View topic - New Olympus TG-6 waterproof pocket camera

Olympus' TG series of tough/waterproof pocket cameras have resulted in good reviews in the past, with some claiming Olympus leads the field in this kind of camera. The newest TG-6, soon available, has a few new features that might make it a better buy and at the same price than the previous TG-5.

Features, some new, worth considering for quick and easy, durable canoe use...

- no selfie flip screen, vulnerable to damage.

- can shoot RAW, or RAW/jpeg at the same time.

- minimum shutter speed can be set if shooting moving objects (birds, airplanes).

- anti-fog lens glass

- anti-flare and ghosting sensor glass

- easy open/close lens barrier cover available to keep dust and water droplets off, reducing the need to clean the lens.

- low light capability with f/2 lens and smaller megapixel number.

- 25-100mm equaivalent zoom, with some sort of improved digital zoom Olympus has added in, this has yet to be tested.

- video stuff described in the text and links below, and more.

https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/ ... -tg-6A.HTM


The descriptive vid, the easy open/close lens barrier that should help keep water droplets and dust off is shown at about the 3 min mark.

https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/ ... -tg-6A.HTM

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Here is a link to digital photo review's 2019 buyers' guide to waterproof cameras. It includes a review of the TG-6, their pick as the best waterproof camera.

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/buying ... of-cameras

The Olympus TG series has topped the DPR list for the past three or four years.

While I have been tempted to get a full-out waterproof camera as a second camera for canoe tripping, I have opted for a better camera inside a Pelican 1040 case. Right now I have a Sony RX100 M3 in the case. I found the camera -used - at Henry's for $460. The RX100 sensor is four times the size of the one in the TG.

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http://albinger.me/canoe-tripping/

Good deal on the used RX100... IIRC the newest version is well over a thousand Canadian. Image testing in reviews was impressive, sharpness and quality that results from the one-inch sensor.

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I've had a TG-4 for a few years. It's a good camera. Image quality could be better if you start looking close but it's a pocket camera so what can you expect? It either lives in my pocket or thwart bag, both of which are normally wet. The ability to pull it out and take a picture within 5-10 seconds of seeing a good subject, even while portaging, makes it an easy decision for me to give up a little image quality.

Alan

Hey Alan... I hope your health issues are being resolved and you're on the mend.

Same deal here, a camera easily available to shoot at any time sure helps and not worrying about weather, er, whether, it's going to be damaged also helps. I keep my almost-antique TG-820 in a pocket or day pack and don't think about it until something appears. Often just banging away on impulse and then examining more closely later on. Yep, "we went to Barcelona and took 20,000 photos, got it all and sorting through them" sort of thing but that's digital photography now with no film cost.

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Some test pix from the older TG-5 which has the same lens and image processor as the TG-6... zoom in on the church photos shot in 25mm wide angle and longer... there's enough resolution visible in the roof shingles and building details to show it's sharp enough for online and computer viewing. The pix info only says that the shots were done in automatic mode, doesn't state whether that includes shooting in RAW which could be sharper if jpeg processing is affecting this by reducing noise and grain effects

https://www.cameralabs.com/olympus-tough-tg5-review/3/

Here's a TG-6 jpeg test shot in extreme 25mm wide angle, with good sharpness in the image center. There is blurring towards the edges which might disappear in longer lens equivalent, maybe 28 or 50mm. Telephoto shots at 100mm will probably have lower resolution, although tests aren't in.

https://asia.olympus-imaging.com/content/000101306.jpg

Olympus kept the sensor's megapixel count low at 12 compared to other pocket cameras which might have 16. I don't think this will affect image sharpness much although tests probably won't be in till early July. The lens probably defines sharpness more than megapixel count. The TG-5's and 6's larger and faster f/2 lens, combined with the low megapixel count should make it a better than average performer in low light, when some of the most interesting scenes might become available (twilight, forests, sunsets, campfires).

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My TG-4 is quite soft away from the center. It would really bug me if photography was still my thing. But it's not so I ignore it and find that it really doesn't matter. There are lots of great photographs with blurry edges and lots of terrible photographs with sharp edges. What makes a good photo will never change and it has little to do with image quality.

Alan

Bah, crummy photographs, the internet's packed with them, millions being taken every minute and then thrown away into cyberspace. High resolution photographs do have a place in fine photography. Edward Burtynsky's industrial landscapes for example. Best seen as large prints, the fine details aren't apparent on a PC and on a smartphone, the value's lost.

Stepping back, the detailed satellite photos on Google and government sites are great to explore with. And stepping a little further back again, the detail in the Hubble photos are like, out of sight... galaxies 14 billion light years away. Some would say these are telescopes, not cameras... I see them as really long telephoto lenses with a camera added on. Although kinda bulky on a hike... will let you count ants at a campsite at the other end of the lake, or see somebody's license number from east to west coasts. Even the black hole at the center of M-87 has become visible, not with the Hubble, another technique using microwave radiation.

Me, I'd rather have more resolution than less if it isn't too much trouble or money, so watching for any sort of developments. These wonderfully compact point-and-shoots are getting more and more wonderful with each passing year along with phone cameras. Engineers are finding ways to pack more capability into that small portable thing, worth watching, maybe not owning just yet.

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I prefer higher resolution since I usually look at and watch my photos on a 60" screen!
I usually carry an array of lenses and two bodies on canoeing trips, with 4 batteries and 6 memory cards per camera in a Pelican style case!!

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Good review from several days ago, includes some bashing around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3eC3Hl6xdQ

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frozentripper, you're doing a fine job convincing yourself that it makes absolute sense to buy this camera. Now you've got to sell the missus on the idea that yet another camera is called for!

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http://albinger.me/canoe-tripping/

Convincing myself to buy this camera... I'm doing nothing of the sort, TN... mostly tracking developments and passing them on. Although my old 2012 Olympus waterproof is showing it's age and having the info ready and available might be valuable. It probably won't be this one... still, picture quality seems to be improving and Olympus seems to be at the top of the heap (Leica's $2000-$3000 waterproof pocket camera I haven't checked out, too ridiculous).

As the torture tests in the review vid showed, no worries wrt to bashing the thing about and there's reasonable picture quality with a minimum of fooling around... not a bad tradeoff when there's something good that suddenly appears. On the weekend I was being plagued by biting flies and this kept the swearing to a minimum.

Lots of splashing on the camera here at the Toronto waterfront although the real fury of the waves isn't apparent... no, no worries. And it's too dark.. never mind.

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