On 3/5/2016 5:21 PM, Chuck Norcutt wrote:
This morning I got an email from Adorama offering a one day sale on
the Olympus Tough TG-860
<http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/digitalcameras/point-shoot/tg-860.html>
for $199. It doesn't have an f/2 lens or do raw or aperture priority
as does its more expensive brother, the TG-4
<http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/digitalcameras/point-shoot/tg-4.html>
but, I'm treating a good friend to a river/ocean fishing trip in about
10 days and I have no camera I'm willing to risk on a wet adventure
like that. The price was right so I decided to buy one.
I hope you like it. I was deeply disappointed with the reconditioned
TG-850 I bought the day after Pearl Harbor Day, 2014. After some modest
use last summer, it somehow disappeared. I haven't seen it since. Did I
actually manage to use it? Unconscious-intentionally? It is lurking
somewhere, waiting to pop up and annoy me? Only cost $120 +tax, but
still, IQ was strictly mediocre to poor; not very sharp, poor DR, lots
of artifacts at 100%, even at base ISO.. I don't think I got a single
shot out of it that was worth the trouble of taking it. A couple I could
save, but ... If all one wants is the eq. of 35mm, drugstore processed
snaps, I suppose it is fine.
And I did post about my disappointment here.
The TG-4 is a whole different proposition. With Raw output, and the
different lens, IQ is wildly better, C-U/macro is excellent; it's a
really usable camera. I hope for your sake that either I got a bad
refurb or the 860 is a lot better. I do recommend that you give it a
good tryout quickly.
But before I bought it I downloaded the manual to check it out. I was
slightly surprised to see all the features. Eventually I got to Wi-Fi
and smartphones and the OI.Share app. It uses the phone to set the
time, to run a GPS log, to control and fire the camera remotely and
maybe more. Something rang a bell and I brought up the E-M1 manual to
discover (rediscover?) that the E-M1 can use this app as well.
It's a good app. Not as slick as the Panny one, but very capable. I've
used the WiFi remote control for remote release, shooting longer
exposures, exposure bracketing, etc. It's nice to set up the camera on a
tripod, then sit back, waiting for the light or action you want.
I probably paid that stuff little heed since my then "smartphone"
wasn't very smart. But now my wife and I have iPhones and I'm paying
more attention. I'm pleased to see the E-M1 has more function than I
thought.
And, now that you have the 60/2.8 Macro, you can do Focus Stacking
in-camera. The TG-4 does that for me, and amazingly well, but only macro
and I'm sure not as good as the E-M1, esp. with Raw output.
TG Redemption Moose