Olympus TG-5 Waterproof Camera with 3-Inch LCD, Red

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Highly recommend this camera for underwater snorkeling photos. Have tried many throughout the years, none as easy to use, reliable, holds a charge, and takes beautiful pics. Love not replacing batteries, just plug in at end of day. Super easy to change settings under water. For a point and shoot this is a great underwater camera. I dont usually write reviews but was so happy with this I felt I needed to.

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Its obvious that Olympus designed this series of camera to provide major benefits over cell phone cameras. (tough, underwater and super macro). I bought this camera for the sole purpose of documenting flaws in tiny precision parts. The microscope mode is simply amazing combined with the LG-1 light guide. Heres a summary of my likes and dislikes. Even though I have some issues with the camera it still deserves 5 stars. +: Microscope mode is simply amazing. You can focus as close as 1cm and zoom 4X optically. The built in focus stacking will process several images to maximize sharpness. With the LG-1 light guide you get perfect lighting up close. If this isnt enough you can choose digital zoom to magnify zoom by factors of 1X, 2X or 4X. (obviously image quality degrades at these high settings) +: The camera feels very well built. +: 4K video, GPS and waterproof are all nice features to have but I havent used them yet. +: Std. micro USB data/charging cable vs proprietary cable -: The biggest disappointment is WiFi. The primitive WiFi only works with cell phones. You cannot use WiFi over a network/PC. I dont know of any photographers that post process and archive their images on a cell phone. My older Panasonics have much better built in WiFi. -: The user interface is just OK. Some modes and settings are just not very obvious and somewhat cluttered. Having the full user manual is a must and I see that Olympus has finally put it on their US website. (the included Quick Start guide is worthless) -: While in microscope mode, there is no provision for user tweaks to aperture or program shift. Although focus stacking is great to have, you cannot select the size of the stack. (I think three images is all it can stack but focus bracketing gives you more options if you want to do your own stacking). P.S. The gear in the images is about .300" O.D. The first image was taken at min. focus distance of about 1 cm using 4X optical zoom and focus stacking. The second image adds 4X digital zoom for a total of 16X.

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I bought this camera after reading all the reviews and viewing all the videos I could find on YouTube. I was really disappointed regarding lack of realistic underwater content in any of the reviews. I’m very particular about photo quality and therefore knew I’d need a high quality camera. That being said, I ended up purchasing the TG5 as it’s highest ranked online. I couldn’t tell from any reviews whether I could truly depend on it being waterproof while snorkeling, because all the YouTube videos “recommend” the housing that costs almost as much as the camera. I’m picky with picture quality, but I’m a beginner at snorkeling, and I don’t scuba. This camera is truly amazing. I’m beating myself up a bit for not getting to know all the settings before I left for the Caribbean and here’s why: 1. In auto mode, you can’t manually set the flash. You need to use the custom setting mode to set fill flash for inside pictures. Otherwise, you’ll likely end up with slightly blurry under exposed pictures indoors in the evening. 2. If you are swimming in clear Caribbean water that is somewhat shallow with no one around, you won’t need the specialized fish settings. However, if you are swimming in a group where water is deeper, try the fish settings. Otherwise your photos end up green. I was nervous due to reviews saying this camera got fried the first time in the water. I assure you that if you lock the access doors to the charge port & memory card/battery, this won’t happen. Everyday when you get home, follow the instructions by submersing the camera in cool water, shake the debris off, then rinse under a flow of clean water, and it works like magic. Definitely get a floating wrist band to protect your investment. By all accounts, people think this camera looks like a silly point and shoot. However I’d challenge you to take it underwater then hold it against the fabric of your clothing and take a macro. This camera is incredible. I did notice that if there is any lingering spot of saltwater on the lense, you’ll get a hazy spot on your pictures. Make sure your lense is clean. I have an Olympus PL5 and a TG5. Incredible photo quality. I will try to post a few underwater pictures from the TG5 below. The turtle is green - taken on auto with about 25 people swimming around me and he’s about 10 feet below me. The starfish is about 12” away in clear water on fish snapshot. The fish are auto setting, no one else around in salt water.

