The Olympus Tough TG-830 is a camera that
targets the market niche of photographers who have energetic lifestyle and
frequently shooting in extreme conditions. It is water-resistant, shockproof,
freeze proof and crushproof. There are models in red, blue, black and silver
available for roughly $330.
The
Olympus TG-830
Features
The Olympus features a 16 megapixel backlit
CMOS sensor and a 5x optical zoom, with 35mm equivalent of 28-140mm. The zoom
can be extends up to 10x with super-resolution. This camera is also capable of
prevent your images from blur and keep them as sharp as possible thanks to its
shift image stabilization sensor.
As a solid camera, it is waterproof to 10m,
shockproof to 2.1m, freeze proof to -10°C and crushproof to 100kg. Your images
could also be geo-tagged as there is built-in GPS and an additional electronic
compass for pointing you to the right direction. The TG-830 also owns a
database of 700,000 geographic and natural attractions to discover.
To help you shooting in the easiest way,
there is iAuto mode given, which works as an automatic controller to choose the
most suitable camera setting for the detected scene. There is a great deal of
photos modes, panorama mode and magic filters which includes dramatic and
miniature mode.
The video can be recorded at full 1080p HD
or you can film videos at the high speed of 120fps and view them in super-low
motion. This device is even capable of shooting at full resolution while
recording full 1080p HD videos.
The
top side of the camera
Main
features
·
16 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor
·
5x optical zoom lens (35mm equivalent of
28-140mm)
·
Sensor shift image stabilization
·
3.0 inch 460k dot HyperCrystal III LCD screen
·
Waterproof to 10m
·
Shockproof to 2.1m
·
Freezeproof to -10°C
·
Crushproof to 100kg
·
GPS electronic compass
·
Full 1080p HD video recording
·
ISO 125 - 6400
·
3cm minimum focusing distance
·
11.5 fps full resolution continuous shooting
·
Panorama mode
·
Available in red, black, blue and silver
The
camera’s screen
Handling
The TG-830 owns a tough body that made of
solid metal with a rubber grip on the front and a metal bar on the back for you
to hold it tightly as well as attaching a hand strap. Two slots are given, one
for the battery and memory card and the other for cable connections. They are
well secured in place by two locks on each, which will ensure no water can get
in them.
There is no unusual button on this device.
On the top side is the on/off button, release button and video record button. You
will find two buttons which is for controlling the zoom, a mode dial, playback button
and menu buttons as well as d-pad, which offers a quick access into flash and
self-timer mode on the back side.
The
camera’s battery
The menus system is very easy to use. When
shooting, on the right hand side of the camera you can find a number of
available settings, so you just need to use the d-pad to go through them.
There is no CIPA rating for this camera’s
battery life. We took a number of photos to check the responsiveness of this
camera, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed, etc. We
can take some pictures and come up with their average to have the results the
most accurate and consistent, making it easier to put into comparison with
other cameras.
·
Shutter Response: 0.175 sec
·
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response: 0.3 sec
·
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response: 0.4 sec
·
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo: 1.6 sec
·
Shot to Shot without Flash: 0.87 sec
·
Shot to Shot with Flash: 0.97 sec
·
Continuous Shooting - Sequential 1: 2.5 fps
·
Continuous Shooting - Sequential 2: 12.0 fps
·
Continuous Shooting - High-Speed 1: 21.0 fps
·
Continuous Shooting - High-Speed 2: 61.7 fps
Both sequential modes record at full 16 MP
resolution, while it is limited to only 3 MP for the high speed recording mode.