It doesn't seem unreasonable to think that perhaps someone on the interwebs has read/heard/seen something to indicate that the TG-7 which many predicted would be announced in the Spring '21 (again, repeating the 2-year cycle). Most of us probably prefer to purchase a camera a little in advance of the moment we need it in order to be familiar with it. I've got a trip coming up in a few months when I'd like an underwater camera. Therefore if it's likely to be announced for the Christmas season (for example) I'd wait and buy a TG-7 in November. If it's likely to be on a 3-year cycle I'll go ahead and buy the TG-6.
Generally speaking I’m with
Smaug01 as it would be foolish to try to predict the future. But when you take a look at the direction the water- & shock-proof camera market has taken in the last decade it will be mostly sideways and I personally don’t think this will change as the majority of the market focuses on high-end mirrorless systems these days.
I'm very familiar with the spec differences between the TG-5 and TG-6 and know that they're very similar. I'm not sure why that would be relevant to whether or not to wait on the TG-7 unless you're saying that they're so similar you'd recommend the -5.
If you’re a spec sheet driven customer then I would strongly advice to wait for the upcoming model as it will have a n+1 number somewhere on the right side of the spec sheet. This probably won’t let you take better photos, but it will make you happier. Otherwise it should be clear that the updates in the last decade were so minor that a competent photographer can basically take the same photos with a TG-4 compared to the TG-6.
During the last updates basically nothing has changed. Yes, the sensor slightly improved, being a 16 megapixel one, then a much more appropriate 12 megapixel sensor for its size, but still making worse photos than your average smartphone, so no difference speaking in practical terms. Yes, the display has also a better resolution, but it won’t let you make better photos.
In the end, yes, it won’t really matter if you get a TG-4, TG-5 or TG-6, and the TG-7 most probably also won’t make such a big difference. In this situation it makes sense to look at the price and get the camera you can get for the least amount of money. As new products usually have a higher price and you have to wait several months until the first deals come in, financially speaking, it would also make more sense to get the current model (they even were slightly discounted a couple of weeks ago).
Given that the TG-5 is not available through Olympus or any mainstream retailers that's not something I'm interested in and I'm not interested in purchasing a used camera either. Is there some other reason that the spec differences would be relevant?
I fail to understand. Are the spec differences relevant or not? If not, why not just get the current model, and be a happy photographer?
Again, take all of this with a grain of salt, as it is foolish to try to predict the future, especially with the current Olympus / OM-D restructuring going on.
Please respect my copyright
macro and focus stacking in camera are fun features.
