We get tough with the Olympus Tough TG-2 - the tough, waterproof camera from Olympus.
| Olympus Tough TG-2 in Compact Cameras
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Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification
The Olympus Stylus Tough TG-2, to give its full name, is this years update to the Olympus Tough TG-1, and features the same bright f/2.0 4x optical zoom lens, 12 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor, 3inch screen and tough credentials, but it is now tougher than the TG-1, waterproof to 15 metres, and slightly more shockproof from 2.1metres.
A unique feature for this camera is the ability to add fisheye and tele converter lens via an optional adapter. We tested the Olympus Tough TG-1 with the fisheye adapter in our review here.
The TG-2 has iHS Technology with modes including Low Light, Super Sports and Super Macro. There is also a 3D Photo Shooting Mode, Beauty Make-up Mode, Pet Detection Mode, In-Camera Panoramas, Magic Filters, HDR Backlight Adjustment, Advanced iAuto and AF Tracking, Face Detection and Advanced SAT (Shadow Adjustment Technology).
As well as being waterproof down to 15 metres, it is also shockproof from 2.1 metres, has GPS & Electronic Compass, Tap Control, Manometer and LED Illuminator. Videos can be recorded at full 1080p HD Movie with HDMI Control and Multi-motion Movie IS, there is also stereo sound.
Handling - There is a good amount of rubber grip on the camera, on the front, and rear for your right hand, as well as a strip on the left of the rear screen for when you hold the camera with two hands. The camera feels extremely well built with a chunky style, and each of the openings features a dual locking system to ensure they stay closed when you are using the camera underwater.
When wet the mode dial is quite difficult to turn as it's quite small, and would benefit from additional grip. However the rest of the buttons feel large enough to use when wet.
The camera has a new aperture priority mode that lets you set the aperture, with f/2.0, f/2.8 and f/8,0 available at the wide end of the lens, and f/4.9, f/6.3, and f/18 available when fully zoomed.
Menus – The menus are clearly laid out and easy to navigate with a press of the left arrow bringing up the photo options on screen, so that you can see the changes the options make. To access the full menu options you scroll to the bottom of the list, or press the menu button, where you'll find more advanced options as well as setup options for GPS, Tough, Beauty and Custom settings.
Battery life - Battery life is rated at 350 shots according to CIPA / Olympus testing. The battery is a 1270mAh rated unit, so provides a decent amount of battery life, although extended use of GPS will reduce battery life.
Speed - We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.
Focus and shutter response are both very good, as is switch on time and shot to shot times.
Sample Photos - Colour is good with the camera giving reliable exposure. There is some red-eye in the portrait photo, although wasn't noticed in other portrait shots with flash. Using the HDR backlight scene mode, the camera takes a number of shots and combines them into one with extended dynamic range, although unfortunately it's reduced to 3 megapixels. Alternatively you can switch on shadow adjustment technology to keep detail in shadows.
Lens Performance - The camera has a 1cm macro mode, which also focuses this close when using the 4x optical zoom. Lighting the subject can be an issue, and even with the LED illuminator it's difficult to correctly illiminate the subject, ideally there would be another LED light on the other side so that both sides of the subject are lit. The Sony LEDs surrounding the lens are much better at lighting this kind of close macro shot, although in good light the results are impressive. Additional macro shots are available in the Equipment Database.
Detail is reasonably good for a camera with internal folded optics, although corners are slightly soft, and purple fringing was noticeable in the shot of the trees above, as well as some chromatic aberration. The camera does a good job of controlling barrel and pincushion distortion, with no real issues spotted.
ISO Noise Performance - Noise is low at ISO100 and ISO200, with a slight increase in noise at ISO400. At ISO800 detail starts to become lost, and more so at ISO1600. Noise is dominant at ISO3200, and this setting and above is best avoided.
White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) gives a slightly warm result under tungsten light, with the tungsten preset giving a more neutral result. AWB performs well under fluorescent lighting with the fluorescent preset giving a magenta colour cast.
