New flagship Olympus Tough in February

Olympus has announced its latest ‘Tough’ camera, the TG-870, which features a 5x zoom lens (21-105mm), 180 degree tilt screen, Wi-Fi and GPS.

The Tough TG-870 has a 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.5mm) 16-megapixel CMOS sensor and is waterproof to 15 metres, can withstand a 2.1 metre drop or 100 kgf crushing weight and is freeze-resistant to -10 degrees Celsius. The LCD screen is 920,000-dot resolution and has a 2.6x brightness-boost function for better visibility in sunlight.

Olympus claims the 21-105mm zoom lens is the widest in any compact digital camera in its class. (Tho’ the TG-860 has the same lens specs. In fact, outside of one new colour option, not a huge deal has changed from the 860 to the 870.) Maximum apertures range from f/3.5 to f/5.7 and macro focusing is down to one centimetre. Olympus has used the same type of high-performance glass optics that it uses in its Zuiko lenses for PEN and OM-D cameras.

There is a new Autofocus-Lock functionality, automatic edge distortion compensation for undistorted wide angle ‘selfies’ and a significantly smaller USB charger compared to the TG-860. Other features include 13 creative Art Filters applicable to photo stills and video, Live Composite shooting, a convenient front-facing shutter release and dedicated underwater photography modes with optimised colour-balance and exposure.

An optional CSCH-123 camera holder allows the camera to be attached to backpack shoulder straps for quick and easy access. The CSCH-124 Silicon Jacket and CSCH-121 Black Mesh Case are other protection options and the PT-057 Underwater Case enables the TG-870 to be used at greater depths by SCUBA divers.

The Olympus Tough TG-870 will be offered in green, black and white. It is due in Australia mid-February 2016. No local pricing is supplied but US price is $279 ($400) which should see the camera priced at around $450 in Australia.