Comparing photos between the Ricoh WG-6 and the Olympus TG-6
Jun 5, 2019
4
So both are flagship rugged cameras for their respective companies released in 2019.
The WG-6 provides an interesting contrast to the TG-6 in that it has more megapixels (20 MP vs 12 MP).
DPReview used both to shoot almost identical scenes in Seattle on May 15th which provided a unique opportunity to compare both cameras. Granted there are flaws with this (often the TG-6 used a longer focal range), but it is still interesting.
-
Butcher - WG-6

Butcher - TG-6

I like the TG-6 here better...it recovers some blue in the sky and in general does a better of preserving highlights
-
Painting - WG-6

Painting - TG-6

I actually think the WG-6 looks a bit more natural here and the TG-6 has some harsh contrasts. But this is a tough comparison because the angle is different...which means the lighting is very different.
-
Pebbles - WG-6

Pebbles - TG-6

The TG-6 has brighter and punchier image...almost seems like it has more detail. But I liked the temperature of the WG-6 a bit better (less of a red cast). The WG-6 appears to have some focus blur or camera shake which makes this comparison tough.
-
Beach - WG-6

Beach - TG-6

Another tough comparison because the photographer used better composition for the WG-6 (not the fault of the TG-6). Again the TG-6 is very aggressive with its white balance and tends to lean on the warm side for color temperature.
-
Heavy Equipment - WG-6

Heavy Equipment - TG-6

Almost can't compare...the TG-6 is way zoomed in and over-exposed while the WG-6 is under-exposed.
-
Cars on Sand - WG-6

Cars on Sand - TG-6

I prefer the TG-6. Seems cleaner and the red on the car looks nicer.
-
WG-6 - Underwater

TG-6 - Underwater

Yeah, different shots, but still similar enough that it seems the TG-6 is far superior here.
-
WG-6 - Ferry

TG-6 - Ferry

A good test because it shows a lot of overcast sky that often confuses white balance settings. I think the TG-6 does phenomenally better here.
-
In summary, I thought the TG-6 did better with a more aggressive and pleasing white balance. Many of the images seemed a bit sharper too. This wasn't exactly scientific though...and I wish the sample TG-6 photos included more blue skies which can be a different animal for white balance algorithms. The WG-6 for example in good conditions actually looks really nice.
What do you think?