OLYMPUS Stylus Tough 8000 Black 12.0 MP Waterproof Shockproof 28mm Wide Angle Digital Camera review

If the majority of the stuff you're shooting with the Tough 8000 is still or slow moving (e.g., landscapes, portraits, flowers, lazy fish), the camera's slow performance might not be an issue for you. The average shutter lag in bright conditions was noticeably long for action shots at 0.7 second; it fared better in low light at 0.8 second. The full-resolution continuous shooting speed of 1.1 frames per second is on par with its class, but the long shot-to-shot times for single pictures are a bit maddening: 2.5 seconds without flash, 5 seconds with it. The one thing it does somewhat fast is start-up: 1.8 seconds from off to the first shot.

Sample photos:
Olympus Stylus Tough 8000

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. Sharpness is better at ISOs 64, 100, and 200, but noise reduction hits hard at ISO 400 making details soft and fuzzy. ISO 400 is good enough for small prints and Web use, but I can't recommend using anything above that sensitivity as color noise starts to hurt quality. At ISO 1,600, you end up with big purple/blue blotches of color on shots making this camera a poor choice for low-light photos without a flash.

The Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 is a good option if you need something very rugged for shooting outdoors in good light. It has its shortcomings, namely its slow performance and mediocre photo quality above ISO 200 as well as their general softness. But, it definitely has positives beyond its durability that make it worth considering.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Typical shot-to-shot time (flash)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon PowerShot D10

1.2 

3.9 

2 

0.7 

0.5 

Olympus Stylus Tough 8000

1.8 

5 

2.5 

0.8 

0.7 

Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP

1.8 

3.8 

3.5 

1.4 

0.6 

Olympus Stylus 1050 SW

2.4 

6.1 

5.1 

1.8 

1.3 

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