Olympus Unveils Tough TG-1 iHS Adventureproof P&S with DSLR Features

Olympus Unveils Tough TG-1 iHS Adventureproof P&S with DSLR Features

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Center Valley, PA—Marking a milestone for the Olympus Tough series of waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, crushproof and dustproof compact cameras, the Olympus TG-1 iHS combines durability with iHS technology, the first high-speed bright f/2.0 lens on a Tough camera and converter-lens compatibility to create a system camera.

The camera is engineered to shoot in the harshest conditions, capture underwater scenes and aquatic life, snap photos of dusk-lit scenes and record adventures in 1080p Full HD video. Specs say the flagship TG-1 iHS is waterproof to 40 feet, shockproof to 6.6 feet, freezeproof to 14° F and crushproof to a weight of 220 pounds—and it offers a faster start-up time and quicker refresh rates than previous Tough models.

An f/2.0 lens was added to allow shooters to capture images at “blazing fast shutter speeds,” even in low light. The water-repellant lens is said to transform photographs with the same Fast AF system technology found in Olympus Pen cameras. Additionally, a 3.0-inch high-res OLED display (610K dots) is designed to provide visibility in bright situations, and protective coatings help prevent scratches and cut down on glare.

Other features include a 12 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor and a fast “DSLR-quality” TruePic VI image processor for high-speed autofocus and an enhanced intelligent auto mode with subject recognition. In iAuto, the camera automatically detects the subject, lighting and situation to identify the scene, and it includes 30 scenes, like night, sport, beach & snow, underwater snapshot and backlight HDR, adjusting settings for ideal results.

Developed to keep up with the on-the-go photographer, the camera’s super sport mode combines high-speed autofocus with fast shutter speeds of 1/2000 to freeze the action. Located on the dial, this mode captures five shots in a high-speed burst. And, low light mode captures the mood of low-light indoor scenes or late night outdoor festivities without ruining the ambience with a bright flash. With GPS and e.compass functions, location and landmark information are displayed and recorded with every image. The camera is also equipped with a logging function to track the route taken from recorded images by using applications such as Google Earth and Picasa.

The TG-1 iHS also boasts four underwater scene modes, and an LED illuminator helps enhance focus and exposure for macro shooting of underwater close-ups where light is scarce. The illuminator also works with the flash to illuminate subjects in low light.

Olympus is also offering system expandability for the TG-1 iHS. A converter ring allows users to add a lens converter adapter, waterproof fisheye converter lens or a teleconverter lens for use on land or in water. The fisheye converter lens captures panoramic, wide-angle shots without sacrificing the brightness of the 4x wide optical zoom (25-100mm) f/2.0 lens. The teleconverter lens extends the optical zoom to 6.8x, for close-ups with background blur. Combined with the Olympus TG-1 iHS’s 8x super-resolution zoom, which extends the range of the optical zoom with no loss of image quality, users can reach 13.6x. Both lenses are waterproof to 40 feet, and if that’s not deep enough, the PT-053 underwater housing works to depths of 135 feet.

The Olympus Tough TG-1 has an MSRP of $399.99; the fisheye converter lens (available in titanium) retails for $119.99; the t eleconverter lens for $109.99 and the adapter for $19.99. The PT-053 underwater housing will reach retail in July for $309.99. olympusamerica.com

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