Did it ever happen to you that your camera battery went dead in the middle of nowhere? If so, you'll probably remember how frustrated you were. Just before you wanted to take that perfect shot. So what do you do to prevent such a disaster? Is the combination of the Olympus TG-2 camera with the Solargorilla panel the answer? Why did I choose the Olympus Tough TG-2? The camera has a good nice solid feel to it. It has a weight of 230 grams and dimensions of 112 x 67 x 29 mm. Waterproof up to 15 meters and 2 meters shockproof. Next to other brands in that category like Nikon Coolpix AW100 and Panasonic Lumix FT4, I chose this camera not only for its incredible robustness, but also because it offered the possibility to charge using USB. The only disadvantage with that is that the connector is CB-USB-6. So it is not a standard mini or micro USB and you have to take the cable with you on your hike. I like the overall picture quality of the camera. It has GPS and GPS route tracking options, although when turned on, it reduces battery life. Also, the 240 frames per second recording mode is a nice option although it records only at the resolution of 320 x 240. There are 11 digital filters on the camera, which offer nice effects. There are also scene options, among which is HDR. It shoots 3 pictures and then calculates the final picture. The HDR option only reduces the resolution to 3MP, I think it's because the pictures have to be taken very fast one after another and the processing capabilities of the camera are too slow for 12MP pictures. What I also liked a lot was the super macro lens setting, which gives you the option of macro photography at really close range.
The other device is Solargorilla from Powertraveller. It is also a robust solar panel, which provides an output capacity of 500 mAh at 20 V, and a limited maximum of 500 mAh at 5V (USB output). With the dimensions of 264 x 200 x 19 mm and a weight of 700 grams, it can fit into most backpacks quite easily. At full solar output, it gives enough power to change all USB devices. When the solar output is limited then the Solargorilla does not always provide the threshold current at which some devices can be charged. As an alternative Minigorilla USB charger can be used, which can provide an alternative when there is not enough solar output. These Powertraveller devices are compatible with each other and can be daisy-chained, providing an excellent combination.
During my test of the 2 devices, there was enough sun to charge the Olympus TG-2 camera at full charge. When the sun disappeared behind the clouds the red charging LED was still on, which indicates that the charging continued. After around 4 hours the battery indicated fully charged.
A small addition to this setup is the Joby Gorillapod Micro 250 which is a small tripod that is also very robust, small and virtually invisible, when in collapsed form on your camera.
Advantages:
- It does not take up too much space in your backpack, and it's not very heavy.
- The camera can withstand a lot of abuse.
- A lot of nice filters like HDR shot, 240FPS mode, panoramic picture, and 1080p video recording.
- GPS and route tracking.
Disadvantages:
- When there is no sun, this will fail. As an alternative, a USB charger can be used.
- The quality of the picture is not that of a DSLR camera.
- GPS reduces battery life (but not very drastically)
Conclusion: If you are planning to camp without electricity, then this option should be appealing to you. Also if you are willing to make pictures in pouring rain or under water then the Olympus Tough TG-2 is a good option. Note that the pictures won't be of DSLR camera quality. But if you plan to make a blog and use some pictures and videos from your hike (just like me) then I would consider this setup.