New Olympus Underwater Camera a Work Horse

Mixture of Features Make the Olympus Tough TG-Tracker an Exciting New Tool for Underwater Photographers

Be sure to check out what makes this camera so special for action seekers above and below the surface:

Underwater photographers know that in their world there rarely is such thing as a still shot. Even if the marine life was willing to sit still for the shot, the nature of water is that it is fluid and always moving.

Sure, you might be able to find a super-still pond, but the truth is most underwater photography has to deal with motion.

Another challenge for taking pictures below the surface of the ocean, a lake, or even a river, is that sunlight gets refracted, making lighting your subject a challenge.

These are some of the things that make the new Olympus underwater camera the Tough TG-Tracker so great. It allows you to shoot anything, anywhere.

So here’s the scoop:

The lens is mounted on the side (see the image below.) This may sound odd at first, but that allowed the engineers at Olympus to place a light above the lens. That light will shine 60 lumens for a full minute and 30 lumens for 30 minutes. That should allow you to capture some shots that you might otherwise miss underwater. Or take the camera out for some night photography adventures!

The lens placement, combined with a 1.5-inch LCD screen that flips open and a pistol-grip attachment, make this rig well suited to capturing video of your extreme adventures. Think of it as a small camcorder with solid specs.

The TG-Tracker has a frame that is tough enough for all adventure photography junkies. Not only is it waterproof to 100 feet, it is also freeze proof and drop-proof.

The camera is capable of rendering 4k video–that you will want to watch and share with your friends on your 4k television!

And it comes with special tools that one doesn’t normally associate with a camera: GPS, a compass, barometer, thermometer, and even an accelerometer.

You can set the camera to start shooting based on the built-in tools. Imagine you want to document your climb once you reach a specific elevation, or your ride down the mountain once you reach a certain speed.

What about the traditional specs for a camera?

The pocketable TG-Tracker records 4K video at 30fps and 720p video at up to 120fps. For stills, a modest 8-megapixel resolution maintains reasonable pixel density on the 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor. The 14mm/F2.0 lens captures an insane 204-degree field of view, which means the optics are wide enough to see a bit behind you.

All the excitement continues underwater as the camera can tell when it has gone under and automatically adjusts the exposure and white-balance. The field of view is reduced underwater.

The new Olympus underwater camera is set to release this month–for around $350–including the pistol grip. It is available in traditional black or with green accents so you can shoot your selfie with style.

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Read the complete original review by Tim Moynihan on Wired.

Get more details from the horse’s mouth at the Olympus website.