A very versatile tough with decent IQ

Executive summary: great camera in terms of features for rough usage and 1080 video, not a camera that competes well for general-purpose use.  Read on for more details....  

In addition to having a few cheap "bag" housings for my bigger cameras, this is my third rugged compact camera. The first was an Olympus Stylus 1030 SW , which proved spectacularly rugged despite losing all the black paint on it and the metal frame around the lens; image quality (IQ) was decent, with the biggest problem being that it tended to easily get water drops trapped on the lens such that many photos after coming out of water would have big, blurry, water spots on them. The second was a Lumix DMC-TS2 purchased for my wife; it's a perfectly reasonable camera that has held-up well cosmetically, but somehow I never found it to be all that appealing. Both those two still work, so why the third rugged camera?

The TG-860 does two things that make it a winner:

• The lens goes ultra-wide.  21mm equivalent view makes a huge difference. You would think that might just be too wide for normal use, so you'd always have the slight delay of zooming in a bit for typical photos, but the scenarios where one uses this type of camera tend to be in-your-face things. That's why so many GoPro-like things have fisheye lenses -- but a fisheye distorts and that gets old fast. The wide angle also really helps underwater, because water clarity is often the limiting factor on IQ, and this lets you frame with less water between you and your subject.
• The rear LCD tilts.  I'm very used to a tilting LCD from my Sony E bodies, where I prefer the EVF, and mostly use the LCD for placing the camera where my face can't be. With this type of camera, it's much more common that it is where I don't want my face to be. For example, I can pivot the LCD up 90 degrees and hold the camera horizontally underwater while my face is above water, and I can still look down and see the LCD for framing my shots. This is a very big deal. Oh, and yes, you can pivot it all the way for selfies too.

The above two features have been as useful as I expected they might be, and justify the camera purchase all by themselves.

In addition, the lens of this camera seems to shed water droplets amazingly well -- they say it has a special coating for that. I'm usually using these kinds of cameras in wet conditions that are not underwater, and water droplets on the lens are the biggest IQ problem for that on my older rugged compacts and also on my very bulky-bagged cameras (e.g., Sony A7II); it just isn't much of an issue with this camera. Shake it a bit, droplets are all gone!

A couple of samples:

Underwater with TG860

Just barely above water with TG860

I will not post a video here, but suffice to say the 1080 footage is quite good.

Ok, all that was the good... now the bad.  In two letters, the bad is IQ.  While this camera very easily captures quite reasonable images under conditions few cameras can tolerate, it doesn't really do much better when conditions are good, and it doesn't deal with difficult lighting well at all.

Expect blurry photos in poor lighting due to either slow shutter speed or very heavy noise reduction. Dynamic range of the camera is terrible; ok, I'm spoiled by using Sony bodies that have an exceptional 13+ EV DR, but this looks like 7-8 EV when I have decade-old compacts that can deliver more like 9 EV. Of course, there's also no raw output option to try to save IQ in post.  All of this is an unfortunately familiar story WRT Olympus products in this niche....

In sum, this is a really easy to use rugged camera that will let you get the shot under circumstances that nothing else would, and it captures really quite nice 1080 video, but the truth is that the stills never get much better than frame grabs from the 1080 video. It's a great second camera for rough treatment, but there are cell phones that can beat it in still image IQ, and it's a bad joke in tough lighting. I would recommend it, but not as one camera to do everything; it's better to think of it as an upgrade on a GoPro than as a general-purpose compact that can handle rough usage....

it's better to think of it as an upgrade on a GoPro than as a general-purpose compact that can handle rough usage....

Hi there, thanks for the review! It's hard to find a solid review about this camera from someone who has experience with real cameras.

I was looking to upgrade my GoPro to the latest silver model with the screen but then thought about looking into rugged cameras instead.

My thought process was because I take just as much photos as I do videos when using the GoPro maybe I should be looking into a rugged camera in order to grab better stills (especially since I'm a photographer and not really a videographer).

Your line of the TG-860 being an upgrade to a GoPro really caught my attention because this is exactly what I was wanting to do.

I see this review was posted 7 months ago and just wanted to see if you have any more to say about the image quality or had more insight in comparison vs. a GoPro?

Mikee wrote:

I see this review was posted 7 months ago and just wanted to see if you have any more to say about the image quality or had more insight in comparison vs. a GoPro?

I think there are now a lot of potential GoPro upgrade paths, but if you're looking for a very convenient hard-to-destroy little camera, I can still say lots of good things about this tough.

