Last update 09 September’09 – Review and Sample Photos @ Demystifyingdigital
Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 is a 12 megapixels point-and-shoot digital camera features 3.6x optical zoom (28-102mm in 35mm photography) with dual image stabilization, shockproof up to 5 feet, waterproof up to 10 feet underwater, freezeproof up to (14F/-10C), on-screen manometer, Tap Control, smile shot, and a 2.7? (6.9cm) HyperCrystalTM III LCD with Backlight. The camera measures 3.8?W x 2.5?H x 0.88?D (95.3mm x 63.4mm x 22.4mm) and it weighs 5.3oz (149g).
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Review Index – (updated 09 September’09)
Demystifyingdigital
“My family loves the water and this Olympus waterproof camera is very water-friendly. In fact, It’s waterproof down to 33 feet. What an awesome feature. My first reaction was to throw the kids in the pool and shoot a ton of photos. Once I got that out of my system, I also found the Olympus Stylus Tough 800 was great for things like our “slip ‘n slide” or for when the kids are playing with the hose or even in the rain”
Gizmodo
“Relative to other test shots by other waterproof cameras, the photos were, well, middling and grainy. I don’t believe that picture quality is necessarily a main concern on waterproof cameras—water quality is a bigger determination here—but as an above water camera, there are better choices.”
PCMag
“While the Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 is tough, has handy tap controls, and is quite attractive for a ruggedized camera, it’s difficult to recommend an almost-$400 shooter with image quality results that are on a par with the Canon PowerShot SD300 Digital Elph—a camera from 2004.”
Rating: 
Steve’s Digicams
“Leading the way in “go anywhere, do anything” line of digicams, the Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 goes as deep and is as strong as any other camera on the market. A big plus is that the styling of the camera doesn’t make it stand out as an underwater only camera. Featuring a 12-Megapixel imaging sensor, 3.6x wide optical zoom lens and dual image stabilization, it has everything you would find on other digicams in its price range. Performance from this Olympus model is very good, but it does lack a little in image quality.”
CNET
“Photo quality is good, but could certainly be better. Image noise and detail degradation starts creeping in fairly early, about ISO 200, so try to keep the ISO set at 64 or 100, and make sure you have plenty of light. Colors are natural and pleasing, and at their best at these lower ISOs, too; shots were generally evenly exposed as well. At all of the ISO settings, however, photos from the Tough 8000 just aren’t sharp.”
Rating: 
Imaging Resource
“Its combination of “tough” features and ratings outranks anything else currently on the market, and it snaps photos with accurate color and better than average detail for its category. Drop it, crush it, freeze it, or dive with it to 33 feet, and it’ll keep on clicking: If “tough” is what you need, the Tough 8000 delivers it in spades.”
DigicamReview
“The camera has a wide range of features that should suit every person, such as face detection focus, shadow adjustment, numerous scene modes, good video mode, excellent macro mode, a wide angle 3.6x optical zoom lens, etc. It’s also good to see Olympus are supporting MicroSD memory cards with the provided XD adapter. The only thing I’d say this camera was missing, is custom white balance.”
Rating:
TechRadar
“The controls are too dainty for extreme conditions. The buttons would be hard to operate underwater or in a blizzard, and the menu system is hard to navigate. However, image quality is reasonable, with a decent amount of detail and pleasing colors.”
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Cameras.co.uk
“This is a robust digital camera at home around water or on the ski slopes. It is also drop proof and crush proof. It takes a good picture and is worth a good look if you are after a digital camera anyone in the family can use.”
Rating:
MacWorld
“Overall image quality is good as long as you don’t push the camera to produce big enlargements. Underwater scene modes produced average results in a swimming pool, which feels like a missed opportunity for a camera designed to tame the elements. But for family vacations, rambunctious kids, and outdoor enthusiasts who want to document their adventures, the Tough 8000 will be a faithful companion.”
Rating: 
The Digital Story
“Overall image quality is fine as long as you don’t push the camera to produce beyond its design. I made 13″ x 19″ enlargements from the 12 megapixel files, and they were OK, but I saw corner softness on only average detail. But I liked the 5″ x 7″ and the 8.5″ x 11″ prints much better.”
About.com
“For an almost $400 camera, the image quality with the Stylus Tough-8000 is a mixed bag. In good lighting, you’ll find excellent images most of the time, with good color and sharpness. However, when the lighting is not as good, you’ll tend to find some stray noise in images.”
TravelGearBlog
“If you are in the market for a waterproof digital camera, the Stylus Tough-8000 Digital Camera is one of the best ones on the market at the moment. It has everything the previous Olympus waterproof camera had and then some. If you do a lot of travel or serious outdoor activities, the Stylus Tough-8000 Digital Camera should be a no brainer.”
Rating: 
InfoSync (As compared to the Panasonic TS1 and Fujifilm Z33WP)
“It was a tight race, however. The Olympus Tough 8000 is definitely the best current Stylus of the lot. But when it came down to overall sharpness, detail and color, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 took the cake, with the Fujifilm Finepix Z33WP riding its coattails.”
Buy-n-Shoot
“There isn’t much this Olympus unit isn’t able do for a camera in its price range and there certainly aren’t many places it can’t be taken. So for the oft travelling, adventure seeking, and those who would prefer to really use their camera to its fullest rather than keep it tucked away for special occasions, this unit is one to seriously consider.”