Panoramic | 1/160 sec | f/8.0 | 4.5 mm | ISO 100
Panorama mode - The panoramic mode doesn't manage to stitch photos together as well as other cameras, and stitches three photos together.
Digital Filters - The camera has a number of magic filters, as shown above, giving some creative options.
Video - The camera records full HD video with stereo sound, and optical zoom is available while recording, as well as a built in wind-filter. During the underwater video you can hear the lens focusing which is picked up by the camera's microphones and is quite loud. Similarly when using the optical zoom, the noise of the lens is picked up by the camera, as can be heard in the video below.
Olympus Tough TG-830, 10m waterproof, GPS, £210
Fujifilm FinePix XP200, 15m waterproof, Wi-Fi, £220
Nikon Coolpix AW110, 18m waterproof, Wi-Fi, GPS, £249
Canon Powershot D20, 10m waterproof, GPS, £263
Panasonic Lumix FT5, 13m waterproof, Wi-Fi, GPS, £293
Sony Cyber-shot TX30, 10m waterproof, £299
Pentax WG-3 GPS, 14m waterproof, GPS, £319
You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Good colour reproduction
Fast focus and performance
2 year warranty
Added aperture priority mode
Excellent macro mode
Extremely tough
Magic filters
Availability of lens adapters
Bright f/2.0 lens
Panorama images don't stitch together very well
Macro mode would benefit from better illumination
HDR mode limits images to 3mp
Noise of lens focusing and zooming in videos
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification
The Olympus Stylus Tough TG-2, to give its full name, is this years update to the Olympus Tough TG-1, and features the same bright f/2.0 4x optical zoom lens, 12 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor, 3inch screen and tough credentials, but it is now tougher than the TG-1, waterproof to 15 metres, and slightly more shockproof from 2.1metres.
Olympus Tough TG-2 Features
A unique feature for this camera is the ability to add fisheye and tele converter lens via an optional adapter. We tested the Olympus Tough TG-1 with the fisheye adapter in our review here.
The TG-2 has iHS Technology with modes including Low Light, Super Sports and Super Macro. There is also a 3D Photo Shooting Mode, Beauty Make-up Mode, Pet Detection Mode, In-Camera Panoramas, Magic Filters, HDR Backlight Adjustment, Advanced iAuto and AF Tracking, Face Detection and Advanced SAT (Shadow Adjustment Technology).
As well as being waterproof down to 15 metres, it is also shockproof from 2.1 metres, has GPS & Electronic Compass, Tap Control, Manometer and LED Illuminator. Videos can be recorded at full 1080p HD Movie with HDMI Control and Multi-motion Movie IS, there is also stereo sound.
Key Features
- 12.1 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor
- 4x optical zoom lens, f/2.0, 25-100mm equivalent
- Sensor shift image stabilisation
- 3inch OLED screen, 610k dots
- Crushproof to 100kg
- GPS & Electronic Compass
- 1080p Full HD Movie and HDMI Control
- High speed video 250fps
- 5fps continuous shooting at full resolution, 60fps at 3mp
- ISO 100-6400
- 1cm minimum focusing distance
- Aperture priority mode
- HDR Backlight Adjustment
- In-Camera Panorama
- Manometer, Tap control, LED illuminator
- 4:3, 1:1, 16:9, 3:2 aspect ratio
- Available in red or black
Olympus Tough TG-2 Handling
Handling - There is a good amount of rubber grip on the camera, on the front, and rear for your right hand, as well as a strip on the left of the rear screen for when you hold the camera with two hands. The camera feels extremely well built with a chunky style, and each of the openings features a dual locking system to ensure they stay closed when you are using the camera underwater.
When wet the mode dial is quite difficult to turn as it's quite small, and would benefit from additional grip. However the rest of the buttons feel large enough to use when wet.
The camera has a new aperture priority mode that lets you set the aperture, with f/2.0, f/2.8 and f/8,0 available at the wide end of the lens, and f/4.9, f/6.3, and f/18 available when fully zoomed.
