Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Focuses On Rugged Selfies

Olympus has a taste for rugged little action cameras, and the Stylus Tough TG-860 looks set to continue that legacy, focusing particularly on selfie-obsessed explorers. Wrapping a 16-megapixel sensor with 5x optical zoom and ultra wide-angle 21mm lens in a metal body that's waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, crushproof, and dustproof, it can also be squeezed inside an underwater case to take down to depths of up to 147 feet.

Even without that case, however, the TG-860 can handle being submerged at up to 50 feet. You can freeze it to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, or drop it from seven foot up. A 220 pound dog could sit on it without ill-results.

If you'd rather take a selfie with that dog, the LCD flips up 180-degrees for easier framing. Alternatively, there's built-in WiFi with support for Olympus' iOS and Android smartphone and tablet apps, which show a real-time view through the lens as well as supporting media transfer.

In addition to wireless, there's baked-in GPS for tagging position to each frame. A second app, dubbed OI Track, updates the TG-860's onboard GPS assist data, and then sorts shots into location-organized albums.

As well as stills – run through the same TruePic VII image processing engine that Olympus uses in the OM-D range – there's support for 1080/60p video capture. 720/60p and 480/60p is also possible, and there's a 120 fps, 854 x 480 mode for high-speed sports and such.

Time-lapse stills capture at 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 12, or 30-second intervals, while a "Sport Burst" mode captures at shutter intervals between 0.05 and 60 seconds.

Olympus expects the Stylus Tough TG-860 to go on sale in April, priced at $279.99. It'll be offered in black, orange, and white finishes.