Overview
The Olympus MJU Tough 8010 is a robust digital camera. It is waterproof to depths of 10m, shockproof to falls of 2m, crushproof to 100kg and freezeproof to -10 degrees. This type of digital camera typically appeals to someone with an active lifestyle or to a family with younger children who might cause the odd bump or bruise.
As well as the more attention grabbing features Olympus has equipped the MJU Tough 8010 with plenty of other useful controls. These include image stabilisation, High Definition movies and tap control. Tap control allows you to change some features by tapping the camera rather than accessing the menu system. There is also an extremely large built in memory of 2GB. The battery can be recharged via a computer using a USB cable.
One area I found very disappointing were the response times of the camera. I found the MJU Tough 8010 to be one of the slowest cameras I have tested in a long time.
Picture quality falls into mid range. There are no killer issues that put me off the camera, but at the same time picture quality did not excite me.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
14
5x
2.7 inches
98.3 x 63.6 x 23.9 mm
215g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
3cm
Yes
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/SDHC
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
Sometimes when I review a camera it is difficult to find a lot to say about picture quality. This happens when a camera is neither good nor bad. This is true of the MJU Tough 8010. Many key areas, such as sharpness, are about average in my outdoor shots.
When you push the camera a bit harder with the zoom either fully extended or zoomed right out the results continue to be perfectly adequate. There is little sharpness lost as you move towards the edges of the shots. Detail showing in shady areas is o.k. too.
If you increase the print size of my fourth shot of a building it helps to explain why shots taken with the MJU Tough 8010 can lack that bit extra. The brickwork on the building looks a little flat with a loss of definition. The better cameras somehow make the brickwork standout more.
Portraits
The MJU Tough 8010 copes well with my outdoor portrait shot. There are no issues with the shot and you should be able to reel off plenty of pleasing portrait shots with this camera.
Moving indoors I found the burst of light delivered by the flash unit to be quite harsh. The result of this is some shiny areas on the face and a loss of the natural look to the skin tones.
I much prefer the picture taken without flash. The lighting available when I took this photo was good. This is a big help to the camera. There is a much more natural look to the shot.
Macro, Colours and Noise
As I expected the shiny front of this camera mirrored light back onto the subject and decreased the amount of definition showing in my close up test. This will not be a problem if you are shooting subjects that are not reflective.
The colours are gentle when compared with a lot of other brands. This is a feature I have noticed with other Olympus digital cameras. Some blues have a tendency to pick up a purple tinge. This is especially true in bright sunlight.
The MJU Tough 8010 does not have any specific issues with noise. I did find that parts of a photo can take on a pixilated look. This is becomes more apparent if you increase print size.
Summary
The MJU Tough 8010 is middle of the road when it comes to picture quality. When viewing my test results I didn't find anything to put me off buying the camera, but other cameras can offer a bit more pizzazz.
Style
The MJU Tough 8010 has a distinctive look. A large section on the front on the camera is highly reflective. The lens is positioned in the top right hand corner. It has quite a chunky and as you might expect it has a solid feel. It is available in silver and black.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
1.68 seconds
21.98 seconds
1.69 seconds
24.97 seconds
7.58 seconds
Ease of Use
Despite the fact there are a few extra features on offer the MJU Tough is still easy to use. I like the addition of a band running down the right hand side of the screen to show current settings.
Points I Like
Ease of use - USB battery charging - 2GB of built in memory - built in manual - robust features
Where it Could Improve
Turn on time - shutter delay
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Olympus MJU Tough 8010 Review Olympus MJU Tough 8010 Specification Olympus MJU Tough 8010 Sample Images Olympus MJU Tough 8010 Features
Review Date
July 2010
