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I really wanted to like this camera

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Steven Pam

Steven Pam

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I've had my eye on a camera of this type for many years, and finally bit the bullet and bought the TG-4 for an upcoming trip, which will include a snorkelling outing. My "main" camera at the moment is an EM-5 Mk II, and I also have an iPhone and a GoPro Hero 3+ Black.

I'll admit I was seduced by the great feature set and the fact that it offers RAW output.

Ultimately, however, there's just no getting around the minuscule sensor - which would be quite at home in a GoPro or smartphone - and the resultant output.

In good daylight, results are just as good as from a GoPro or iPhone. And as the light drops... they're just as bad. Sure, the RAW files lack the smeary noise reduction that's present in in-camera JPEGs; but the information just isn't there in the first place. The strong grain is only marginally less displeasing than the smeary JPEGs.

Yes, the "microscope" feature works well. But as an "all purpose" travel camera, I couldn't recommend this for anyone but the least fussy of photographers. I am still undecided about whether to take it snorkelling and see if it redeems itself, or just put it on eBay and take my GoPro snorkelling.
 
on what you are trying to do and what you expect. The TG-4 has a lot of nice features, but some of those features will be considered compromises when you compare them to a better, but less versatile camera. The TG-4 just can't do it all perfectly, but it does a lot of things very well, especially for the price and convenience. I have not used the camera in the water yet, but as a knock around "weather proof" camera, I think it does a pretty good job. Here's an example of a shot that I took where I would not have wanted my good cameras along:

A big beach for a little boy. (cropped from the Raw .orf file)
A big beach for a little boy. (cropped from the Raw .orf file)
 
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Here is an image I made with my TG-4. It involved swimming in 10' of water. Wouldn't do that with my GH2. Seems to have turned out OK. [cropped and resized]





52c8f5bc776d41be860d517f5ab524fb.jpg
 
Thanks for replying, Noku and Stefan.

You're right, of course... it does depend. Every camera is a unique mix of features, construction, and image quality. And for me, the image quality out of this camera is a deal-breaker.

Can the TG-4 produce good images under good conditions? Yes. But so can my GoPro (which I admit lacks a screen, GPS, zoom lens, etc etc).

At 100%, the foliage detail areas are a bit more mushy from the GoPro than from the TG-4. But the difference is not worth the price, or more importantly, and extra gadget to carry around. I'll stick with the GoPro until someone brings out a ruggedized camera with a larger sensor. I suspect even 2/3" would do the job!

TG-4 @ 4.5mm (25mm equiv). Camera JPEG, 'P' mode.
TG-4 @ 4.5mm (25mm equiv). Camera JPEG, 'P' mode.

GoPro, cropped.
GoPro, cropped.

E-M5 Mk II + Panasonic Lumix G X-Vario 14-42 @ 14mm (28mm equiv)
E-M5 Mk II + Panasonic Lumix G X-Vario 14-42 @ 14mm (28mm equiv)
 

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Steven,

Glad you have found the photographic tools that work for you. We are lucky that we have so many choices.
 
You also have to take into account that you get what you pay for. A TG-4 is about 1/3-1/2 less expensive than a Hero 4, about US$100 less than a Hero 3, and many times less expensive than an E-5 Mk II.

If you are really primarily concerned with IQ above all else you might want to look into the Hasselblad X1D. It'll set you back about US$12K (48 TG-4 units). I'm sure the images out if it are very nice. However, I would not want to risk getting it wet.
 
True! A bewildering amount of choices, it sometimes seems. It is easy to become rather spoilt, and expect that there will be a tool that is perfectly designed for your individual needs or preferences, rather than settling for one of many that is probably "good enough".
 
Haha, yes, you have a point. And while it may never be only about image quality, the difficulty seems to be in finding tools that are "just right" in each dimension - price, features, image quality, etc.
 
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