Olympus Stylus Tough 6020 Review

Pros: Waterproof, shock proof, capable of taking good pictures

Cons: User interface, time from button pushed to picture taken, overall usability

I have this camera.  I bought it off Amazon after my Pentax (I think it was the W90) went missing. This is the second Olympus waterproof camera I’ve owned.

Let me just say… I dislike it.  It takes a while to boot up when you turn it on (you better not be whipping your camera out the second you want to take a picture) and the software seems bound and determined to be set on the wrong settings every time I want to take a picture. Trying to take a landscape picture, you’ll find the camera trying to focus on something 2 feet away and the shot comes out blurry. I have to go through the options every time to select the right setting.  It is time consuming.  The software just isn’t very friendly.

It can take some good pictures… it does have that capability, but the thing is just so user unfriendly, that it kind of defeats the purpose.

I loaned the camera to my ex to take pictures of Halloween and the results were telling.  My daughter had left the frame in most of the pictures or they were very blurry.  The delay on pressing the button is too long and the software seems unable to focus well half the time.

The price was right… but what the Stylus Tough 6020 has in price it looses on functionality and utility.

Don't do it, bro.

 

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6 comments

  1. The Oly Tough 8010 is horrible too. Don’t do it brahh

  2. I think the jury is in on Oly as a brand of digital cameras. Just wish they’d come out with a waterproof iPhone 4S.

  3. I’ve been looking for a compact waterproof camera. The prices on the refurbished Olympus models have been tempting. My first nice camera was an Olympus OM-1 (dating myself). The mixed reviews on the Stylus Tough line has kept me from purchasing. I’ve read good things about the Panasonic models. Hopefully some of the readers will have some field reports on something they like.

  4. Fuji XP, waterproof, shock proof, not as good as my Older Nikon L 100 but it was under $100 and it is my fishing camera and also not as big as the L100. If you do not push it with dark shots, (the flash is not very powerful) or with too much movement, it takes pretty sharp pictures. The reviews said the waterproof battery & sd card door is prone to leaking but I have not had a problem with leaks yet. The Zoom is only 5x optical so you have to get pretty close, no bird pictures for sure. the only waterproof camera I ever had and it does take fish pictures from 10 ft or less with the flash.

  5. Love the FujiXP too but my second bonefish ever fin and grin shot resulted in cutting off my head since the guide couldn’t see the screen in bright sunlightlight or while wearing polarized shades. I have a Canon Power Shot S3 digital with a viewfinder that solves this problem but you have to lower or raise your shades to see. It’s not waterproof and costs around $250. Its not as compact as the flat cameras but its a compact SLR style digital camera and its reliable. I might look into a waterproof case for it. The iPhones have several waterproof cases on You Tube. Might get one for mine. Wait a minute, what am I doing with an iPhone while bonefishing???!!!

  6. My Stylus Tough 6020 had the main board and gasket replaced under warranty in the first 6 months. It is now 1.5 years old and failed miserable when I took it in the pool for a pic. Water in around the memory card, battery and behind the lcd screen. Won’t function now and no longer under warrantly. Not a very good product. I have never dropped it and it has never been down further than a couple feet under water. Boo on you Olympus.

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