Olympus Tough TG-Tracker

A fine first foray into the action video-camera market by industry veterans Olympus

$349 Manufacturer Olympus, olympusamerica.com Features Water, shock, dust, and crushproof Video 4K 30p, 1080 60p/30p, 720 240p

The Tough TG-Tracker is Olympus’s first venture into the action video-camera market. Olympus is by no means new to rugged cameras, however, with an existing range of Tough compacts. These are fully waterproof and shockproof, so it’s no surprise that the TG-Tracker shares similar design traits.

At 1.37x2.22x3.67 inches it’s relatively small, and weighs in at 6.35 oz, so a little heavier than the GoPro Hero4 Black – but its built-in image stabilizer does a good job of reducing, although not totally eliminating, vibrations.

Out of the box and with no need for separate housing, the cam is waterproof to 100 ft, shockproof to 7 ft, freezeproof to 14° F and crushproof to 220 lbf, which is pretty impressive. All the buttons and ports are fully sealed, with access to the battery, microSD slot, and USB/HDMI ports via a lockable hinged door in back.

The small camera packs headline features including built-in Wi-Fi and 4K video capability. In addition there are five field sensors: GPS, compass, accelerometer, barometer, and thermometer, capturing location and motion data. However, at present the integration of this data capture with the app and software doesn’t feel like it has been fully realized – the Garmin Virb XE, for example enables the overlay of the data on the footage and integration with Garmin heart monitors and other compatible gear. At present, the TG-Tracker’s app is only able to display the data alongside the footage.

Inside, there’s a 7.2-million-pixel, 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, which is fronted by an ultra-wide – even in action camera terms – 204-degree angle-of-view lens. In addition to 4K at 30fps, it’s possible to record at other resolutions, including 1080p and 720p at 60fps and 30fps. There’s also a high-speed recording option, which enables frame rates at 720p and 480p to be increased to 240fps, which will enable slow-motion playback once edited.

The TG-Tracker’s 30fps, 4K video footage is well balanced for exposure, with plenty of fine detail visible. Contrast is a little high, and as with the majority of action cameras it struggles with dynamic range, losing some shadow and highlight detail in high-contrast situations.

The bottom line. For all-round features and performance, the Olympus TG-Tracker is ahead of all other action cameras that are currently available. Alasta ir Jennings