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PhotographyBlog
“The usual caveats apply of course. Like most digital compacts, the Olympus mju Tough 8000 likes good light and isn’t really well suited to low-light photography. In addition to that, its extreme pixel density pushes its folding optics to their limits and beyond, meaning you don’t get as much detail as you would expect based on its high pixel count.”
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Gadling
“Topside, the image quality is everything you would expect from a good point and shoot camera. The auto shoot mode on the camera does a great job adjusting the flash and exposure settings to get the best picture possible. We found ourselves in that “auto” mode ~95% of the time because the camera is undoubtedly better at judging the proper settings.”
DPInterface
“Performance-wise, the Stylus Tough 8000 is around average in terms of speed. There is nothing in particular that screams ‘blazing fast’, but things aren’t sluggish either, considering the 12 megapixel files the camera needs to process. Battery life of the Stylus Tough 8000 is around 10% above the group average.”
CNET UK
“You expect compromises in a specialized camera, but precious few have been made with the Olympus mju Tough-8000. The fine detail could be better but it’s not enough to worry about, and you’re not giving up on any of the things you can take for granted in a standard snapper.”
Rating:
CNET Australia
“While the Tough 8000 may be the most rugged camera on the market, it doesn’t mean it’s the best in terms of image quality. We were disappointed with the general lack of clarity that photos had, and the amount of noise and chromatic aberration present.”
Rating: 
Digital Photography School
“Another feature that I thought was quite nice was the “tap control” feature. I have used cameras underwater before and one of the main issues I had was trying to change settings whilst underwater with diving gloves on.”
Digital Trends
“Although we certainly like the tough concept and the ability to kiss your worries goodbye if drop your camera, step on it by mistake or take it into the snow and water without a care in the world, a digicam still has to take good pictures. The Olympus Tough-8000 really doesn’t do that primary task well, sad to say, and it’s hard to recommend”
Rating:
]Sample Photos
[Sample Photos @ Gizmodo]
[Sample Photos @ PCMag]
[Sample Photos @ Steve's Digicams]
[Sample ISO Photos @ CNET]
[Sample Photos @ Imaging Resource]
[Sample Photos @ DigicamReview]
[Sample Photos @ Cameras.co.uk]
[Image Quality Sample @ PhotographyBlog]
[Sample Photos @ DPInterface]
[Image ISO Quality Samples @ CNET UK]
[Image ISO Quality Samples @ CNET Australia]
Similar Cameras
Press Excerpt
London, 7 January 2009 – Olympus’ unique range of waterproof, shockproof and freeze proof TOUGH cameras has grown with the addition of the 12 Megapixel µ TOUGH-8000 and the 10 Megapixel µ TOUGH-6000. Both models feature 3.6x wide zoom lenses, great for taking awesome wide-angle photos of rugged terrain and for zooming in on the distant bits that you can’t get to! Blur caused by camera shake is virtually eradicated on the two new TOUGHS, thanks to Dual Image Stabilisation and, as both cameras feature TAP Control, they can be operated by simply tapping on their casings – very handy if you’re wearing ski gloves. The µ TOUGH-8000 and µ TOUGH-6000 let you take extremely good photos in extreme conditions, and enjoy the experience.
The new top-of-the-range µ TOUGH-8000, is hard as nails and perfect for those who want to push things to their limits. It’s waterproof to 10m***, shockproof to falls from up to 2m**, freezeproof down to temperatures as low as -10°C and crushproof to weights of up to 100kg****. Fellow newcomer, the µ TOUGH-6000 is no wimp either. As well as being freezeproof, this model is waterproof to 3m*** and impervious to drops from up to 1.5m**.
Both models inherit the versatile 3.6x wide optical zoom first seen on the EISA Award winning Olympus µ 1030 SW. Starting at 28mm* wide-angle, fantastic for landscapes and architectural photos, this lens zooms up to a useful 102mm*, which is ideal for concentrating on more distant subjects. And Dual Image Stabilisation significantly reduces image blur caused by camera shake, even when the µ TOUGH-8000 and µ TOUGH-6000 are being used in challenging situations, such as being buffeted by the waves.
Being tough doesn’t mean that the new models aren’t sensitive. The µ TOUGH-8000 and µ TOUGH-6000 are packed with features that make beautiful photos a cert. And, with 12 and 10 Megapixels resolution respectively, results can be enlarged as big as you wish. Capable of recognising up to 3 faces, the µ TOUGH-8000’s Face Detection Technology guarantees that human subjects are always perfectly focused and exposed. The µ TOUGH-6000, which boasts Advanced Face Detection Technology, goes one better and can detect up to 16 faces. It also has a handy Smile Shot feature which automatically takes the picture as soon as the subject smiles and, for even happier results, Beauty Mode can retouch their skin as the shot is being taken, removing lines and wrinkles for a smooth glowing complexion.
To further improve picture quality Shadow Adjustment Technology has been included to boost shadow detail that would otherwise be lost. And for the ultimate in photography convenience, Intelligent Auto Mode analyses the image being photographed and matches it to one of five commonly-used scene modes, automatically selecting the best choice.
As an alternative to the intuitive on-screen menus displayed on their 6.9cm/2.7” HyperCrystal III LCD screens, the µ TOUGH-8000 and µ TOUGH-6000 also feature Tap Control. This allows fast access to a range of settings simply by tapping the camera body – even when wearing gloves, such as when skiing.
The µ TOUGH-8000 and µ TOUGH-6000 are waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof, and available in a range of great colours – so picking the right one might prove tough too! Expect to see them in UK stores in mid-January and early February 2009 respectively.
