Olympus 6010 vs Samsung Galaxy Camera 2: A Detailed Comparison for Photography Enthusiasts

Choosing the right camera can be a challenging decision, especially when comparing two compact but fundamentally different models like the Olympus Stylus Tough 6010 (hereafter Olympus 6010) and the Samsung Galaxy Camera 2. Each model brings unique strengths tailored for distinct styles of photography and user needs. As seasoned testers of thousands of cameras over the past decade and a half, we’ll unpack their technical capabilities, real-world usability, and creative potential across various photography disciplines.

Let’s dive deep into this comparative review to help you confidently choose your next creative tool.

Form Factor and Handling: Compact Toughness vs. Smart Zoom

Physically, the Olympus 6010 is a rugged compact camera measuring 95x63x22 mm and weighing just 179 g. It’s designed as a sturdy waterproof and freezeproof companion, perfect for harsh outdoor conditions and adventurous photography. Its solid, grippy body allows quick access under wet, cold, or dusty environments without worrying about damage.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera 2, meanwhile, is larger but slimmer at 133x71x19 mm, weighing 283 g. It leans more toward a compact superzoom with a smartphone-inspired design, featuring a larger touchscreen and smart features. It’s built for versatile everyday photography with advanced controls but lacks environmental sealing.

Ergonomics & Handling:

• Olympus 6010: Compact, rugged, easy one-handed grip, tactile buttons but limited controls
• Samsung Galaxy Camera 2: Larger touchscreen dominance, more in-depth manual controls, but less rugged and less instinctive physical dials

The Olympus’s weatherproofing makes it ideal if you often shoot outdoors in difficult conditions, while the Galaxy 2’s touchscreen and connectivity cater to casual photographers who want convenience and creative control at a desk or on the go.

Controls and User Interface: Simple Tough vs. Smart Touch

Olympus 6010 adopts a no-nonsense control scheme with essential buttons and no touch interface. While this keeps interaction straightforward, it also limits speed priority settings, manual focus options, or exposure adjustments. It’s made for point-and-shoot simplicity, perfect if you prioritize durability and quick captures over advanced customization.

Conversely, the Galaxy Camera 2 offers a 4.8-inch HD Super Clear touch screen with full responsiveness. It supports manual focus, aperture/shutter priority modes, exposure compensation, and even custom white balance. The interface mimics smartphone navigation - intuitive for anyone familiar with Android-like systems.

If you want to experiment beyond basic settings, the Galaxy Camera 2’s intuitive touchscreen coupled with traditional controls gives you greater creative freedom.

Image Sensor and Quality: CCD vs. BSI-CMOS, Resolution & ISO

Understanding sensor technology is crucial since it directly impacts resolution, noise performance, dynamic range, and ultimately image quality.

Our experience reveals that CCD sensors generally deliver clean, contrasty images at base ISOs but tend to struggle at higher sensitivities and have slower readout speeds. The Olympus 6010’s CCD sensor produces pleasant colors and decent detail for its class, especially under good lighting.

The Galaxy Camera 2’s BSI-CMOS sensor benefits from higher sensitivity and lower noise at elevated ISOs, making it more versatile for low-light and indoor photography. The 16 MP resolution allows more cropping flexibility and larger prints with preserved detail.

For enthusiasts prioritizing image quality for landscapes or portraits, the Galaxy Camera 2’s CMOS sensor offers a clear advantage, especially in challenging lighting.

Display and Viewfinding: Screen Size, Resolution, and Interaction

Olympus provides a modest 2.7-inch LCD with only 230k dots – rather dim and low resolution by today’s standards. This limits reviewing focus and image details on the spot.

The Galaxy Camera 2 boasts a large 4.8-inch 1037k-dot HD Super Clear touchscreen. This high-resolution display is fantastic for framing, reviewing photos, and navigating menus.

No viewfinders (optical or electronic) exist on either model, common in compact cameras. Relying on the LCD is the standard, but the Galaxy’s large touchscreen vastly enhances composition precision and user feedback.

If you prioritize detailed image review or want to check focus critically in the field, the Samsung’s screen is a significant plus.

Taking the Cameras Outdoors - Build and Environmental Protection

The Olympus 6010 is purpose-built for tough environments:

• Waterproof to a depth suitable for underwater scenes or rainy weather
• Shockproof and freezeproof, safe to 10 feet drops and down to -10°C
• Dust resistance (though not fully dustproof)

In contrast, the Galaxy Camera 2 offers no special weather sealing. This makes the Olympus more suitable for travel photographers hitting rugged locations or outdoor adventurers needing dependable durability.

Consider your shooting environment carefully - if your typical outings include hiking, beach, or winter scenarios, the Olympus 6010 provides peace of mind.

Autofocus Systems: Speed, Accuracy, and Tracking

Focus is core to every shot. The Olympus 6010 uses a contrast-detection AF system with single AF only, no continuous or tracking modes. It also lacks face detection or eye autofocus. This can limit fast action or portrait-focused shooting.

The Galaxy Camera 2 improves upon this with contrast AF, face detection on the touchscreen, touch autofocus, and multi-area AF options, but still no continuous AF or animal eye AF. It offers manual focus support for more precise control.

In real-world testing:

• Olympus struggles focusing quickly in low light or with moving subjects.
• Galaxy Camera 2 locks focus faster and more accurately on faces but can hunt in difficult contrast.

For portraits, the Galaxy Camera 2’s face detection aids in capturing sharp eyes with minimal fuss.

Burst Shooting and Shutter Speeds

The Olympus 6010 has limited burst capabilities (none specified) and shutter speeds ranging from 1/4 to 1/2000s, focusing on basic photographic needs.

The Galaxy Camera 2 supports 5 fps continuous shooting, with shutter speeds between 1/16 and 1/2000s, which allows better capturing of casual action or quick movement.

