CES 2011: Olympus's new Tough cameras can do 3D with one lens

For extreme sports enthusiasts, rough-and-ready weekend warriors, and klutzy amateur shutter-bugs, Olympus's line of Tough digital cameras have answered their needs. Although the point-and-shoot digital cameras aren't as hardened as military-grade gear, they can take the hard knocks that would easily kill most ordinary compact cameras.

At CES, Olympus unveiled the TG-310 and TG-610, the latest additions to the waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof line of cameras.

Both cameras feature a 14-megapixel sensor, dual-image stabilization, HDMI connections and can record 720p resolution high-definition video. The TG-310 features a 3.6x optical zoom lens while the TG-610 has a 5x zoom.

The new feature on both models, however, is built-in software that can help produce 3D images even though the camera has only one lens. How it works: Photographers point the camera at a subject and take the shot. The camera then prompts the user to slowly pan the camera, so it captures the subject at a slightly different angle. When it "sees" what it needs, the camera automatically snaps the second image and stiches both pictures into one .MPO file.

Although pricing wasn't disclosed, Olympus says both cameras should be available in the U.S. in the "first quarter of 2011."

—Paul Eng

—Paul Eng