There are a wide variety of cameras – from superzooms to point and shoot to cameras that even survive harsh torrential weather. Oh well, that might be a bit of exaggeration but there are a handful that can be carried along when scuba diving or in the rain. The Olympus Tough-3000 is a camera based on these specifications that make it almost an all-rounder in all aspects.
Going by the camera’s specifications it comes in a rugged plastic encasing that’s quite tough as its name suggests it to be. The Olympus Tough-3000 doesn’t fall in as being compact nor does it fall into the category of being called bulky. At 95.9 x 65 x 23.4 mm the camera is averagely sized and weighs in at just 160 g, making it easy to carry around. In addition the Tough-3000 also feels nice and grippy when held. What you also get is a fully matte body which eliminates the body from getting smudged with fingerprints. The camera comes fit with a 28 mm wide angle lens but with a limited 3.6x of optical zoom.
The rear sports a 2.7-inch screen that performs decently well under direct sunlight along with the navigational buttons placed towards the right of the screen. They basically comprise of a four-way controller, menu and review button, zoom in/zoom out along with a dedicated record button. Moreover first time users shouldn’t find using the camera difficult as it comes with a detailed in-camera manual that explains almost all functions that the Tough-3000 sports. This function also allows the user to try out the explained mode directly from the help menu. What is really appreciated about the Tough-3000 is the level of explanation that the camera holds. Everything from the modes to shooting posture to picture composition is so well explained that it omits the need to throw in a manual with this. Another major plus point is the built-in 1 GB memory that this point and shoot comes with – other cameras are still stuck in the stone age where 50 MB is the max storage space that one can get.
Now as mentioned the Olympus Tough-3000 is specifically designed to weather harsh conditions. In other words the camera can survive freezing temperatures of -10 degrees centigrade and is waterproof to a depth of 3 meters. Moreover it can also withstand a fall from as high as 1.5 meters – which we actually tested and it did work after the drop test. With all these adding up as decent features going towards the camera what I generally didn’t come to like was the tactility of the device. The rubber panel (buttons) are not very responsive forcing you to press real hard to make things work. In fact I personally found pressing down with the thumbnail to be much easier and responsive. So operating the device with a pair of gloves on is surely out of the question.
Overall camera interface is good but feels a little too sluggish for comfort. In other words the Olympus lacks the fluidity when changing modes or settings. Nevertheless it does have a handful of predefined modes such as Pop art, Fish eye, Drawing and Pin hole that many would find of interest. In addition to this there are a total of 15 scene modes to choose from.
The Tech2 Labs receives many products every single week and each of them is tested with the utmost care and highest level of objectivity. There’s a constant effort to reduce and totally eliminate subjectivity. Each product is tested according to set test processes so the same test scenario is used.
Verdict The ratings awarded to a product are derived from a number of tests and calculations, keeping certain important factors in mind. These factors consist of features, performance, quality and value for money. In case of software and some other categories, build quality might be replaced with ease of use or ease of installation. Products are compared with other products in a similar price range or product category.
Features The features component of the score is rated based on the kind of features present on a particular product. Features are a big part of what people look for when they’re buying a new product such as a phone or a camera.
Performance The performance score is derived from the benchmarks and tests run on the product. In case of the subjective scores, an average of the scores given by the group of reviewers is considered.
Build Quality The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.
Value Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category.
There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.
What do the ratings mean?
Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.
1 - 3
The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.
4 - 6
An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.
7 - 8
Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.
9 - 10
Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!
What is the Average User Rating?
We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.
7,400
+91 22 614 20400
Mixx
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
delicious
reddit
MySpace
StumbleUpon
LinkedIn
_011517074205_160x90.jpg "Epson Stylus Photo R3000")