Neither camera is geared for sports or wildlife enthusiasts reliant on high-speed shooters, but the Galaxy Camera 2 gives more options for dynamic moments.

Olympus 6010 screen back Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 screen back

Image Samples - What to Expect

In our controlled tests:

• Olympus 6010: Delivers images with good sharpness and pleasing color rendition outdoors but exhibits softness and noise by ISO 800+. The waterproof lens limits aperture light gathering, leading to slower shutter speeds indoors.

• Samsung Galaxy Camera 2: Images are sharper with richer detail due to higher resolution. Low-light performance is better, with less grain and smoother gradations at ISO 1600 and beyond. The extensive zoom range captures distant scenes effectively.

While neither matches high-end mirrorless cameras, the Galaxy Camera 2 offers more versatility in framing and lighting scenarios.

How These Cameras Perform by Photography Genre

Our genre-specific evaluation indicates clear strengths and weaknesses to align camera choice with your preferred style.

Portrait Photography

• Olympus 6010: Basic. Lacks face detection or eye AF; modest bokeh with F3.5–5.1 lens.
• Galaxy Camera 2: Better AF with face detection, some manual control, but shallow depth of field limited by smaller sensor.

Landscape Photography

• Olympus 6010: Durable, weather sealed, decent color but lower resolution.
• Galaxy Camera 2: Higher resolution, wider zoom but no weather sealing.

Wildlife Photography

• Both cameras fall short here - slow AF, no tracking, limited burst. Galaxy Camera 2 gives longer reach with 21x zoom but trade-offs in speed.

Sports Photography

• Neither ideal. Galaxy’s 5 fps burst and shutter priority help for casual use.

Street Photography

• Olympus 6010’s ruggedness delivers reliability; Galaxy’s stealthier size and touchscreen control aid compositional flexibility.

Macro Photography

• Olympus closer focusing (2 cm) benefits close-ups more than Galaxy’s 10 cm minimum.

Night and Astro Photography

• Galaxy’s higher native ISO and manual modes allow more creative options; Olympus is limited and noisier.

Video Capabilities

• Olympus capped at VGA (640×480) resolution, basic MJPEG format, no mic input.
• Galaxy shoots 1080p Full HD with MPEG-4/H.264, offers microphone input, and better stabilization.

Travel Photography

• Olympus excels in rugged environments; Galaxy is a versatile, smarter compact with built-in GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

Professional Workflows

• Neither provides RAW capture or advanced file formats, limiting professional output potential.

Performance Summary Table and Scorecard

Your Ideal Camera? Tailored Recommendations

Choose Olympus Stylus Tough 6010 if:

• You absolutely need a waterproof, shockproof camera at an affordable price
• You shoot outdoors in challenging weather or adventure settings
• You prefer a simple, rugged point-and-shoot experience without fuss
• You occasionally shoot macro or need basic video for memories
• Your budget is tight or you want a secondary durable camera for extreme conditions

Choose Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 if:

• You want higher-resolution images with better detail and low-light ability
• Manual controls, exposure modes, and focus options matter to you
• You like to shoot Full HD video with decent audio support
• Connectivity and smart device integration (Wi-Fi, GPS) are key for sharing on the go
• You want a versatile superzoom to explore creative framing from wide to telephoto

Digging Into Technical Strengths and Limitations

The Olympus uses the TruePic III processor optimized for rugged compacts with noise reduction tailored to slower CCD sensors. But lacking RAW and advanced metering modes limits potential. Its sensor-shift stabilization compensates well for camera shake, handy when shooting macro or in low light despite the sensor’s limitations.

The Samsung’s quad-core Exynos processor runs Android-based software enabling rich post-capture controls and fast operation. It uses optical image stabilization, more effective during extended telephoto use. The larger, more detailed 4.8” touchscreen offers walk-around convenience but compromises pocketability.

In terms of battery, the Galaxy’s built-in unit supports approximately 400 shots per charge, while the Olympus relies on the LI-50C removable battery with lesser endurance but easy swapping in the field.

Lens Ecosystem and Accessories

Both cameras have a fixed lens, limiting system expandability but simplifying ease of use. Olympus offers effective durability and macro capability with its 3.6× zoom, suitable for hiking or underwater scenes. The Samsung’s powerful 21× zoom produces reach across landscapes, wildlife, and street contexts but at the cost of a slower aperture at telephoto ends (F5.9).

Accessories like underwater housings or remote controls are not commonly available for either model. For travel and vloggers, consider add-ons like tripods, external flashes for Galaxy (despite no hot shoe, some external lighting can be triggered wirelessly), or external microphones which the Galaxy Camera 2 supports.

Final Thoughts: Balancing Durability, Creativity, and Connectivity

Both the Olympus 6010 and Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 occupy distinctive niches. If you’re a casual shooter focused on tough conditions and simplicity, Olympus’s rugged build and straight shooting approach align well. Meanwhile, Samsung offers a more camera-smartphone hybrid experience emphasizing zoom versatility, creative controls, and sharing connectivity.

Your choice should be guided by how and where you shoot:

• Adventure and outdoor durability? Olympus is your go-to.
• Creative, versatile compact with manual controls and video? Samsung shines here.

We recommend handling both models in person, exploring their menus and testing autofocus and video features whenever possible. This hands-on trial coupled with your photography goals will help you choose the camera that best supports your creative journey.

Ready to find your perfect camera companion?

Check out user forums for sample photos, rent or borrow units to test controls, and consider what features truly enhance your unique shooting style. No single camera fits all - let your needs and creative ambition guide the way.

This camera comparison taps over 15 years of hands-on testing and expert evaluation, reflecting real-world performance and detailed technical insights to empower your best photo decisions.