5x optical zoom, waterproof, seems solid, 3" screen (though I would have liked a smaller screen if they made the joystick a little bigger.....the screen crowds out the tiny, finicky joystick)

Horrible ergonomics

Terrible position of controls

Very jerky zoom control

4 position joystick is way too small and finicky.

Autofocus in video mode doesn't lock, and goes blurry every 20 seconds (this occurs when filming at distances from 20 yds to 100 yds)

No paper manual ($300 camera!!!! deserves a manual)

Battery life is poor

Battery only recharges while in the camera

REC record button is positioned in a way that it is prone to accidental recording.

The waterproof Olympus Tough TG-610 is the worst camera I have used in 30+ years of amateur photography. I have used Minolta, Nikon, Sony, and many Canons, but this Olympus 610 has such poor ergonomics, controls, and lack of intuitive menus compared to my previous cameras. This is my sixth digital camera I have owned since 1999. The worst features are the horribly jerky zoom control, the too-small and finicky joystick 4 way control, the inability of the auto-focus to stay locked on in video mode, and the position of the red "REC" (record) button right where a non-chimp would put his/her thumb (causing video recordings to be made accidentally). I have used this underwater in a pool, river, lagoon, and outdoors and indoors. Photo quality is good, if you can tolerate about 1 out of every 8 photos in a wet environment being blurred due to water on the lens ( I used an anti-fog cloth and try to keep the lens clean, but this is hard to do for every shot in a pool). At Sea World in Orlando, both indoors and out, the video was great quality until the autofocus went berserk: The autofocus stinks - about every 20 seconds the autofocus would unlock, go blurry, then reacquire focus. So, expect that a 2 minute video will have about 6 blurry, out of focus segments when you play back your video. Now I am getting picky: The camera (MSRP about $300.00) has no paper manual, so the user has to print out a huge manual on their own printer (it does come with a CD with the manual on it); the SDHC and battery waterproof cover only has one slide, and could use two - or at least use a right angle lock like the Canons uses on many models (requiring two movements to open the battery compartment); the battery can not be charged outside of the camera - you have to leave it in the camera and charge the entire unit; battery life is poor compared to the Canons I own. Also, I used several modes SCN, AUTO, and PROGRAM ( P, iAUTO, and P on the menu) and I could not get aqccurate color reproduction for purple colors and cream colors (both indoor).

Customer Service

Costco has the best customer service. I can not speak for Olympus' customer service.

Similar Products Used:

Two Canon digital Elphs, including the Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS, which was $120.00 (on sale) compared to the Olympus TG-610 ($270 on sale). The Canon is much better, but not waterproof/shockproof/etc.