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all the bells and whistles but stumbles with not so great IQ

Started Sep 20, 2015 | User reviews
keiththewheelman
keiththewheelman Junior Member • Posts: 27
all the bells and whistles but stumbles with not so great IQ
3

I've been shooting the TG-860 as my primary pocket picture picker for the last 2 months. I've been enjoying the long list of features that is the TG-860- wifi, flipscreen, in camera panoramic, extra wide 3.7mm-17mm zoom lens.  Despite the long list of feature, the folks on here at DPreview- have to accept that this model isn't aimed at the enthusiast photographer and is very much point and shoot. But it is fast enough to keep all but the most speed demanding photographers happy and allows enough control over basic photography parameters to get the colours right.  Sadly however; the biggest disappointment of the camera is it's just good enough, cheap, point and shoot, image quality.  For more details and some photos to back up what I say check the review I posted on my website on the cameras page:http://keiththewheelman.com/?page_id=19

 keiththewheelman's gear list:keiththewheelman's gear list
Canon PowerShot A590 IS Olympus SP-550 UZ Olympus TG-820 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Olympus E-410 +29 more
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860
16 megapixels • 3 screen • 21 – 105 mm (5×)
Announced: Feb 5, 2015
keiththewheelman's score
4.0
Average community score
4.2
bad for good for
Kids / pets
unrated
Action / sports
acceptable
Landscapes / scenery
mediocre
Portraits
mediocre
Low light (without flash)
acceptable
Flash photography (social)
okay
Studio / still life
unrated
= community average
OpticsEngineer Veteran Member • Posts: 7,821
Re: all the bells and whistles but stumbles with not so great IQ
1

Thanks for posting.  Very informative over on your website.   I am looking at the TG-860 or the TG-4 for my daughter for a canoe trip. (school event, cameras okay but no cell phones allowed)

 OpticsEngineer's gear list:OpticsEngineer's gear list
Fujifilm XF1 Olympus XZ-2 iHS Canon PowerShot G7 X Olympus Tough TG-4 Pentax *ist D +27 more
keiththewheelman
OP keiththewheelman Junior Member • Posts: 27
Re: all the bells and whistles but stumbles with not so great IQ

a 6 month of ownership update.  Shortly after I wrote my review the camera quit functioning starting with the screen and other parts to follow.  It took me a couple months to gather up all that was required to make a warranty claim.  I haven't got it back yet but it appears that my camera will soon be on it's way back to me and now in working condition.... when I get it back in 3 weeks I'll think Olympus.

 keiththewheelman's gear list:keiththewheelman's gear list
Canon PowerShot A590 IS Olympus SP-550 UZ Olympus TG-820 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Olympus E-410 +29 more
Jaunty Regular Member • Posts: 235
Re: all the bells and whistles but stumbles with not so great IQ

Oh dear. Mine just arrived, hope it lasts longer than 6 months!

 Jaunty's gear list:Jaunty's gear list
Ricoh GR Digital Olympus TG-860 Leica Q2 Canon EOS 60D Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM +2 more
kalpesh5777
kalpesh5777 Regular Member • Posts: 143
Re: all the bells and whistles but stumbles with not so great IQ

Correctly said. This camera is not for high quality photos. Even I felt that image quality is not as good as  similar sensor sized cameras. I like this camera for its rough n tough nature, ultra wide angle, flip screen, and size but when i want only image quality then i prefer other camera to shoot.

I can say that this camera saves me when i cannot use any camera in wet conditions or when i need extra wide angle and for group selfies. Even daylight photos have noise reduction applied that you cannot control. It there was RAW then it was best all rounder camera.

Video is very good in daylight but small aperture limits its capability when light falls.

Overall, its a good backup camera for me.

 kalpesh5777's gear list:kalpesh5777's gear list
Olympus XZ-1 Sony RX100 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 808 +5 more
keiththewheelman
OP keiththewheelman Junior Member • Posts: 27
Re: all the bells and whistles but stumbles with not so great IQ

if it does fail with in a year send it follow the intructions for warranty repair.  My  repair took abotu 2 weeks and Iàve happily been back shooting my tough camra for 2 months

 keiththewheelman's gear list:keiththewheelman's gear list
Canon PowerShot A590 IS Olympus SP-550 UZ Olympus TG-820 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Olympus E-410 +29 more
keiththewheelman
OP keiththewheelman Junior Member • Posts: 27
Re: all the bells and whistles but stumbles with not so great IQ

Another long term reports update. My repaired camera broke just after I posted that it was back and working well. It has since been returned to Canada, been fixed and I am awaiting a good excuse to have it sent back to this world traveller. Sadly my relatives who received the repaired camera haven't tested it for me yet.

 keiththewheelman's gear list:keiththewheelman's gear list
Canon PowerShot A590 IS Olympus SP-550 UZ Olympus TG-820 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Olympus E-410 +29 more
keiththewheelman
OP keiththewheelman Junior Member • Posts: 27
Re: all the bells and whistles but stumbles with not so great IQ

It broke yet again.  The replacement for the camera I broke last may, that my relatives sat on last year was finally shipped to me in late September.  It was a refurbished camera.  It lasted about as long as the original purchase despite my attempt to make sure I never fell asleep with the camera in the pocket of my cycling jersey.. and to never drop it.  I wonder if Olympus will do anything more for me this time.

 keiththewheelman's gear list:keiththewheelman's gear list
Canon PowerShot A590 IS Olympus SP-550 UZ Olympus TG-820 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Olympus E-410 +29 more
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