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Bought this camera for our beach vacation. We left our phones in the hotel room during the day - and we wanted a waterproof camera that could be thrown in a tote, was kid friendly, and could be taken to the beach/pool without worrying about sand/water damage. My kids (10 & 12) had fun taking underwater selfies, making movies in the pool, and trying to photograph fish & turtles at the beach. Half way through the trip I was so happy with the durability of the TG-5 and the quality of the pictures that I quit luggging my big camera around... only pulling it out when I needed a telephoto lens. I would recommend purchasing a floating strap if kids are going to use the camera and/or if you are going to take the camera out on a lake or in the ocean. The pictures I posted were all taken on a sunny days in Hawaii; the clarity of our pictures varied depending on how clear the water was and how bright it was outside. I would highly recommend this camera to anyone looking for a beach vacation camera.

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Speaking from a photographer whos used Canons, Nikons and most recently the Sony A7R II, this camera is awesome for the price point and what its designed to do. It wont take poster quality portraits that you could crop the heck out of and still get an useable image. It wont give you creamy bokeh/ridiculous depth of field like a 50mm will. It wont let give you the reach and the zoom that you have become used to with your favorite telephoto. But what it does give you is an amazing rugged camera that you could fit in your pocket, go trek/dive/bang it around and not worry about it. It can give you a nifty HUD like display you see in video games with your photos/videos. So all in all, to the pixel peepers out there, in our day and age where most of our works are viewed on a 4 inch display, content and storytelling reigns supreme. Plus.. show me a $500 camera that can go down ~50ft and take pictures like this.

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This little Camera is awesome. If you read the full owners manual and care for it exactly as they tell you too, you should not have any flooding problems. I am an experienced photographer and underwater photographer. I like this camera more than the old Nikonis I used for years. When preparing your camera for a dive or snorkeling trip. I always sit under the brightest light I can find and check the door seals with a magnifying glass or one of those Jewelers round lights with the big magnifier. Granted most people wont have one of those available to them but a really good light and magnifier work almost as good. You can see the smallest nick, debris, sand, etc. this way. A little piece of hair can cause a leak. I wipe the seals and the inside rims of the hatches with one of those light eyeglass cloths and inspect the seals again. Then I take the smallest amount of the silicone seal grease that comes with the camera and apply sparingly as recommended. I have a feeling people saw the bag with the grease, display cover, etc. and never looked up what it was for? There has been nothing but just getting use to the settings, etc. but the camera is a champ on land and sea. Get the housing, strobe, slave cable and strobe arm and this camera really performs well. I took it to 120 with not a bit of trouble. Love it.

