As the inevitable and largely pointless megapixel race continues, the latest to join the front runners
is Olympus with the launch of the mju 1000, a stylish and weatherproof 3x zoom compact featuring a 10-megapixel sensor. The mju series, which currently consists of eleven models, has proven to be very popular, particularly with more adventurous users for whom the ability to withstand rain, dust, snow, spray and in some cases even full immersion in water are major selling points.
The mju 1000, while not fully immersion waterproof, offers protection “equivalent to the IEC standard publication 529 IPX4”, which in plain English means it’s resistant to water splashed from any direction, so it’s ok to use it in the rain or at a particularly sweaty rave (ugh!), but it’s probably not a good idea to use it in the bath.
It has a very strong stainless steel body, so while it’s not specifically claimed to be shockproof (as a couple of other cameras in the mju range are) it can certainly survive a few more knocks than most compact cameras. The lens retracts fully into the camera body, and the overall shape is very smooth and sleek, like a thin wedge with rounded-off corners, so when switched off it presents a very slim and pocket-friendly profile. It measures 97 x 56.2 x 22.7mm and weighs only 140g (minus the battery) so you’ll hardly know you’re carrying it.