Olympus's new Mju600 is the latest of the popular Mju range; it has 6 megapixels and a slightly different body, but in most other respects is very similar to the previous Mju500.

When it comes to use underwater, it is generally belived that the Olympus cameras and housings are some of the nicest to use. There are a number of reasons for this; firstly they always provide a filter thread on the front of the housing that will allow colour correction filters, or accessory lenses to be added, the Mju series also have colour coded buttons which makes button identification easier. The cameras also have bright self adjusting screens and the newer Mjus have large 2.5" screens. These factors cause us at Cameras Underwater to feel that the Mju series are the most competitive underwater packages.

The Mju600 shares the useability of its predecessors, the most significant improvement in regards to underwater shooting is the fact that the camera now has a digital anti shake mode that increases the ISO range up to ISO1600, which allows for photography in much lower light levels. Unlike the Konica Minolta X1 which uses optical stabilisation, the Mju600 uses the image sensor in a reduced resolution mode, which means that the 6 megapixels resolution is reduced.

I found the Mju600 to be the easiest of the underwater setups I have used so far and would readily reccomend it to people new to underwater photography, or those not in need of anything sophisticated. If you need something sophisticated then you need something else.