Menus – The menus are clearly laid out and easy to navigate with a press of the left arrow bringing up the photo options on screen, so that you can see the changes the options make. To access the full menu options you scroll to the bottom of the list, or press the menu button, where you'll find more advanced options as well as setup options for GPS, Tough, Beauty and Custom settings.
Battery life - Battery life is rated at 350 shots according to CIPA / Olympus testing. The battery is a 1270mAh rated unit, so provides a decent amount of battery life, although extended use of GPS will reduce battery life.
Speed - We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.
| Olympus Tough TG-2 | |
| Shutter Response | <0.05 |
| Wide - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.15 |
| Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.15 |
| Switch on Time to Taking a Photo | 0.9 |
| Shot to Shot without Flash | 0.4 |
| Shot to Shot with Flash | 1.9 |
|
Continuous Shooting - JPEG (shots before slow down) |
5fps (25 shots) 15fps (100shots, High-speed 1, 3mp) 60fps (100shots, High-speed 2, 3mp) |
| Continuous Shooting - Flash | 0.8 |
Focus and shutter response are both very good, as is switch on time and shot to shot times.
Olympus Tough TG-2 Performance
Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.Olympus Tough TG-2 Sample Photos
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Sample Photos - Colour is good with the camera giving reliable exposure. There is some red-eye in the portrait photo, although wasn't noticed in other portrait shots with flash. Using the HDR backlight scene mode, the camera takes a number of shots and combines them into one with extended dynamic range, although unfortunately it's reduced to 3 megapixels. Alternatively you can switch on shadow adjustment technology to keep detail in shadows.
Olympus Tough TG-2 Lens test images
Previous
Next
Lens Performance - The camera has a 1cm macro mode, which also focuses this close when using the 4x optical zoom. Lighting the subject can be an issue, and even with the LED illuminator it's difficult to correctly illiminate the subject, ideally there would be another LED light on the other side so that both sides of the subject are lit. The Sony LEDs surrounding the lens are much better at lighting this kind of close macro shot, although in good light the results are impressive. Additional macro shots are available in the Equipment Database.
Detail is reasonably good for a camera with internal folded optics, although corners are slightly soft, and purple fringing was noticeable in the shot of the trees above, as well as some chromatic aberration. The camera does a good job of controlling barrel and pincushion distortion, with no real issues spotted.
Olympus Tough TG-2 ISO test images
Previous
Next
ISO Noise Performance - Noise is low at ISO100 and ISO200, with a slight increase in noise at ISO400. At ISO800 detail starts to become lost, and more so at ISO1600. Noise is dominant at ISO3200, and this setting and above is best avoided.
Olympus Tough TG-2 White-balance test images
Previous
Next
White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) gives a slightly warm result under tungsten light, with the tungsten preset giving a more neutral result. AWB performs well under fluorescent lighting with the fluorescent preset giving a magenta colour cast.
Panoramic | 1/160 sec | f/8.0 | 4.5 mm | ISO 100
Panorama mode - The panoramic mode doesn't manage to stitch photos together as well as other cameras, and stitches three photos together.
Olympus Tough TG-2 Digital filters
Previous
Next
Digital Filters - The camera has a number of magic filters, as shown above, giving some creative options.
Video - The camera records full HD video with stereo sound, and optical zoom is available while recording, as well as a built in wind-filter. During the underwater video you can hear the lens focusing which is picked up by the camera's microphones and is quite loud. Similarly when using the optical zoom, the noise of the lens is picked up by the camera, as can be heard in the video below.
