Olympus Mju Tough 6010

Olympus’s Mju Tough 6010 arrived in July 2009 as the more stylish entry in the Tough lineup — waterproof, shockproof, and freezeproof, but designed to look good rather than just survive. The Turquoise Blue finish gave it an outdoor-adventurer energy that the industrial-looking Tough 8000 couldn’t match, while the same core specs — 12-megapixel CCD, 3.6× zoom, dual image stabilization — made it a proper capable compact rather than a novelty.

NO FILTER: SHOT ON TOUGH 6010

THE LOOKS

The Turquoise Blue finish gives the 6010 a bold, outdoor-adventurer energy that stands out from typical rugged gear. The body is compact at 95.3 × 63.4 × 22.4mm with smooth metal accents, a clean modern shape, and the lens recessed flush into the front for protection. It looks like a camera built to go places — and it is. Also available in Titanium Grey and Lava Red.

THE SPECS

12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor, ISO 64–1600. 3.6× optical zoom, 28–102mm equivalent, f/3.5–5.1, dual image stabilization (mechanical + digital). TruePic III processor. 2.7-inch HyperCrystal III LCD (230k dots). Waterproof to 3m, shockproof from 1.5m, freezeproof to −10°C. Tap Control for glove-friendly operation. xD Picture Card and microSD storage. VGA video at 30fps.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

• Recessed flush lens in a fully sealed body: The zoom mechanism stays inside the body at all times — no extending barrel means nothing to break when dropped, and nothing to jam with sand or grit.
• Tap Control for gloved hands: Tapping the sides, back, or top of the camera navigated menus without pressing tiny buttons — a practical solution for ski slopes, water sports, and winter gloves that most rugged cameras of the era skipped entirely.
• Turquoise Blue in a category of black and grey: While every competitor made rugged cameras in tactical dark colors, Olympus offered red and blue alongside grey — treating the Tough 6010 as something you’d actually want to be seen with.

THE VERDICT

The Mju Tough 6010 is a rugged compact that understood style and toughness weren’t mutually exclusive. The 3m waterproofing and 1.5m shockproofing cover almost every real-world mishap, the CCD sensor delivers Olympus’s characteristic rich blues and accurate color, and the Turquoise Blue finish makes it look like a deliberate accessory choice rather than safety equipment. A genuinely fun, capable camera from the last era when dedicated compacts could do things smartphones simply couldn’t.