The IQ is definitely disappointing, but it is disappointing by the standards of nice compact cameras, not in comparison to the video-oriented rugged things.  More importantly, it's a full camera, with decent controls and a flip-out display.

For a tough camera that is a step up in IQ over the TG860, try the Olympus TG4.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Olympus_TOUGH_TG4/outdoor_resolution.shtml

I got the TG860 for my teenage daughter for a camping trip. The flip up screen for selfies was the must have feature. The way the zoom actuator and shutter release button(s) were arranged makes the camera very easy to use for selfies. They really thought that out.

I got the TG4 for myself for work for an easy to use macro feature with the ring light accessory. (I've got a lot of small parts I have to document and write work instructions for these next few months and no selfies needed)

I find the comments at www.cameralabs.com concerning the TG860 and TG4 true to my experience as well.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Olympus_TOUGH_TG860/verdict.shtml

While i have TG850, i think 860 is not much different.

I liked Tg850 for ultra wide angle, LED flash along with regular flash, selfie screen, and overall construction and size.

But its IQ is just average but inline with other cameras.Good thing is it has very good video mode.Video is very smooth and clear, nicely focused and stereo mics are also nice.

I dont do underwater photography but for outdoor trips in winter or rainy season it is must have with me.When i cannot use any camera in rain or on beach, TG850 is useful.

OpticsEngineer wrote:

For a tough camera that is a step up in IQ over the TG860, try the Olympus TG4.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Olympus_TOUGH_TG4/outdoor_resolution.shtml

Everyone says the TG4 is a step up in IQ, but not really. It's basically the same sensor + raw with a much less useful zoom range. 21mm equiv. is a huge win over 28mm for the wide end. The TG4 only does better in IQ in good lighting, and even then it's somewhat dependent on how wisely you pick the mode setting on the TG860.

I got the TG860 for my teenage daughter for a camping trip. The flip up screen for selfies was the must have feature. The way the zoom actuator and shutter release button(s) were arranged makes the camera very easy to use for selfies. They really thought that out.

Way more useful than just for selfies -- a very large fraction of the time I've used the TG860, it's been with the screen angled so my face doesn't have to be in an untenable position to see the display. Especially cool for low angle shots with the camera on the ground or underwater when I'm not.

I got the TG4 for myself for work for an easy to use macro feature with the ring light accessory. (I've got a lot of small parts I have to document and write work instructions for these next few months and no selfies needed)

I find the comments at www.cameralabs.com concerning the TG860 and TG4 true to my experience as well.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Olympus_TOUGH_TG860/verdict.shtml

Looks about right to me too: "I think the TOUGH TG860 is the real star in the Olympus rugged line-up."  It's never going to replace my Sony A7II, but a TG4 is a less-useful stand-in when the conditions don't allow me to use my A7II.  

ProfHankD wrote:

OpticsEngineer wrote:

For a tough camera that is a step up in IQ over the TG860, try the Olympus TG4.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Olympus_TOUGH_TG4/outdoor_resolution.shtml

Everyone says the TG4 is a step up in IQ, but not really. It's basically the same sensor + raw with a much less useful zoom range. 21mm equiv. is a huge win over 28mm for the wide end. The TG4 only does better in IQ in good lighting, and even then it's somewhat dependent on how wisely you pick the mode setting on the TG860.

I would expect the TG-4 to do better in poor lighting up to a point, since it has a f/2.0-3.5 lens, while the TG-860 has a f/3.5-5.7 lens.  That is 1 2/3 stops faster on the wide end and 1 1/3 stops faster on the slow end.  So if the lighting was dim enough that you were shooting at 1/15 of a second with the TG-860 (and things were blurry because of movement), you would be able to shoot 1/30 or 1/40 second with the TG-4.

In addition, the raw capability of the TG-4 might give you a little more leeway than the TG-860 in processing noise at high ISO's (assuming you are adept at post processing).

Michael Meissner wrote:

ProfHankD wrote:

OpticsEngineer wrote:

For a tough camera that is a step up in IQ over the TG860, try the Olympus TG4.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Olympus_TOUGH_TG4/outdoor_resolution.shtml

Everyone says the TG4 is a step up in IQ, but not really. It's basically the same sensor + raw with a much less useful zoom range. 21mm equiv. is a huge win over 28mm for the wide end. The TG4 only does better in IQ in good lighting, and even then it's somewhat dependent on how wisely you pick the mode setting on the TG860.

I would expect the TG-4 to do better in poor lighting up to a point, since it has a f/2.0-3.5 lens, while the TG-860 has a f/3.5-5.7 lens. That is 1 2/3 stops faster on the wide end and 1 1/3 stops faster on the slow end. So if the lighting was dim enough that you were shooting at 1/15 of a second with the TG-860 (and things were blurry because of movement), you would be able to shoot 1/30 or 1/40 second with the TG-4.

