I wasn't going to post a review of my Olympus Stylus Tough TG8000 camera. I figured it was a 7 year old camera and there wasn't much of a point to it. But this past week changed my mind, thanks to a family vacation to Costa Rica.
Prior to purchasing my X-T1 the 8000 was my daily carry camera. It fit easily and perfectly into a Timbuk2 accessory case that I could attach either to my belt or to the strap of my shoulder bag. I originally purchased it back before my return to the world of DSLRs to use at circus workshops and classes to record moves. I saw several rock climbers and aerialists using different models of the Stylus Tough when I attended the Aerial Dance Festival in Boulder Colorado back in 2009, so I picked one up before I went again in 2010. I figured if the camera survived rock climbing, it would survive my life. It served me well for several years as my main camera. I went to the ADF, it went with me to capture my first two trips to Burning Man, and was still my walk around camera when I didn't feel like carrying the full size DSLRs around with me. But once I got the fuji it pretty much sat on my desk.
Then I started packing for Costa Rica. I figured I would be spending a good amount of time in the water, since our resort was right on the beach and had a swim up bar and multiple pools. I also figured we'd be doing some zip lining and canopy tours. So I pulled out the 8000. I did notice the original battery wasn't holding a charge so long anymore, probably because it wasn't getting used regularly, so I picked up a couple replacements and a travel charger from Wasabi Power. (on a side note, if you ever need replacement batteries for a digital anything, check with Wasabi Power first. I have used their batteries now for both the 8000 and the fuji, and in both the WP replacements are as good as, if not better than, the OEM at substantially less cost) And off we went.
For the record, all the shots in this post are straight out of camera JPGs, only change I made was downsized them a bit for faster loading. As you can see, even though it's a 7 year old 12mp camera, it can take some darn good shots. All of these were also in full auto on the basic mode. Good little camera to have in your pocket.
At night, even with the built in flash, there is a lot of visible grain, but heck, this isn't art, it's my kid leaping to attack a turtle with a balloon sword because he is a Ninja Turtle fan. It's not going to wind up in a gallery, but it captured the moment just fine.
In the daylight it's plenty quick enough to capture action shots. Coming back from my high end nikons and even the fuji, I did have to relearn how to anticipate, because there is a significant shutter lag on this camera. On a moving subject like this, it was sometimes around a half second lag time while focusing, but it did get the shot in focus even if it took forever compared to the big guns. Not sure if many compact P&S cameras would have less lag time or not.
Great color and contrast on daytime landscapes, decent dynamic range for a P&S.
Finally, did I mention it's waterproof? 10M/30ft for the 8000. This is my favorite feature of this camera. My big bodies are all weather sealed, but this one I can leave in my shorts pocket and just jump into the pool or ocean with no worries. (other than the fact that is does sink like a rock unless you all a floaty strap of some sort)
So, after getting several hundred great vacation shots with this camera (I won't bore you with any more, if you want more you can find me on FB, where the deluge will come) I decided it was worth a review. Even though this particular model is closing in on a decade, the line has continued on with some major upgrades. I would buy a newer model, but this one won't die so there is no real justification. The current pinnacle of the still line is the Stylus Tough TG4. In addition to extending the waterproof depth to 50ft, this new model ads raw capture, HDR and all sorts of accessories like telephoto and wide angle lens adapters, and even a small ring flash. The newest kid on the block is the Tracker, which is an action video camera version of the Tough series.
So, in short, if you are looking for a rugged action camera, you definitely need to check out and consider the Olympus Tough series. If the seven year old model can keep up as well as mine does, pretty sure the new ones will rock your world and serve you well for years to come.
ps- in case anyone is interested, we stayed at the Riu Guanacaste all inclusive resort. It was awesome and also highly recommended.
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