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Right out of the gate, I could not be happier with the TG-5 compared to the limited number of other waterproof/rugged compact cameras "out there." I am a lifelong veteran of personal and professional photojournalism (I shot my first pro event, an Indy car race, in 1967 and have been shooting ever since) and recognize that every camera will have a few "minus" factors to go with its many "plus" qualities. I shoot both stills and video, and currently use a Canon 7D Mk II (plus lenses), a GoPro, and several auxiliary cameras to document backcountry activities here in Colorado. I have been through multiple Nikon and Canon SLRs and DSLRs over the years, but am not averse to shooting with modern point-and-shoot boxes rather than missing out entirely. I have been researching waterproof compacts for over a year, and finally settled on the TG-5 for my latest trout fishing project. After a few days with it in-hand, here are my initial impressions. First, the THREE BIG CONS: 1. No Shutter Priority mode. Why provide Aperture Priority but no Shutter Priority? Dunno. It would seem that one could control shutter speed with AP alone, but add to that problem . . . 2. No Manual mode. What??? For someone who grew up on the "manual mantra," Sunny 16 Rule, etc., no manual mode is like climbing into a car with no steering wheel. Sure, some of the presets can be helpful, but still, no "M" on the box is quite distressing. Then, add to that . . . 3. No Exposure Lock. This is another mystery -- why a Focus Lock function but no Exposure Lock? Or even a Focus/Exposure lock? Fortunately, a combined F/E lock kicks in for video and panoramas -- but not for stills. For any photog who wants to control the exposure rather than operate in PhD (Press Here Dummy) mode, these three essentials -- or even any two of them -- would make this little camera practically perfect in every way. I put these CONS first only to save time for shoppers who like the bad news before the good. Now, heres the good news. A LOT OF PROS: The TG-5 is far better across the board than any consumer-priced waterproof camera on the market at this point. Since I numbered the CONS above, I will number the PROS with a few annotations. 1. Olympus optics. I first shot with an Olympus in 1972, and have never been disappointed with its optics at any price point. Images shot with the TG-5, especially without extending the modest optical zoom, are crisp, clear, and hold up very well in post-production. 2. GPS on board. Shooting backcountry subjects frequently requires geotagging. Add the "Log" function, and an at-hand compass, coordinates, temp, alt, etc. and it is a true mountain camera. 3. Zoom while shooting video (not all compacts have this). 4. Quick and easy "Live" controls, including at-hand White Balance and Exposure Compensation without groping for menus and buttons. 5. Controllable flash output (its about time!). 6. Multiple monitor displays (5), with color & B&W histograms and high/low flashing. 7. Fast start-up. Boom-its on. 8. Intuitive menus. 9. Excellent documentation by PDF and on-screen helps that are non-intrusive and just informative enough. 10. Minimal shutter lag & "Pro Capture" to mitigate what little lag is there. 11. Microscope mode (unreal!). 12. Can shoot in RAW -- a must for me. 13. Smartphone connectivity via WiFi. A little clunky, but workable and includes video controls. 14. Solid & substantial grip & feel. Hey, its not an old F4 with motordrive, but you know its in your hand. This is a good thing for a solid shooting foundation. 15. Weight. Perfect, in my book. 16. Waterproof/Ruggedness. Im adding this one on faith that all the reviews Ive read are true & accurate. My overall review is 4 Stars out of 5, partly based on the fools hope that Olympus might read this and add those big three features I mentioned at the beginning. If they do, I will happily throw down another $350-$400 for a new one, and keep this one in my backpack as well. Other enhancements might include a microphone jack (though I usually use audio recorded on a portable digital recorder) and a small remote, but this is a compact, so I would be happy with more exposure control and call it a day.

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The lens cover scratched the first trip. It got badly scuffed and I only took it out of my life jacket pocket a few times, BUT the most aggravating thing is that Olymous does not sell a replacement part even though the plastic piece is held on by three screws and would be easy to replace.

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Waterproof, sensible double locks on compartments, reasonable lens, reasonable picture, and RAW format. I had a waterproof Nikon Coolpix, but water got in when I thought it was locked closed (but it was merely shut) - that couldnt happen with this camera because of the better door design. As far as I can tell, this is the best point-and-shoot waterproof camera available.

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I purchased this camera on June 30, 2018. The description states: “Rugged. Durable. Tough. Now Add Smart. Get awesome imaging power with the Olympus Tough TG-5. It’s waterproof (50 ft / 15 m), shockproof (7 ft / 2.1 m), crushproof (220 lbf / 100 kgf), freezeproof (14°F / -10°C), and dustproof to survive everything from a grueling hike through mountains to a 5-year-old playing with it by the pool. The TG-5’s rugged design is packed with pro shooting features like an F2.0 high-speed lens, 20 fps burst shooting in RAW, and anti-fog dual pane glass for spectacular images in every environment.” I brought the camera on a hike today and unfortunately, the camera slipped from my wrist and fell to the ground. I’m 5’6” and the camera was strapped to my wrist, less than 3 ft from the ground. It was not a particularly rough impact, yet, when it fell, it shattered the LCD, so that now, when I turn it on, it looks like this. Its frustrating to purchase a camera for the specific purpose stated on its advertisement, only to break at the first drop, and not a particularly bad drop either. Ill try to contact the warranty department; hopefully it can be fixed...

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