Photography

Olympus announces crushproof rugged compact

Olympus announces crushproof rugged compact
The 14 MP, 5x zoom, rugged TG-810 from Olympus is waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and able to operate in sub-zero conditions ... but it's also crushproof
The 14 MP, 5x zoom, rugged TG-810 from Olympus is waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and able to operate in sub-zero conditions ... but it's also crushproof
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The 14 MP, 5x zoom, rugged TG-810 from Olympus is waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and able to operate in sub-zero conditions ... but it's also crushproof
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The 14 MP, 5x zoom, rugged TG-810 from Olympus is waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and able to operate in sub-zero conditions ... but it's also crushproof
The compact is said to be able to withstand crushing pressure up to 220 pounds
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The compact is said to be able to withstand crushing pressure up to 220 pounds
The compact has one-touch 720p high definition movie recording, the results of which can be viewed on big screen TVs courtesy of an included HDMI-out interface
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The compact has one-touch 720p high definition movie recording, the results of which can be viewed on big screen TVs courtesy of an included HDMI-out interface
The lightweight aluminum housing has also been sealed against dust, dirt and other particles allowing you to just rinse it off when it gets a bit soiled
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The lightweight aluminum housing has also been sealed against dust, dirt and other particles allowing you to just rinse it off when it gets a bit soiled
Tough TG-810 has a 14 megapixel CCD sensor, 28 - 140mm equivalent 5x optical zoom lens and high resolution, 920,000 dot 3-inch LCD display
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Tough TG-810 has a 14 megapixel CCD sensor, 28 - 140mm equivalent 5x optical zoom lens and high resolution, 920,000 dot 3-inch LCD display
Touch enough for any extreme holiday adventure - the Tough TG-810 compact
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Touch enough for any extreme holiday adventure - the Tough TG-810 compact
The TG-810 sports an onboard GPS, an electronic compass and Manometer
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The TG-810 sports an onboard GPS, an electronic compass and Manometer
View gallery - 7 images

Adventurous and sporty types looking for a camera which can cope with extreme conditions may be interested to learn of a new rugged compact from Olympus. Not only is the 14 megapixel Tough TG-810 snapper waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and able to operate in sub-zero conditions ... but it's also crushproof.

It wasn't too long ago that Olympus added a new member to its Tough family of compacts, but the company is already at it again. The new Tough TG-810 has the same 14 megapixel CCD sensor, 28 - 140mm equivalent 5x optical zoom lens and high resolution, 920,000 dot 3-inch LCD display as the TG-610 before it, but has been significantly more ruggedized.

The new compact is waterproof to 33 feet (10 meters), shockproof to 6.6 feet (2 meters) and will continue to function at chilly 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10ºC). Olympus says that the TG-810 is also crushproof, a credential claim I've not come across before. The compact is said to be able to withstand crushing pressure up to 220 pounds (100 kg), although what situations users might find themselves in to be able to put this to the test doesn't bear thinking about.

The compact has one-touch 720p high definition movie recording, the results of which can be viewed on big screen TVs courtesy of an included HDMI-out interface
The compact has one-touch 720p high definition movie recording, the results of which can be viewed on big screen TVs courtesy of an included HDMI-out interface

Its lightweight aluminum housing has also been sealed against dust, dirt and other particles, allowing you to just rinse it off when it gets a bit soiled. There's even a water-repellent coating on the lens, to help prevent droplets getting in the way of a good photo.

The TG-810 sports an onboard GPS which automatically records the location of an image, an electronic compass to help you find your way and a Manometer to determine water/air pressure for accurately judging altitude and depth. All of this information is stored with an image's digital file to allow users to retrace their adventurous steps when they return home.

AF tracking locks onto a subject and continuously adjusts the focus and brightness to help you get a sharp image when you do eventually press the shutter release, and dual image stabilization combines mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization and Digital Image Stabilization to help reduce blur. Intelligent Auto chooses the best image settings for each shot, and there's a three shot panorama mode.

There's also a stereoscopic 3D mode where you press the shutter release for the first shot, and then slowly pan the camera until it automatically takes the second image. The 3D data is processed in-camera and saved as an MPO file for onward display on a 3D television.

Touch enough for any extreme holiday adventure - the Tough TG-810 compact
Touch enough for any extreme holiday adventure - the Tough TG-810 compact

Completing the feature set is one-touch 720p high definition movie recording, the results of which can be viewed on big screen TVs courtesy of an included HDMI-out interface. Images and video are stored to SD/SDHC/SDXC media and the camera is Eye-Fi card compatible.

The Tough TG-810 will be available from next month in either silver or black for US$399.99.

View gallery - 7 images
2 comments
2 comments
christopher
Looks like the panasonic Lumix - the one on the TV ads where they throw it over a river onto rocks etc. I\'ve got one of those, which incidentally is not crush-proof (mine got crushed, cracking the LCD cracked :-)
Reuben Richardson
Alot of the tough cameras have been crush proof eg olympus tough 770sw