Value For Money
The Olympus Tough TG-2 is available for around £289 which makes it decent value for money, although the only other camera with such a bright f/2.0 lens is the Pentax WG-3 GPS. Other cameras with similar waterproof features include the following:Olympus Tough TG-830, 10m waterproof, GPS, £210
Fujifilm FinePix XP200, 15m waterproof, Wi-Fi, £220
Nikon Coolpix AW110, 18m waterproof, Wi-Fi, GPS, £249
Canon Powershot D20, 10m waterproof, GPS, £263
Panasonic Lumix FT5, 13m waterproof, Wi-Fi, GPS, £293
Sony Cyber-shot TX30, 10m waterproof, £299
Pentax WG-3 GPS, 14m waterproof, GPS, £319
You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Olympus Tough TG-2 Verdict
The Olympus Tough TG-2 is a rugged compact camera with full Hd video recording, a bright f/2.0 lens, and an extremely impressive macro mode. The camera gives some level of manual controls with a new aperture priority mode. Images are good, with excellent colour reproduction, although detail is not as good as it could be. We also struggled to take a decent panorama shot. We were also disappointed by the lens noise picked up during video recording. The camera responds quickly, and has 5fps continuous shooting at full resolution. Rather uniquely the camera can also use a fish-eye or 1.7x telephoto convertor lens giving additional shooting options. If you are looking for a tough waterproof camera, and would like to have the option to expand your kit with adapters, or love taking close up macro photos, then the Olympus Tough TG-2 is recommended.
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| The Olympus Tough TG-2 is an tough waterproof camera with excellent colour, and an extreme close-up macro mode. |
Olympus Tough TG-2 Pros
Good colour reproductionFast focus and performance2 year warrantyAdded aperture priority modeExcellent macro modeExtremely toughMagic filtersAvailability of lens adaptersBright f/2.0 lensOlympus Tough TG-2 Cons
Panorama images don't stitch together very wellMacro mode would benefit from better illuminationHDR mode limits images to 3mpNoise of lens focusing and zooming in videos| FEATURES |
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Olympus Tough TG-2 Specifications
| Manufacturer | Olympus | |
| Lens | ||
| Max Aperture | f/2 - f/4.9 | |
| 35mm equivalent | 25mm - 100mm | |
| Optical Zoom | 4x | |
| Image Sensor | ||
| Pixels | 12Mp (Megapixels) | |
| Pixels (W) | 3968 | |
| Pixels (H) | 2976 | |
| Sensor Type | CMOS | |
| Sensor Size | 1/2.3 inch | |
| Sensor Size (width) | No Data | |
| Sensor Size (height) | No Data | |
| Aspect Ratio |
| |
| LCD Monitor | ||
| LCD Monitor | 3in | |
| Screen resolution | 610,000 dots | |
| Touch Screen | No | |
| Focusing | ||
| Min Focus | 1cm | |
| Focusing modes |
| |
| Exposure Control | ||
| Shutter speeds shortest | 1/2000sec | |
| Shutter speeds longest | 1/4sec | |
| Bulb mode | No | |
| Exp modes |
| |
| Metering |
| |
| ISO sensitivity | 100 - 6400 | |
| White balance |
| |
| Exposure Comp | +/-2 | |
| Shooting Options | ||
| Continuous shooting | 5fps | |
| Video | ||
| Movie mode | Yes | |
| Video Resolution |
| |
| Video FPS | 30 | |
| Stereo Sound | Yes | |
| Optical Zoom with Video | Yes | |
| Other Features | ||
| Image Stabilisation | Yes | |
| Interface | ||
| HDMI | Yes | |
| USB | USB 2 | |
| Wi-Fi | No | |
| Storage | ||
| Card Type |
| |
| File Type |
| |
| Power Source | ||
| Battery Type | LI-90B Lithium-Ion Battery | |
| Battery Life (CIPA rating) | 350shots | |
| Box Contents | ||
| Box Contents | LI-90B Lithium-Ion Battery, F-2AC AC Adapter, CB-USB6 USB Cable, CB-AVC3 Audio/Video cable, Hand Strap, World Wide Warranty Card, Image Management Software | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Weight | 230g | |
| Width | 111.5mm | |
| Height | 66.5mm | |
| Depth | 29.1mm | |
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Photographs taken using the Olympus Tough TG-2
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