus MJU Tough 6010	81
Olympus MJU Tough 6000	81
Fuji Finepix Z33WP	77

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 6010