Olympus Toughen’s Up

TOUGH-STYLUS-TG-850This month Olympus shows that it is still going tough. The Olympus TOUGH STYLUS TG-850, which comes out this month (MSRP: $249.99) can record video with natural motion via 60p recording at 60fps in Full HD 1080p, as well as high-speed via 120 fps at 640 x 480 or 240 fps at 320 x 240.

But more importantly this one lives up to its name. It is waterproof, shockproof, crushproof, freezeproof, and dustproof camera employs True-Pic VII processor and wide-angle 21–105 mm 5x optical zoom lens. Other features include 180 degree flip LCD monitor and 16 MP backlit CMOS sensor.

Olympus TOUGH STYLUS TG-850 Official Website

Ricoh Out With Rugged Cameras

RicohRicoh has the camera to reach for on your next adventure. The company has introduced three new rugged cameras that include the WG-4 GPS, WG-4 and WG-20 – all of which will work with a new action-oriented mounting system. These actually build on the Pentax WG line, which makes sense as Ricoh bought the Japanese camera maker in 2011. The Ricoh name will now be used for compact cameras such as these.

The camera lineup includes the WG-4 and WG-4 GPS, each of which feature a 16megapixel CMOS sensor and sensor shift shake reduction. Each can shoot Full HD 1080p video at 30fps, and both are waterproof to 45 feet, shock resistant to just over six feet, and are crushproof to 220 pounds. These are even ideal winter sports cameras as they can endure temperatures to 14 degrees F! The WG-4/WG-4 GPS features a three inch LCD display, and offer a ring of six LED marco lights as well as traditional flash. The WG-4 GPS includes a GPS unit (obviously enough) to record position data and a travel log data.

The WG-20 has many of the features of the above models, but is meant as the introductory version. It is waterproof to 33 feet, shock resistant to five feet, but still crushproof to 220 pounds and can endure up to 14 degrees F. It is smaller than the WG-4 and can shoot HD video at 720p at 30 fps. It features a 14megapixel CCD sensor and has a 2.7 inch LCD screen.

All three cameras are also compatible with Ricoh’s new mounting systems that includes a handlebar mount, suction cup mount and adhesive mount. Mount up and reach for one of these Ricoh cameras.

Ricoh Official Website

Olympus Delivers More Rugged Cameras

Last month we reported that Olympus had shown off its Tough TG-320 rugged camera. Designed for the budget conscience consumer this one still was loaded with some great features. But apparently Olympus wasn’t done, and the company has also introduced two other lines – the Tough TG-820 and Tough TG-620, which will hit stores in Japan beginning later this month.

Both series will feature iHS technology with 12megapixel backlit CMOS sensor, and advanced features including Magic Filters and Beauty mode/Beauty make. There is even a “Pet Mode” that automatically detects the face of a cat or dog and focuses before shooting the photo. Both the TG-820 and TG-620 lines can capture 3D photos, and feature 5x optical zoom, along with Full HD movie (1,920×1,080) video recording with encoding in MOV/H.264 format. More photos and press release after the jump

Olympus Gets Tough With Crushproof Digital Camera

Need a camera that can handle extremes? We’re talking shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof and even crushproof – yes, crushproof. To meet all this means a tough camera and that’s what Olympus has in mind with its new Tough TG-810 digital camera, which promises to be “crushproof” up to 220 pounds.

The camera can go deep, up to 10 meters (33 feet) and remain waterproof; withstand a drop of up two meters (6.5 feet) and freezeproof to temperatures as low as 10 degrees C (14 F). We’re really impressed that it can withstand weights of up to 100 kilograms or 220 pounds. The dustproof camera can even be rinsed off when it gets dirty! Continue reading Olympus Gets Tough With Crushproof Digital Camera