Olympus Stylus Tough-3000
Magic Filters and HD Video Recording
Digital Camera Reviews
Olympus Stylus Tough-3000
The Stylus Tough-3000 is a shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof compact that records high-definition video and features magic filters to expand creativity.
The 12MP model employs a 3.6x, 28–102mm equivalent optical zoom lens, a new graphical user interface (GUI) for more intuitive operation and new Olympus software developed to achieve rapid downloading and enhanced photo organization with geotagging and face recognition. Its AF tracking technology locks fast-moving subjects in focus and continuously adjusts focus and brightness. And there’s an AF tracking pet mode.
Users can shoot 720p HD videos via a dedicated button. Playback is possible on an HDTV; connect the camera with an optional HDMI cable, and the TV’s remote controls playback functions and navigates the camera’s menus.
Notable are in-camera “magic filters,” which let users customize images at capture: pop art saturates colors to create pictures in the ’60’s Pop Art style; pin hole reduces the peripheral brightness of an image as though it were shot through a pin hole; fisheye emulates the wide-angle of a fisheye lens by taking extremely wide, hemispherical images and magnifying the center of the frame; and drawing turns image into sketch outlines children can color.
Specs say this Stylus can withstand a five-foot drop, operate in temperatures of 14º F and work 10 feet underwater due to interior rubber gaskets and O-rings. There are four underwater scene modes and the camera captures HD movies underwater.
Other features include: dual image stabilization; the ability to be controlled with a tap on its top, back or sides, due to an internal 3D accelerometer; face detection (16); intelligent auto mode; in-camera panorama mode; an internal manual; and support for SD cards.
The Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 comes in red, pink, blue and green. $229.99. olympusamerica.com