Recommendation: HighQuality-Stills compact/action cam for swimming

why isn't the TG-6 on the list?   It's the one you know - how does it fail....IQ, weight, ?

That informs the decision on best replacements.

elmar1 wrote:

It's not on the list because the image quality isn't that great, and I would like an improvement size-wise. And I'd guess that in the three years since the TG6 was published, there should be a better alternative.

So you're interested in going to a larger sensor.   But you'd like it smaller/lighter than the TG6?   That combo could be impossible to get.   Larger sensors usually mean bigger lenses, and higher price, which means less plastic.

I have also found out that there's a SeaLife Reefmaster 4K, which could be an idea.

The Sealife doesn't take RAW, which is a pretty big detriment when you're at the surface and won't be able to include lighting.   It also has a further minimum focus distance (12"), which may or may not matter for swimming.    And it's the same sensor class as the TG.

As often is the case, you might post some examples of the pics that you'd like to improve upon.   With UW, and esp with snorkeling, technology isn't always the first answer.   And rarely is it the easy one.    An FF camera would take beautiful images right to the original JPEG, but you're now towing a small buoy.

The Sony RX0ii is a great little camera for image quality. It's not very convenient to use underwater though due to a very small LCD screen. The lens is great but I suspect there is a lot of in camera processing taking place to correct native distortion and vignetting as the resulting images (including raw pictures) are somewhat cropped (15MPix images from a 20MPix sensor).

I have an RX0ii and it's a great camera to always carry with you and be able to snap pictures with a higher image quality than your average phone. But I think it might not be the best camera for the task your are considering.

Here's an underwater picture snapped recently with my RX0ii:

Underwater IQ is not bad but not very different from what I get from my TG6, which is much more convenient to use.

Cheers!

Abbazz

elmar1 wrote:

My main problem was that the specifications said that the resolution of images would be 4.000x3000 pixels. The files I got from the olympus were 2048x1152 pixels or 2048x1536 pixels. The filesize was also small with 1.3mb. And I could not set a higher image quality than I did.

the TG-6 is certainly capable of better than 2001 3MP resolution.   That's a user setting failure, perhaps a mode.

elmar1 wrote:

Dear all,

looking for an ultra compact or action cam to take along with me while swimming (open water, sea, must endure hours in the water. (I did this with the Olympus Tough 6, which I attached to my trunks via a simple strap. Special requirement: I want to use this mainly (like 95%) for stills for which I'd love to get the best image quality.

Candidates:

- Sony RX0 II

- Insta 360 One RS with the 1inch-sensor

- GoPro Hero 10 Black

Got any thoughts, recommendations and all? I am a bit skeptic about the GoPro, since it's main aim is to produce videos, so photos are just a by-product. Thanks for all the feedback.

The Sony RX0 II seems fine - but somehow my general feeling is that it's strange that there's no real "up-to-date" alternative?

The Insta got mixed reviews so far.

Thanks for any ideas!

What do you plan to photograph?

One thing about photographing skittish fish, I find it helpful to video them with the gopro and then extract frames for stills. The burst mode is ok too. I find it very good for underwater stuff right now, tho im looking to get a tg6 as well for alternating with it for more well planned out stills and macro shots, and possibly better light gathering. it is a bit dated tho i wish theyd release a tg7, look into the oly. but gopro reallly has its place if your subjects are skittish. downside is ni optical zoom, but zoom aint so great if your water is murky anyway,..

Yannis1976 wrote:

elmar1 wrote:

Thanks for all the feedback. I carefully weighed all the arguments and pixelpeeped the results of the sony rx0 ii and the tg6. Fun fact: though a lesser resolution, the details and color were better.

This argument and the fact that the tg6 was at 440 Euro and the rx0 ii at 650 gave the advantage to the tg6. I received it yesterday and found a setting locked somewhere in a customisation menu how I can set the resolution to 4000x3000 with super fine as compression. So the results should be better now than before looking forward to take the camera along with me on my swimming trip to Greece, starting end of next week. Thanks for all the help.

The TG6 is great and I would also recommend one of the two wide lenses for it!! Here are some of my samples, almost all with a wide lens:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/65430226

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/64324770

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/63102057

However I need to warn you that TG6 is quite a fragile camera. Since 2020, I have lost two of them!! One had the usb door broken (still working though) and the one leaked through the battery door and went off!!

Although I used to be a big fan of them, I am know looking for the GoPro alternative in case it seems more robust.

Yes, the TG6 screen also scratches very easily. I received one from Amazon with a scratch on the screen from the getgo which I had to send back.

And unlike the GoPro there is no waterproof protective lens filter.

Another issue I have is that the screws on the front around the lens corrode very easily. If you do not remember to rinse and dry immediately (or you dont have a clean towel to do so) you will see corrosion. The GoPro simply doesnt have any exposed screws, so this is not an issue! That’s really how something like this should be designed; if not then better quality stainless screws need to be used.

All around however, having used both this summer, the TG6 takes the better underwater pics. The built in flash is great for fish (have not tested the gopro flashes) and the macro mode is amazing. Focus stacking impresses, considering this feature is not even available on the em10.

both have their place of course; the video is not as good as on my 5k gopro. GoPro’s stability correction for the video is unmatched and really smoothes out the camera shake. But the colors are never as good in GoPro stills as they are in the oly, and there is no zoom in the GoPro.

a bonus with the tg6 is having the handy live compisite mode, which is great for quick night shots like star trails or light trails. The gopro might have an equivalent mode for that, but the dials and buttons on the tg made that mode much easier for me to find.