Olympus Stylus TOUGH TG-870
– The NEW Tough TG-870 Reviewed at Krabi, Thailand.
Image: The NEW Tough TG-870 from Olympus.
12h March 2016, Krabi, Thailand/ Singapore – So along with the Pen-F package that Olympus Singapore sent us before our Krabi trip, we found another camera inside the bag. It’s the latest Tough TG-870. I broke a little evil grin as I remembered what we did in 2013 for the TG-2. In fact many photos were removed from the review after we published it – photos of me swimming underwater with the TG-2 & TG-1, placing the TG-2 & TG-3 in a freezer etc. OK, I knew that was dangerous and worse, if you search a bit, you would have also know that I had also went swimming & bashed (tried) a few Nikon AW and put some Pentax camera under a Honda Civic etc.
Knowing what I am capable of, Olympus told me that this is the limited few units for review and had hinted that I should not put the TG-870 through a camera version of “NCAP Rating Test”. OK, so no extreme methods were used this time.
Before I proceed, if you found your way here looking for specs and technical review, too bad, over here, our style has always been the End-User (layman)’s approach and we are really more interested to find out what the camera can do and the images that it can produce. (If you really need the specs, please visit Olympus Singapore’s website here.)
This 16 megapixel ultra tough compact is a camera that you WANT to bring with you wherever you go. Featuring a focal range equivalent to 21-105mm with an aperture of F3.5-5.7, this is actually very useful! Why? I will share about this later. The ISO is pretty generous (this is a compact mind you) doing a ISO 125 to 12800.
The TG-870 features an arrays of Art Filters (expected from Olympus), which makes the TG-870 an ideal “Creative on the Go” compact. The compact size measuring 113mm x 64mm x 28 mm and weights a mere 221gm fits most pockets & pouches. I had the TG-870 in my pocket throughout my trip to Krabi if you must know. Apart from the solidly built exterior, this is after all a TOUGH series camera from Olympus. It was built to swim up to 15m depth, withstand a car’s rollover weight up to 100kgf (ok in layman terms, up to a car the size/weight of a 2016 Honda Civic), a careless drop from a height of 2.1m & you try shooting in a freezer up to -10 degree before the LCD freezes up no you.
So what did I shot using the TG-870 at Krabi? Check out the images below.
All images are not edited except adjustments for horizon alignments, croppings and adding water mark. Everything else is what I got directly from the TG-870.
Image: Above Krabi. Shot by Olympus Tough TG-870.
Image: Above Krabi. Shot by Olympus Tough TG-870.
While my Olympus Pen-F is inside the overhead luggage compartment, I am so glad that I have the TG-870 inside my pocket while the plane is approaching Krabi International Airport. Took it out and gotten the above shots, 1 in color and 1 in mono. I was pleasantly amazed by the colors (no art filters, just regular shooting modes) and more amazed with the monochrome version. After looking at the images, I ended up having the TG-870 in my pocket throughout my stay in Krabi.
Image: The Inifinity Pool at our resort. Aonang, Krabi Thailand. Shot by Olympus Tough TG-870.
Since one of the highlights at Krabi is the amazing sun set, we went to the beach earlier to look for a good spot for a good review photo for the Pen-F. After settling for a spot, we decided to have some fun with the TG-870. (Especially the Selfie Mode)
Image: My Selfie at Aonang Beach, Krabi Thailand. Shot by Olympus Tough TG-870.
After I’ve gotten my Review Shot for the Pen-F, it’s time to lepak. Then just when I kept the Pen-F into my bag, I saw 2 horses strolling on the beach front and needless to say, it’s TG-870 for the shot! The colors produced by the TG-870 is really amazing!
Image: Horses & Sunset at Aonang Beach, Krabi Thailand. Shot by Olympus Tough TG-870.
Don’t you love the colors too? And from the Pen-F article, you would have read that we climbed the Tiger Cave Mountain that features 1260+ vertical steps. At the peak of the Tiger Cave mountain, apart from the magnificence scenic overview, there are a few giant Buddha statues. Sadly, I only had the Zuiko 17mm on my Pen-F and the space up at the peak is pretty tight. Thank God for TG-870, the 21mm on the TG-870 is super useful at the point!
Image: A view from the peak of Tiger Cave mountain, Krabi Thailand. Shot by Olympus Tough TG-870.
Image: A view at the peak of Tiger Cave mountain, Krabi Thailand. Shot by Olympus Tough TG-870. (Lucky and Really Thankful for the 21mm wide angle!)
Image: A view at the peak of Tiger Cave mountain, Krabi Thailand. Shot by Olympus Tough TG-870. (Lucky and Really Thankful for the 21mm wide angle!)
Image: A view from the peak of Tiger Cave mountain, Krabi Thailand. Shot by Olympus Tough TG-870.
Image: A view at the peak of Tiger Cave mountain, Krabi Thailand. Shot by Olympus Tough TG-870. (Lucky and Really Thankful for the 21mm wide angle!)
In a nutshell, the Olympus Tough TG-870 is a little monster that I will love to have 1 in my pocket anytime. It is probably the best companion to any camera that you are using or bringing around. For travelers, this is the cam you might wish to have it with you – especially to destinations where weather is harsh and unforgiving. The TG-870 is inexpensive, works like a horse, compact & light, tiltable screen with a host of “everyday” functions & shooting mode – Go Get It.
Thank You Olympus Singapore for the Sponsorship!
Do check out what we did with the Olympus Pen-F that we brought along to Krabi.
Read up past reviews that we had done for Olympus here.
Below Images: Behind-the-scene photos for the Olympus Tough TG-870 by Cyndris Neo.
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Thanks for an informative, layman review of the olympus 870. I’ve been looking at getting a great quality camera for hiking/camping/snorkeling for some time now, and feel I don’t need the more professional tg4 which after tons of comparisons these were the two I’d narrowed my choices to including outside brands. You also gave actual pictures in your review which was great!
1 small question if you can answer for me:
can you do a panoramic type picture? either with a single shot or “piecing” several shots together (kinda like a smartphone can)
Thanks again 🙂
Actually i did. Its over at my Facebook album.
What was your most useed setting you use for your Krabi shots on your olympus tg 870? Thank you in advance.
Hi!
I used “P” Mode with ISO set to a fixed ISO 400, spot focus and full metering.