Not really true -- think about how slowly you can hand-hold a wider lens and then realize that you get to brace the camera better because of the tilting LCD.  Anyway, they're both lousy in poor light.

In addition, the raw capability of the TG-4 might give you a little more leeway than the TG-860 in processing noise at high ISO's (assuming you are adept at post processing).

Actually, it's more a matter of having to set the mode right when you take the photo. The camera-internal options are still pretty good on the TG860, you just don't get to change your mind later. (Note that I'm not saying things are great if you keep the TG860 in the same mode all the time, which is what all the test reports online seem to have done.)

ProfHankD wrote:

Everyone says the TG4 is a step up in IQ, but not really. It's basically the same sensor + raw with a much less useful zoom range. 21mm equiv. is a huge win over 28mm for the wide end. The TG4 only does better in IQ in good lighting, and even then it's somewhat dependent on how wisely you pick the mode setting on the TG860.

But, they have slightly different lens designs. I've never seen the Cameralabs review that OpticsEngineer mentioned. It's obvious the TG-4 has better optics. And, that comparison was done at typical daytime light levels. Sort of surprised me.

The TG-4 has a 25mm equiv lens, not 28mm. The 860 has only a 10 degree wider diagonal angle of view. Not exactly a huge difference. And, the TG-4 can use the fisheye accessory lens. While not exactly convenient to use, it has justified its cost on several reef dives.

I agree with Michael Meissner on the advantage of the TG-4's nearly 2-stop faster lens. Keeping these small sensor cameras at or near base ISO is key to getting good images. That was the primary factor why I selected the TG-3.

Way more useful than just for selfies -- a very large fraction of the time I've used the TG860, it's been with the screen angled so my face doesn't have to be in an untenable position to see the display. Especially cool for low angle shots with the camera on the ground or underwater when I'm not.

Yes, that's an advantage of the TG-860. But, the top hinge can't help with overhead shots. I seem to need that held above my head position more than low angle shots. Really awkward with my heavy DSLRs and their fixed LCDs. That's why I also have.cameras with +/- tilting or fully articulated screens.

Enders Shadow wrote:

Yes, that's an advantage of the TG-860. But, the top hinge can't help with overhead shots.

Dude, hold the camera upside down!  It works great for that.

I get all the arguments for the TG4, but the truth is it is a significantly less versatile camera and the IQ improvement is pretty incremental at best. I should also say that my thow-around higher-end option is no worse than my old-enough-that-I-don't-worry-too-much Sony A55 in a cheap waterproof housing (bag type); the IQ of a TG4 isn't even close to competitive with that. Well, it isn't unless it is in heavy rain, in which case the truth is that IQ is dominated by how quickly the lens sheds water droplets, a metric which the TG860 (and I assume the TG4 too) actually does quite well by....

ProfHankD wrote:

Mikee wrote:

I see this review was posted 7 months ago and just wanted to see if you have any more to say about the image quality or had more insight in comparison vs. a GoPro?

I think there are now a lot of potential GoPro upgrade paths, but if you're looking for a very convenient hard-to-destroy little camera, I can still say lots of good things about this tough.

The IQ is definitely disappointing, but it is disappointing by the standards of nice compact cameras, not in comparison to the video-oriented rugged things. More importantly, it's a full camera, with decent controls and a flip-out display.

Thanks for your input. I ended up grabbing one new on Ebay for $190. Going to take it with me to India and Maldives in a couple weeks along with my a7rII and GoPro. Hoping to like the 860 so that I can loose the GoPro on my next trip. Don't get me wrong, I think the GoPro is fantastic, I just wish it took better quality stills.

manolo wrote:

Hi,

Thanks for sharing your findings.

My main camera is a Nikon D600 and I have also an Olympus XZ-1 used as a spare camera and by the children too. I want to buy a TG-860 or TG-4 to upgrade this XZ-1 for next summer where we'll do some snorkeling. The TG-860 seems to be more fun to use with its tilting screen and wider lens, but I fear to be disappointed by its image quality which looks not as good as TG-4 one. I would hate to buy a camera that would give worse results than the aging XZ-1.

Please, give me your opinion to help be choose between TG-860 or TG-4 models.

I don't have a TG-4 to compare with, but you've got the right issue.

Honestly, the TG-4 is so far down from the other cameras I normally use that I don't see it as much better than the TG-860... but that's a personal judgement call.