Olympus' Tough Tracker action cam is stronger and smarter than the competition
After years of making the most rugged point-and-shoots available, Olympus is finally using that know-how to take on GoPro.
Joshua Goldman
Senior Editor / Reviews
Joshua Goldman is a senior editor for CNET Reviews, covering laptops and the occasional action cam or drone and related accessories. He has been writing about and reviewing consumer technology and software since 2000.
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Shop for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-Tracker (black)
See all pricesEven without a housing, the Olympus Tracker is tougher than most action cams.
Some action cams are only as tough as their housings. But the Olympus Stylus Tough TG-Tracker on its own -- no housing -- is waterproof to depths of 100 feet (30 meters), dustproof, shockproof from 7 feet (2.1 meters), freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 Celsius) and crushproof up to 220 pounds of force.
That makes the Tracker nearly as waterproof as the standard GoPro housing (rated to 40 meters), except without the fear of it accidentally opening up and destroying the camera within. Perhaps what's more impressive than its durability, though, are the sensors inside the camera that help it know where you are even if you don't.
A flip-out LCD and included handgrip make it easy to shoot at different angles.
Olympus calls the set a Field Sensor System, which includes GPS (with Glonass and QZSS functionality), an e.Compass, temperature, barometric pressure and accelerometer sensors. Combined they capture all kinds of data -- position, speed, water and air temps, altitude and water depth -- that can be viewed on the camera's flip-out display or on its companion smartphone app. The camera can even keep collecting data when you're not recording.
Other key features include:
- 4K-resolution video capture at 30fps
- 240fps, 120fps high-speed video at 720p resolution
- 8-megapixel stills
- 204-degree angle of view f2.0 lens
- Built-in LED light that doubles as a flashlight
- Time-lapse and loop movie recording modes
- Five-axis electronic image stabilization
- Flat-lens cover included for underwater shooting
- Built-in Wi-Fi for mobile transfers and remote control
- Supports microSD cards up to 128GB
The Olympus Stylus Tough TG-Tracker (because just one name wasn't good enough) will be available in June for $350 -- that's about £240 or AU$485. You can find more details on Olympus' site.