aggiedad Loc: Corona, ca

Anyone have some experience with this camera, and if so what ate your thoughts?
Thank you for your input.

sabfish

I have had one for about a year. It is a great, durable little camera. Don't expect it to take pictures like a DSLR but it is as good as most compact cameras with the added benefit of being waterproof and shockproof. I have done a good deal of snorkeling with mine and never had any problems with leakage, etc. dpreview.com gives it a top rating for this type of camera. By the way, Olympus just brought out the TG 6 which has some minor improvements. Probably a good time to get a deal on the TG 5.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

If you want one like it with a viewfinder consider the Panasonic DC-TS7

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

Then there is the just announced TG6.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

I just pre-ordered the TG6. Same price as the TG5 with several significant improvements. I looked at the TG5 hoping to see a discount but they aren't there yet. Maybe after the announced availability of the TG6 - 26 June.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I have a TG-5. It is not a full frame DSLR or Mirroless camera. But, I don't know how to explain how much fun it is to have it. It takes great pictures, video and other cool stuff.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

I gave one to my granddaughter and it’s one of the few things she hasn’t lost... a sign of how much she likes it. If I had extra cash I would have one too!

geneg12 Loc: Virginia

I bought one for a trip to Patagonia and used it when I didn't want to show my good equipment. I liked that it geo tags and weather proof. Not a DSLR but has a good place and better than a cell phone.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

The TG-5 has some fun stuff built in that go beyond the usual. It has GPS and can make log files usable by Lightroom to put location data on images taken with other cameras. It has a compass and flashlight in case you get lost in the dark. It can shoot RAW but has some computational algorithms for complex JPEGs in various conditions including low light. It has a "microscope" mode for bugs, flowers and other interesting things. Not to be ignored is the capable "iA" automatic mode.

Getting good pictures of my wife that I actually like is always a challenge. One day at a Florida restaurant, with the TG-5 on full intelligent automatic it figured out how to expose for the bright scene through a background window and fire the flash for a perfect fill portrait. The resulting JPEG was a personal lesson about taking advantage of computational imaging as an additional technique to my more manual habits.

Reading the manual can be a fun discovery. https://www.olympusamerica.com/files/oima_cckb/TG-5_MANUAL_ENGLISH.pdf

Andrew Slater

I’ve had the TG5 for about a year. Takes surprisingly good underwater shots and has a cool Macro feature. Perfect camera for kayaking and hiking and for those circumstances where I don’t want to lug my DSLR. Takes good quality pics for a point and shot. It’s coming with me to Europe in two weeks. I like it a lot.

joderale Loc: Pensacola, Florida

I just got one for a small pocket camera to use for family photos. I love the durabilty. It is small enough to fit in a pocket. And it won't matter if i get all sweaty and dirty. I can toss it into the swimming pool if I want. It's not just environmentally sealed, its waterproof! It has wifi, so I can share photos quickly.
Attached are a couple of photos. One underwater, one in "microscope" mode.

(Download)

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

The TG-5 is a terrific litle camera. The TG-6 will be the upgraded terrific little camera. But PHRubin is correct that one should look at any other good cameras that exist. The Panasonic DC-TS7 should be looked at too. For me, for this size camera, the viewfinder is nice to have but not necessarily the game changer. It may be such for others. The Panasonic DC-TS7 starts short of the TG-5's and TG-6's 25mm wide equivalent but goes longer than the TG-5's and TG-6's 100mm telephoto equivalent. For me, with this style camera and traveling a lot, I prefer the widest angle possible. For others, the Panasonic DC-TS7 may be plenty wide for their needs. Also, check to see if any of the above cameras, specifically the new TG-6, ties into your smartphone to allow you to use your smartphone to control your camera remotely. Several of the Olympus cameras can be remotely operated by one's smartphone (can be a very useful feature).

fantom Loc: Colorado

Have not had any problems with mine and it has suffered a good deal of abuse and rough handling over the years.

aggiedad Loc: Corona, ca

Thank you everyone for your input.

Lingen Loc: Grenada, Caribbean

I've had the 2, the 4 and the 5. Picture quality of all three was / is surprisingly good - sharper than my 60D on any of my four lenses. I have used all four TGs heavily - c. 200 - 300+ pictures a week on 'hashes'. See FB Grenada Hash House Harriers (Pink Panther Pictures). Because of my enthusiasm for and success with the TGs, three other hashers have bought them.
Downside? The weather sealing deteriorates, so the glass in front of the lens can briefly mist up internally in rainy conditions. Focusing failed on the 2 and the 4, necessitating repairs under warranty. On the 5, the downloading via the supplied lead failed, so I have to use a card reader to put images onto the computer. You cannot really control depth of field, and there is no shutter priority, alas. The TG5 (alone) has a mind of its own when it comes to using flash in 'P' mode - it can flash in the bright Caribbean sunlight for no obvious reason, causing pictures to be very underexposed. So I tend to use 'Automatic', which goes against the grain! I have never taken a TG underwater. I did drop the 4 from half the height that it claims to be droppable from - resulting in a crack inside the screen - the outside is perfectly intact and performance has not been affected at all. So - a mixed bag, but I think I'd stick with TGs because 'better the devil you know'. Happy to answer any additional questions you may have.