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Olympus adds raw to rugged Tough TG-4, tunes up 10.7x f2.8 Stylus 1s

Though it doesn't change much from the TG-3, the TG-4 should remain the rugged camera choice for enthusiasts, while the Stylus 1s brings a couple design tweaks and feature updates.

Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice

Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.

Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials

More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.

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Joshua Goldman

April 12, 2015 10:00 p.m. PT

2 min read

Instead of doing full-on overhauls of its Stylus compact cameras, Olympus has been concentrating on subtle improvements. That was the case with the Stylus SH-2 earlier this year and now the Tough TG-4 and Stylus 1s.

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The TG-4 has the same great 4x f2.0-4.9 25-100mm lens and rugged design as the TG-3 -- waterproof to 50 feet (15m), shockproof from 7 feet (2.1m), crushproof up to 220 pounds (100kg), freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius), and dustproof -- but adds some new shooting features to keep it on top of its competition.

The biggest addition here is aimed at enthusiasts: the TG-4 can shoot in raw and JPEG. You'll be able to edit its raw files in Olympus Viewer 3 software, but Adobe Camera Raw support is expected to follow. Other changes include a Live Composite setting that allows for the effect of a long exposure without overexposing the image; an Underwater HDR mode to help with difficult exposures; and improved GPS.

The Olympus Stylus Tough TG-4 shows up in May in black or red versions for $380, which converts directly to around AU$500 or £260.

Olympus also added some new features to the Stylus 1 , an enthusiast compact with a 10.7x 28-300mm lens with a constant maximum f2.8 aperture through the zoom range. Dubbed Stylus 1s, it is basically the same excellent camera as before, but has some minor physical changes such as a blue line around the lens -- a symbol of Olympus' Zuiko lens quality -- and a pebbled synthetic-leather grip.

The 1s will also have a handful of new shooting options: small-target AF for more precise focusing on a specific area; focus peaking that highlights the in-focus area when manually focusing; interval shooting and time-lapse movie modes; easy-step zoom with nine steps of magnification; and the zoom amount can be displayed as a magnification or 35mm- equivalent focal length.

The good news is all of these features will be bundled up in a firmware update for the Stylus 1, adding some new life to the original model, which is great because the Stylus 1s will set you back $700 (around £480 or AU$900) when it arrives in mid-April.