Finding truth in advertising is always a difficult process. However, when Olympus bills its Stylus Tough-8000 point and shoot digital camera as "tough," the company is telling the truth.
During my testing and review of the Stylus Tough-8000, it quickly became obvious that this model is one of the most well built consumer-level digital cameras around. "Tough" is the right word for this camera, which works underwater and in low temperatures.
Besides being a sturdy camera, in my review of the Stylus Tough-8000 I found that this model has several easy-to-use scene modes, and it performs well when focusing on close-up subjects. I would like to see this model carry a slightly lower price than its MSRP of $399, and a faster start-up time would be nice, but, overall it's a very good camera, especially for those who need to shoot in harsh conditions.
Click the link above to read the full review.
Comments
this model is quite good and handy!!
it also has some unique features which are not present in other models.
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bradpitt1111
Cheap Deals
I was at going to buy the waterproof Olympus camera, but then found the Sanyo Xacti E2 camcorder at amazon.com for $144. It is also waterproof, takes high-resolution 8-megapixel digital still images at 5X optical and 60X digital, plus MEG4 video up to 12 hours on my 16G SD card. It is so small and light, that I took it to a concert and recorded the whole thing without anyone complaining about. Now I am going to take it to record an up coming kayak race down the Clinton Rive.
WARNING for all OLYMPUS “tough” camera’s. Warranty period is only for one year. Anything happening to your camera (even if it is manufacturer deficiency) it is NOT covered. My $400 “waterproof” and “shockproof” camera is 18 months old, when water started leaking into the frame. “Customer Service” has indicated Olympus is not responsible for deficiencies and the estimate is $135 to repair.
My lesson is instead of buying perceived quality, buy cheap and replace often.
I am Super bummed as we just got in from our vacation to Turks and Caicos and I have very few Photos of our trip. I will be taking this camera in for warranty repairs the second time. I have always checked that the camera was water tight and that all of the doors were in fact closed and locked. I never took it below 6 feet deep while snorkeling. The first time I chalked it up maybe a grain of sand being in the door. This time I fully checked and blew the opening to assure that nothing would block the doors. I guess next time I should take a back up camera.
Despite being extremely vigilant, this camera leaked and it is now completely dead. I always made sure to check that the seals were clean and free of any particles that may affect the seal – so much so that I didn’t even open the camera outdoors for fear of sand/dust. Mine is good to 30 feet; I was in 4 ft of water and the seal let water in. EXTREMELY DISAPPONTED!!!!!
Worked great till I took it surfing and it leaked through both the connection door and the battery/memory door. Ruined the micro SD card and lost 1 1/2 weeks of vacation photos. Never went anywhere near the supposed 30ft/10m depth that they say it can take. WATERPROOF MY ASS!!!
My stylus is under warranty. I’ve always followed the instructions but the camera leaked anyways. The customer service people say I have to pay over $200 US to get it fixed.
THIS IS NOT OVER OLYMPUS.
HONOR YOUR COMMITMENTS— IF THE CAMERA’S UNDER WARRANTY, IT’S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX IT!
I used the camera on a snorkeling vacation, everything went well. Brought the camera for a Great barrier reef snorkel and as soon as I got it in the water it said door open and the indicator never went out. I haven’t talked with Olympus yet, but I’m guessing they will have the same answers as the other commenter’s. Kinda sad that a $400 camera works for 6 months!
Sorry to hear about your problems with this model, but thanks for sharing the info! If possible, would you consider giving everyone more details on this camera through a user review at this link:
http://cameras.about.com/u/reviews/reviews/User-Reviews-Of-Olympus-Cameras/form.htm
18 months old and completely dropped its lunch – the computerized board inside has fried and it wasn’t even being used under water – just went one day, charged overnight and dead the next without turning on. NZ $483 to repair it – $17 less than the purchase price. Get it sorted Olympus!!!!
I bought my daughter the Olympus Itough 8000 and 1 week after the 12 month warranty ran out the camera started leaking in 3 foot of water. Also found out that the Australian company who sold me the camera and a diamond extended 3 year warranty with Mack dont honour their warranty – whats the point !
Sorry to hear that! Since posting my review, I’ve heard of several issues with the Olympus Tough cameras leaking and having other problems after several months, unfortunately.
When I have the camera for review, I only have it for a couple of days, so I cannot test for longevity issues, so I appreciate that you have shared your issues with this camera. Hopefully it will help others.
Thanks
Kyle
Like the others, mine leaked in shallow water at slightly over a year old and is now dead. If you read the fine print in the warranty the camera is for all intents and purposes not warranted at all for use under water. Bait and switch if you ask me.
A friend here just showed me his 8010 and I see the access doors are completely redesigned, with a much more positive locking mechanism and a single door for connector and battery/XD card, thus it is clear that Olympus realized the 8000 had a design flaw.
I just bought my stylus tough a couple weeks ago. Yesterday it fell off the bed and now the screen doesn’t work. ‘Shockproof’? I don’t think so. I dropped my ‘normal’ cannon loads of times and it never broke!
Sorry to hear that – that certainly shouldn’t happen to a “tough” camera – hopefully Olympus will repair it for you under warranty.
My camera is 2 years old and started water leaking!! How can I prevent from the full damage?? I’m afraid that one day the leakage will destroy my camera
Sorry to hear that – you’re right that, eventually, the water will destroy the camera. I would contact Olympus and see whether any replacement parts are available for your model – the waterproof gaskets and other components will wear out after a set period of time, usually 1-2 years. Unfortunately, replacement parts and installing those parts might cost more than the camera is worth at this point – make sure you find out what the overall costs will be for this process before going forward with it.