The Bottom Line
During my Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 review, I found a sturdy camera that offers an easy to use interface for beginning photographers. However, I didn't quite like the Stylus Tough 6000 as much as its big brother, which I wrote about in my Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 review.
Both are good cameras, but, with the Stylus Tough 8000 dropping in price to around $300, its tough to recommend the Stylus Tough 6000 over the 8000.
If, however, your camera budget is closer to the $230 range and you don't have the extra money to spend on the Stylus Tough 8000, the Stylus Tough 6000 is a more than adequate substitute.
Pros
- Camera works in extreme conditions, including low temperatures and shallow water
- Camera has sturdy feel and can survive fall from up to 5 feet
- Image quality is pretty good across the board
- Lens has some wide angle capabilities
- 'Tap Control' feature makes it easy to operate camera when wearing thick gloves
Cons
- Response times need to be better, especially start up
- Low-light photos tend to have quite a bit of noise
- LCD and optical zoom lens could be a little bigger
- I like the way it looks, but this design won't appeal to everyone
Description
- Resolution: 10.0 megapixels
- Optical zoom: 3.6X (28-102mm equivalent)
- LCD: 2.7-inch, 230,000 pixels
- Maximum image size: 3648x2736
- Battery: Rechargeable Li-Ion
- Dimensions: 3.8 x 2.5 x 0.88 inches
- Weight: 5.3 oz. (without battery and memory card)
- Image sensor: 1/2.3-inch CCD
Guide Review - Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 Review
Image Quality
The Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 offers pretty good image quality overall. Its outdoor image quality is very good, but it does have some problems in low-light situations with noise in photos. At 10.0 megapixels of resolution, the Stylus Tough 6000 doesn't offer quite as much resolution as others in this price range, but beginning photographers still should have enough resolution to create large prints. Be prepared to do some editing to deal with the noise, though, on large prints.
The good news with the Stylus Tough 6000's lens is that it offers some wide angle capabilities. The bad news is that it offers only a 3.6X optical zoom lens, which lags a bit behind other beginner cameras.
Performance
The Stylus Tough 6000 has an easy to use menu structure with several interesting scene mode options.
Close-up focus isn't great, at least without using Super Macro mode, which works extremely well. Olympus also included an LED to aid in the extreme close-ups with Super Macro.
Start-up times could be better for the Stylus Tough 6000. You will have to wait a few seconds after pressing the power button to shoot your first photo. The camera's autofocus feature works very well, but it can cause some shutter lag in low light conditions.
The 2.7-inch LCD could be a little larger, but it's sharp and easy to see in bright sunlight.
Design
When it comes to the look of the Stylus Tough 6000, it's a two-toned camera body with a lens that doesn't extend beyond the camera body.
The important aspect of this camera's design, however, is in its "tough" features. The Stylus Tough 6000 can:
Survive a fall from up to 5 feet.
Work in up to 10 feet of water.
Work in temperatures as low as 14 degrees F.
If you need a more rugged camera, try the Stylus Tough 8000. Otherwise, if you want to save some money, the Stylus Tough 6000 is a nice option.
