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Olympus Stylus TG-2 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £314
inc VAT

A rugged, waterproof camera with some useful tricks for macro and low-light photography

Specifications

1/2.3in 11.8-megapixel sensor, 4.0x zoom (25-100mm equivalent), 230g

http://www.amazon.co.uk
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Photo quality should be the TG2’s strongest point, but while it’s by no means bad, it didn’t quite live up to our expectations. Well-lit scenes looked sharp and vibrant, but subtle textures were smeared by noise reduction. It’s by no means disastrous – and it’s a common problem for compact cameras – but we’d hoped for better from this 12-megapixel back-illuminated sensor. The Canon PowerShot D20 https://www.expertreviews.com/uk/digital-cameras/1296115/canon-powershot-d20 (see Shopper 301) gave better results in bright conditions. We also encountered problems with blooming around bright objects in the frame, although this may have been down to oily fingerprints on the window in front of a lens – a common problem for waterproof cameras that don’t have a lens cap.

Olympus Stylus TG-2
There’s plenty of sharp detail and vibrant colour in this shot

Olympus Stylus TG-2
This one is less successful, with a smudged appearance to the grass

Olympus Stylus TG-2
There’s a strange, ethereal glow around these flowers, possibly caused by dirt on the lens

The bright lens came in useful in low light, with its f/2 aperture capturing almost four times as much light as the Canon D20’s f/3.9 lens. That’s only when both cameras were set to the wide-angle end of their zooms, though. The advantage was lost as we zoomed in, with the TG-2’s f/4.9 maximum aperture slightly darker than the D20’s f/4.8. Our indoor test shots were generally up to scratch, though, with presentable results up to ISO 800 letting us shoot in ambient sunlight without having to resort to the flash.

Olympus Stylus TG-2
The wide-aperture lens helps to keep the ISO speed down in low light, giving smooth, noise-free skin tones in this shot

Olympus Stylus TG-2
There’s a fair amount of smeary noise reduction at ISO 800, but this is nevertheless an excellent result

We didn’t have an opportunity to take the TG-2 for a dip in the sea, but we’d anticipate that the f/2 lens should come in useful in gloomy submarine environments. The Canon PowerShot D20 delivered better image quality in bright light, though, and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 has a superior video mode, more reliable GPS and lots of Wi-Fi functions. None of them is a runaway winner, so we’ll have to leave you to pick your favourite.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ****
CCD effective megapixels 11.8 megapixels
CCD size 1/2.3in
Viewfinder none
Viewfinder magnification, coverage N/A
LCD screen size 3.0in
LCD screen resolution 610,000 pixels
Articulated screen No
Live view Yes
Optical zoom 4.0x
Zoom 35mm equivalent 25-100mm
Image stabilisation optical, sensor shift
Maximum image resolution 3,968×2,976
File formats JPEG; QuickTime (AVC)

Physical

Memory slot SDXC
Mermory supplied 22MB internal
Battery type Li-ion
Battery Life (tested) 350 shots
Connectivity USB, AV, micro HDMI
Body material aluminium
Lens mount N/A
Focal length multiplier N/A
Kit lens model name N/A
Accessories USB cable
Weight 230g
Size 67x116x29mm

Buying Information

Warranty one year RTB
Price £314
Supplier http://www.amazon.co.uk
Details www.olympus.co.uk

Camera Controls

Exposure modes program, aperture priority
Shutter speed auto
Aperture range f/2-8 (wide), f/4.9-18 (tele)
ISO range (at full resolution) 100 to 6400
Exposure compensation +/-2 EV
White balance auto, 5 presets, manual
Additional image controls shadow adjust
Manual focus No
Closest macro focus 1cm
Auto-focus modes multi, centre, face detect, tracking
Metering modes multi, centre, face detect
Flash auto, forced, suppressed, slow synchro, red-eye reduction, LED lamp
Drive modes single, continuous, self-timer, HDR, panorama