Rugged Olympus TG-3 puts the focus on macro shooting

 

 

Are you a fan of macro photos, but struggle with the shallow depth of field that can make your macro subjects disappear into a blur of bokeh? Olympus aims to fix this problem with its brand-new Stylus Tough TG-3 digital camera, the world's first with in-camera focus stacking. And that's not the only macro shooting innovation in the Olympus TG-3, either!

Like its predecessor, last year's TG-2, the Olympus TG-3's restyled body is still extremely rugged, described by its maker as waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, crushproof and dustproof. Compared to the previous model, its controls have been refined slightly, and it sports a new sensor, new processor, refined connectivity and geolocation features, and a unique focus stacking function. These improvements are, however, accompanied by a slightly lower-res LCD monitor and a subtle decrease in battery life.

 

The Olympus TG-3 is, like its predecessor, pretty-much lifeproof.

So what's the other new macro-shooting feature? An interesting new accessory: the LG-1 LED light guide. This acts like an unpowered macro ring light, redirecting   illumination from the TG-3's built-in LED to shine from a ring around the lens. The result is even illumination for macro shots, at least in theory.

Available from June 2014, the TG-3 ships in black or red versions with a list price of US$350. Want to know more about Olympus' macro-oriented, rugged camera? Read our Olympus TG-3 preview for the full story!