Home > Consumer Reviews > Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 12 MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Wide Angle Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black)

We ordered the silicon skin and floaty strap with this camera and we havent had any problems yet. Its been out in freshwater, the ocean and the pool for the past 4 days straight with really great pictures! We really like the tap-control feature. My husband took it on a 5 day hiking trip to Kauai, and was worried that the battery would die (no electricity out there). Happily one full battery lasted the whole trip even with several movies recorded! The camera is easy to use, takes great pictures and movies, and best of all fits in your pocket! The one drawback is the camera is so small that sometimes with the underwater shots, it's hard to stablize the camera and a finger shows up in the corner of the picture. That will get better over time though. We were glad we got the 8000 over the 6000 because we were easily free diving past 10 feet while snorkeling to get some great turtle pictures. So far we love the camera!

Recently took new Stylus Tough 8000 on a snorkeling trip to Crystal River Fl. Upon paddling in a canal my fiance dropped the camera in ten feet of water and a foot of algae. After unsuccessfully free diving for an hour we opted to return in the morning with scuba. The next day we fanned and used a rope search pattern for about 59 minutes before recovering our brand new camera. After 24 hrs of soaking it turned on and worked perfectly. Needless to say we have purchased the floating strap and tested it in the pool for and hour, it stayed on the surface. Hats off to Olympus for a great camera.

The Olympus 8000 flooded with my first underwater experience. Yes it was salt water. After ten minutes or so underwater (never more than 1 meter deep) and getting to know the camera, bubbles started to show in the viewer and all was over. I am waiting for a reply from Olympus and expect a replacement but the vacation photos are toast including some that were taken topside. Reading the fine print of the warranty the water proof seals need to be inspected and replaced once a year by the factory. If you buy this camera for underwater use buy the specialized housing.

My review is based on my experience with other point+shoot that I used before the Tough 8000, namely Canon TX1 and Canon s400. My opinion is that the Tough 8000's image quality is clearly below that of the 2 Canons I used before. Tough 8000 has higher noise at lower ISOs. The IS on the Canon TX1 work much better. You won't feel the existence of any image stablization on the Tough. Image is generally less sharp than the Canons. The tough 8000 however is quite tough! I bought it to go on the Half Dome hike and rafting trip the next day. Bang it on rocks and swam with it. No leakage, functioned nicely. Battery life is good. It is compact, easy to use. Very poor in low light situations. Buy it only for the tough daytime outdoor use.

I purchased the Tough-8000 specifically for its underwater capability because I wanted a decent underwater camera for use when snorkeling in Bonaire. It worked great on land (pretty decent speed and quality for a P&S camera) but died after only three uses in water when I was snorkeling. Each time I got out of the water I religiously followed the instructions for cleaning the camera, yet the 4th time I got in the water the camera simply would not turn on. Yes, it was charged, and every now and then when I tried to turn it on it would make noise like it was trying to start up and the screen would flicker, but then it would stop. I mailed it back to Olympus today to see if they will fix it. Whatever happens, I'll never buy an Olympus again! For the record, the underwater shots I was able to take turned out well; too bad the camera wasn't functioning the last few days of my trip and I missed getting pics of an octopus literally within arms reach of me in shallow water on a sunny day. That would have been a great shot . . . too bad my camera was dead by then. Don't buy this product if your primary purpose is underwater use.