Is OMDS on the verge of announcing the TG-7?

Relatively recently it was leaked that OMDS registered a new camera in Russia (IM024). This fits the profile of a Tough camera (not a M43 camera) and would be similar TG-6 Russia registration that happened two years ago:

https://www.43rumors.com/olympus-registered-a-new-camera-in-russia/

Last week during the C+ show, OMDS explicitly said they would be continuing to develop new Tough models:

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/olympus-pen-and-tough-will-continue-olympus-name-will-be-kept-until-fans-are-satisfied?fbclid=IwAR1QrDd_sntqZmUsU5Id_WLE0LIo7uyUUDdXpvcH1O4fCBIbgl4UBCSUYYY

And just recently, there is a rumor from 43rumors.com that OMDS will be announcing their first product on March 17th.

https://www.43rumors.com/ft3-will-omd-digital-announce-its-first-product-on-march-17th/

...

IMO this points to a TG-7 spring announcement and early summer release. Olympus in the past has preferred two year release cycles for the tough series and the TG-7 would be right on schedule (although maybe released a month sooner given the timeline of similar clues for the TG-6).

If true, what do you expect to see in a TG-7? What do you want to see?

I'm not sure we'll see much given that Olympus kind of gutted their R&D department. But...historically odd model tough cameras come out with the big feature changes while even number releases tend to be more passive.

I would love to see:

• A more modern sensor
• Change of resolution: 12 MP > 16 MP
• 4k 60 FPS
• TruePic IX (which might finally get us 4k 60 FPS)
• More zoom (won't happen)
• A final elimination of the purple orb
• Better tools to reduce camera movement when pressing the shutter button (eg a quarter second delay option)
• TG-6 video stabilization is bad...would love to FINALLY see sensor stabilization used for video (they use it for images already)
• Add a GPS navigation map (very handy when kayaking)

I can practically guarantee we won't see a larger sensor size (which would mess with zoom and the internal optics that Olympus took years to calibrate).

Thoughts?

smithaa02 wrote:

Relatively recently it was leaked that OMDS registered a new camera in Russia (IM024). This fits the profile of a Tough camera (not a M43 camera) and would be similar TG-6 Russia registration that happened two years ago:

https://www.43rumors.com/olympus-registered-a-new-camera-in-russia/

Last week during the C+ show, OMDS explicitly said they would be continuing to develop new Tough models:

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/olympus-pen-and-tough-will-continue-olympus-name-will-be-kept-until-fans-are-satisfied?fbclid=IwAR1QrDd_sntqZmUsU5Id_WLE0LIo7uyUUDdXpvcH1O4fCBIbgl4UBCSUYYY

And just recently, there is a rumor from 43rumors.com that OMDS will be announcing their first product on March 17th.

https://www.43rumors.com/ft3-will-omd-digital-announce-its-first-product-on-march-17th/

...

IMO this points to a TG-7 spring announcement and early summer release. Olympus in the past has preferred two year release cycles for the tough series and the TG-7 would be right on schedule (although maybe released a month sooner given the timeline of similar clues for the TG-6).

If true, what do you expect to see in a TG-7? What do you want to see?

I'm not sure we'll see much given that Olympus kind of gutted their R&D department. But...historically odd model tough cameras come out with the big feature changes while even number releases tend to be more passive.

I would love to see:

• A more modern sensor
• Change of resolution: 12 MP > 16 MP
• 4k 60 FPS
• TruePic IX (which might finally get us 4k 60 FPS)
• More zoom (won't happen)
• A final elimination of the purple orb
• Better tools to reduce camera movement when pressing the shutter button (eg a quarter second delay option)
• TG-6 video stabilization is bad...would love to FINALLY see sensor stabilization used for video (they use it for images already)
• Add a GPS navigation map (very handy when kayaking)

I can practically guarantee we won't see a larger sensor size (which would mess with zoom and the internal optics that Olympus took years to calibrate).

Thoughts?

Maybe I am wrong and don't understand the market, but I think the tough series is still one of the few areas a P&S could differentiate in a mobile phones era.As improvements I would look into:

- either a 1" 20mp sensor or at least a better 16MP 1/2.3 sensor. I am also using the Nikon P950 and its 16MP sensor is indeed better with noticeable higher DR and better noise at high ISO

- introduce a proper PASM mode (very easy to add and important!!!)

- introduce an accessory lens which would allow split photos (pleaseee)

- maybe change the lens to much wider so that FL UW would start at 24mm

Olympus TG series with all its accessories is still a very impressive package if people know how to use it. Despite its tiny sensor, the TG6 can take photos that many larger sensor ILC systems cannot do unless you use very specialized equipment:

I have never managed to reach this kind of macro with my m43 or Fuji setup yet. The combination of small sensor DOF and macro LED ring of Olympus can compete many larger sensor cameras.

And in terms of UW photography, the resolution might be small, but there other things that make this camera a great tool, such as very small size and wide lens extenders that bring the FL to 24mm:

Lets hope OMDS will have the same view and invest in the TG range. TG6 was very good, but almost the same as TG5!! They need to finally make some substantial improvements.

Stefan Sobol wrote:

On the other hand regarding a possible TG-7, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Sure, but some would be only small improvements such as full PASM mode or a sensors change from 12MP to the same size one from Nikon P950 (16MP).

A bigger sensor or new lens would be quite big though.

smithaa02 wrote:

Some more possible details about the TG-7...that same Youtube channel which made the previous announcement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-RI66r5sHM) in the comments made a curious remark about contradicting specs they received.

One spec listed the zoom at 25-100mm (1-4x zoom like the TG-6), while another listed it at 25-200 (twice the zoom...a big improvement). The new 200mm zoom would explain the odd rumored zoom change to 6x from 4x...if the TG-7 were to retain 100mm, a change from 4x to 6x would be silly and just a marketing gimmick.

6x would make the long end 150mm, which would be more realistic without a major body redesign.

If the rumors about the new 200mm max zoom is true, this would have a number of pro's and con's:

Pros:

• This may be a sign that OMDS completely rengineered the internal optics, which could mean the blue orb will be gone for good
• Current image and video stabilization aren't good at 100mm...we could be looking at (hopefully) an improvement in either to be able to work with 200mm.
• 200mm would compete well against smartphones.
• 200mm would make some types of wildlife shooting finally practical...100mm (especially when kayaking) usually is just not sufficient for many decent wildlife shots.

Cons:

• Lens quality could get worse with 200mm zoom. 100mm already on the TG-6 was soft...I'm not sure how they could pull off a sharp 200mm...
• The form factor may need to change and a small snout may be required. This could break all the previous TG Accessories. I don't think OMDS will do this though...so we could be looking at 200mm with just internal optics which seems like a stretch.

A few thoughts:

• While I would like a better sensor, using a much larger one would compromise the macro ability.
• A much larger sensor would also require a body redesign so requiring new add-ons.
• I’d like to see a proper aperture mechanism rather than the 2 aperture system, but I don’t know how well it would work with the current sensor size.
• Perhaps a 1/1.7” sensor would be a good compromise, although I don’t know if anyone makes a modern sensor in that size.

Was just about to buy a refurbished TG-6 for $288, until I saw this thread. I’d be interested to see what OMDS churns out. Hopefully, it’s before the 31st. That’s when my discount code expires.