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Olympus Mju 8000 Tough
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mlr
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Hey!
I have been noticing some posts that mention the above camera but has anyone out there got one that they have no problems with and that they are happy with the image quality of?
I was considering buying one for out upcoming trip to SE Asia but i am unsure now!?
Can anyone suggest a good alternative to the above (waterproof, dust proof, good picture quality, etc) or would i be best sticking to my current Olympus digital camera which i am really happy with & taking along some underwater disposable cameras instead?
#1 Posted: 3/8/2009 - 21:03
SBE
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I've got one. It's a replacement camera for one in the same series that leaked. In fact it's my THIRD replacement camera under the guarantee for my original *waterproof* olympus in the mju series.
I originally bought a 770 mju...that leaked after two weeks and was totally wrecked... which left me without any means of taking pictures (apart from my cellphone) for the rest of my six month trip.
I got an upgrade under the guarantee, the 1030 mju. That leaked after a couple of weeks too, but luckily I had another camera with me that time.
I got another 1030mju as a replacement for that. Guess what, it started leaking too and wrecked an almost full 2 giga memory card. The only way to keep water out was to bind it with heavy duty electrical tape every time I went snorkelling.
Now I have the "tough" 8000 as a replacement for that and although I haven't tested it underwater I can tell you right now that the thing seems totally incapable of focusing in super macro mode. (The 1030 did quite good macro shots). It also seems to me even more "automated" than the previous model, fewer options on the control button but a new "beauty" mode which I guess is merely very heavy handed noise reduction. All it appears to do is smooth out fine detail and reduce the maximum number of pixels from 12 to 2 or something. (Sorry haven't got the manual handy right now).
Anyway I am not a happy camper with this camera and I would NOT recommend it to anyone.
Dpreview did a very useful in-depth comparative review of several waterproof cameras recently.
They are pretty underwhelmed with the image quality of the Olympus too (and theirs didn't leak!).
Check it out... I think it'll answer all your questions!
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q209waterproofgroup/
#2 Posted: 3/8/2009 - 23:38
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mlr
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Hey SBE
Thanks for the reply and post, it was very helpful! Im definetly going to avoid the mju 8000 tough now and think that i'll perhaps opt for having a Canon D10 or Panasonic TS1 along side my everyday digital camera for underwater use!
#3 Posted: 4/8/2009 - 00:17
BruceMoon
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mlr
Your second option was to retain your current camera and buy a disposable underwater one for when yo need it.
I suggest that when travelling, its best to have a camera that one is comfortable with.
Given this, if and when you decide to replace the current camera, do it at a time when you are not travelling big-time.
Cheers
#4 Posted: 4/8/2009 - 05:19
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I've got an Olympus MJU8000 and so far it's retained its waterproof-ness - mind you, I've only it a month and as far as me and electrical/electronic equipment goes, it'll probably leak like mad around a week after the guarantee runs out ;P .......
#5 Posted: 23/11/2009 - 13:11