Olympus has just announced the new 12-megapixel Stylus Tough-3000, a shockproof, waterproof and freezeproof compact camera.
The Stylus Tough-3000 is the first Stylus Tough camera with High-Definition (HD) video and features like Magic Filter (Pop Art, Pin Hole, Fish-Eye and Drawing) and AF tracking to keep subjects in focus. The Stylus Tough-3000 also features a 3.6x wide-angle optical zoom (28-102mm equivalent in 35mm photography, f3.5-5.0, Dual Image Stabilization, Tap Control, Face Detection, Intelligent Auto Mode, In-Camera Panorama mode, a TruePic III image processor, a new graphical user interface (GUI), Geotagging and Face Recognition with the Olympus Software, and SD capability.
The Stylus Tough-3000 can be submerged up to 10 feet underwater and incorporates four preset underwater scene modes as well as the ability to capture HD movies underwater. It can also withstand a five-foot drop and can still perform when the temperature dips well below freezing (14 degrees Fahrenheit; -10 degrees Celsius).
The Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 comes in red, pink, blue and green and will be available in February at $229.99.
Official Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 Press Release >>
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It’s easy to miss, but the most important part of this announcement is … drum roll …
SD card compatibility!!!
Yayyy!
It’s about time!
Olympus has been using tiny, slow and hard to find xD Picture cards for their compact cameras for years now. They had noticeably slower performance when transferring files and they’re small enough that I was always worried about losing them. And they had to be an impediment to selling cameras. How many regular Joes who already owned SD cards were going to pony up for a camera that also required them to buy a different kind of memory card? I think the addition of HD video probably pushed Olympus over the edge with this one. There’s no percentage in designing and managing new xD memory cards when the SD memory card organization is already spec’ing up to 2 TB SDXC cards.
Anyway, regardless of the reason for the change, I’m very happy it’s happened. I really like the Olympus Stylus Tough cameras and I’m looking forward to getting one of these to play with. I already told Olympus to put me at the top of their review list
I have had an Olympus 720 for a year and a half before it died on me. Not impressive. Looking for a replacement but even the newer versions my paddling friends have still have a looooog shutter lag. And the picture quality is not too great. Anyone know anything about this new one? Any other manufacture make a more responsive waterproof camera?
Sorry about your 720 SW, Canoe Boy. The new Olympus was just announced and isn’t available yet. I’ve already requested one for review but don’t expect to have it in my hands for a month. You should read my article on waterproof cameras, if you haven’t already. One of the things it says is all waterproof / rugged cameras have compromised image quality. We also see a lot of negative reviews from owners who’ve had them leak. Here’s a link to that article:
Outdoor And Waterproof Digital Cameras
The best image quality I’ve seen in a waterproof camera is the Canon PowerShot D10. However, I still like the Olympus waterproof cameras better because they actually fit in a pocket. I’ve been using the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW for over a year and it’s worked great for me – on the snow, in the water, in the rain – everywhere. And it does have better image quality than the 720 SW. I’m sure the Tough-3000 will have better image quality, too. But it won’t have image quality that compares to the best point-and-shoot cameras. For that you have to give up the waterproofing.
Any idea if it allows zoom in movie mode?
hello, I got this Olympus tough 3000 3 days. The main reason I got it is being able to go snowboarding and not break my camera, I also like to film my friend and being able to film in HD (either 720p or 1080i) is a great feature for me.
One bad side about this camera is how lagging the HD video are. I mean I connected my camera to my computer and its lagging like crazy in HD mode. I havent use the camera much so I will try other settings to find out if the problem is with me or the camera itself. I bough the camera from newegg.ca fast shipping but I might return it if not satisfied. most description ive find online were mentioning 30fps for 720p HD mode… Im wonder if thats really the case… anyone?
hi felix,
I have the same problem with my Olympus tough 3000 (lagging HD video on the computer). Moreover, I can’t find a wait to play those videos on my PS3. Do anyone know how to fix this?
I onced owned an Olympus 790sw and had it for almost two years until it was stolen from me during a trip to the jungle. I loved it. I guess I had good luck with it because I read the reviews and many people said that it always leaked! I want to buy a new one but all I see are bad reviews for the 8010, 6000, 6020, etc etc. I would like to know from all of you what your experiences were with ANY Olympus waterproof camera. I’m thinking of going back to a 790sw due to my past experience with it. Is the 3000 also worth it? Are you still having a hard time loading the HD videos?
i owned the olympus 790 sw and loved it. it diesd about 3 years later. it wasnt so water proof on my last adventure so i bought the new stylus tough 3000 to replace it…. horrible, it hasnt even see water yet and already (3 weeks later) it wont turn on.
June, have you checked if there’s any batteries in your camera?:) I dont think your brand new camera just flat out died on you…..
i was wondering if the olympus 3000 was really waterproof or just highly water resistant. i dont want to take it under water and find that it has broken when i come back up.
I currently have a 790SW – no technical issues. Obviously an older camera, the picture quality seems sub-par now inc comparison to newer cameras on the market. Can someone suggest an olympus camera with REALLY good picture quality? I’m just a novice, so I don’t know about ISO, settings and such… I just really want a point and shoot camera
dee-
You’ll probably get more response if you post your question on our Digital Cameras Forum. You didn’t say whether having a waterproof camera was really important to you. Point-and-shoot digital camera image quality has improved quite a bit in the past few years and a new camera will be better than your 790 SW. However, I’ve found that waterproof camera image quality is always somewhat compromised. You trade some image quality for the privelege of taking your camera in the water. So you can get far better image quality if you get a non-waterproof camera. Please post a new question on the forum I’ve linked to and give us some more information on what you want to do with the camera, how much you have to spend, etc
Hi John,
Thank you for your reply. I posted here seeing as that everyone was on the Olympus bandwagon. I love the durability of the Olympus brand – being able to withstand water, dust, shock, etc; I love that they are virtually indestructible to anything I could ever do to harm their well-being. (LOL)
I’ve heard that waterproof cameras typically offer less image quality than their non-waterproof counterparts, but I’m sure that out of all the waterproof cameras on the market, there has to be a front runner in image quality.
Cost isnt so much the issue – I’d rather spend money on something that virtually, I can’t break.. instead of something that’ll break and i’d have to subsequently replace.
… I will also post in the forum provided.
Thanks again
i have the olympus tough 3000, and i have pictures of my memory card alread but there all not showing up on my camera does anyone know how i can get the pictures to show on my camera? thanks
Purchased the Olympus Stylus Tough 6020 for a trip to Mexico, specifically for snorkeling. The camera worked for 2 days, and suddenly stopped working the day we went snorkeling. First the LCD stopped working (but the camera was apparently still taking photos), then the camera would no longer turn on – the lens cover would click but nothing would happen. I’ve subsequently read a number of reviews of similar failures for this model, and will be returning it for a refund as soon as possible. Very disappointed.
Purchased the 3000 for snorkeling worked for about 15 min and now will not turn on. Stuck using disposables for next 7 days. not feeling too good about Olympus and the 3000 now.
Very easy to use, the current settings appear on the side of the LCD and they are easy to change. A fairly robust feature set as well as its ruggedness are the main positives. The poor LCD and very slow response times make it hard to recommend as there are better cameras on the market