I have 2 tg-6’s and you don’t buy these cameras for normal shooting. You go out and do wild things: get wet, in and out of water, the sea, oceans. Hot cold sand salt . Of cause you want hood pictures and video but related to the environment.

What also like for this unique camera is the macro and microscope mode.

I have used it extensively on a trip over the ocean to do a citizen science project to detect microplastic.

I made a video of it ( using a sony rx10 mark 2 and a tiny insta camera and an insta 360’) but for rough work up in the mast, waves, high seas wind, i trust the tough.

Don’t see any reason to upgrade but if you need one: highly recommended.

https://vimeo.com/h2videonl/goes

Put a bigger sensor in it. No one wants a P&S camera with a tiny sensor unless it has mega optical zoom. Cell phone quality is better.

Considering this is old tech in a newer housing, I would say go to a kayak store and get a dry bag or a Aquatech Axis phone housing. Had several of these, 2 of them drowned themselves inside my lifejacket pocket. Somehow in both cases the camera double lock mechanism unlocked itself and opened two doors, four Locks failing on two camera's. Now I just use a Go Pro 11: no zoom but higher megapixel photos and can be mounted in strange places.

My opinion, unlike most others': the puny sensor and its low MP count put me off; might as well buy an earlier model used. Even 16MP seems archaic now. Whether or not the imaging at 12MP somehow be respectable (where are the sample photos, by the way?), the technology used is to "old" to appeal to anyone on the enthusiast level.

I'm Olympus and micro 4/3 owner. But I can see that in 2023 and old camera with 1 1 2/3 sensor can stand in today standard. I tried to make a comparison in scene test on DPreview the older TG4/5 (the only available for comparison) which has the same sensor with TG7 vs my old nikon p7000. Guess what the 2010 Nikon has better IQ (1/1.7 sensor) than TG4. I understand the concept of a tough camera and I had an old TG. But 2023 has nothing to do with 10 years ago when the majority of PS had 1/1/2.3 sensor.

Thanks for the review Jeff. Irrespective of everyone's different and valid reasons why they might like some improvements/variations, the review gives me enough information to make a reasoned decision whether to buy or not.
Which basically is what reviews are for :) So, thanks again.

For this price, it should have a larger sensor. Paying 500 bucks for the same IQ as a cheap P&S camera is silly.

I've been shooting with the TG-7 for the past week and I just found out today that it is impossible to process the raw files. No software supports the TG-7 raw file as of today. OM system support said they are working on a solution. I am not sure what they need to work on, they must have the profile. they just haven't released it yet.

Hmm
" It would be great to see a 'Super TG' camera with a larger sensor, but given the market for such a device, the odds of that happening are slim."

IMHO the whole point of getting a compact camera today would be to have a substantial better IQ, than what you can get from a phone. So a large sensor with wide aperture and/or a lot of zoom range.

I use my Sony RX100 III exactly to get low light images, and the Panasonic TZ70 (AKA ZS50) for super-zooms, and have really seen nothing better than these now ancient ones in the compact department. A few slightly newer looks better than the TZ80 on paper, but are not when tested.
(made some tests last year: https://eskerahn.dk/?p=4418)

None of those are tough though, so not a direct compare with the OM, just talking compacts in general.

How probably painful it should feel for the camera manufacturer to realize that your product was surpassed by smartphone in image quality. Disaster.

Why would you get this over a GoPro or DJI Action 4 then? Both have larger sensors and way more video modes and also tough and water resistant. Also higher megapixels and way more accessories to get.

So many things could have been improved. A slightly larger sensor would have been nice, even if it's not 1" - i mean $300 phones have larger sensors.

A camera embraced by outdoorsey types and they didn’t think through TFT with polarized lenses issues. I continue to doubt the lasting power of this company.

I don't need it, as I am perfectly happy with the TG-6 and the Nikon W300 for UW and ice fishing use. But I am still gonna get it, as I think this one might be the end of the TG line.

I love compact cameras. But in 2023, I need the EVF and at least a 1inch sensor to buy in.

Regarding the rear screen, all TFTs (watch, phone, instrument panel*) are affected by polarized sunglasses... which is why I specify non polarized sunglasses from my optometrist.

I like the concept, would buy one except that my TG3 is still going strong

*FAA Does not approve of polarized sunglasses for aircraft cockpit personnel because of this.

Ok but... that's all from OM System this year? I mean I expected much more exciting products and cameras now that they've rebranded

It's the underwater capabilities that make this camera so unique.
I just looked up some rugged smartphones such as the recently announced Samsung XCover pro6 and the Galaxy S23 Tactical edition, but they don't come even close to the underwater protection of this OM camera.

That being said, moderately upgrading the puny 1/2.3" sensor to something more reasonable, such as a halfway modern 1/1.5" sensor, definitely wouldn't have hurt the compact size of this camera.

OM shouldn't actually rest too much on their laurels as there are excellent underwater housings for smartphones (e.g. the SL400-U) that would leverage the full prowess of computational photography and larger sensors of modern flagship camera phones.

I'm happy to see someone still making this type of camera. Obviously still enough of a market. I have the earlier TG610 (there have been a LOT of TGs!) and still use it every year for wet night snail monitoring, where the reliable water proofing, exposure and focus, plus excellent depth of field and wonderful LED lighting make it streets better than fighting a touch screen phone. It's also better than my bigger cameras (close focus, tiny size, LED). I also use it for canoeing etc.. The image quality isn't bad at all and I'd expect the TG7 to be better.

I think a similar body with one inch sensor and maybe having two switchable focal lengths (wide for underwater) need not be much bigger and could find a ready market, if close focus isn't lost. I'd probably buy one. I'd love to have a Leica X-U but more chance of finding droppings under a rocking horse than finding a cheap one of those...

How many people here remember this camera: The Nikonos RS - an SLR Camera that goes underwater without a Housing!

THIS NIKONOS RS IS THE DREAM OF MANY FILM PHOTOGRAPHERS

https://www.thephoblographer.com/2021/07/19/this-nikonos-rs-is-the-dream-of-many-film-photographers/

I am surprised that neither Nikon, nor Olympus, nor the inheritor of Olympus, OM SYSTEM, nor anyone else for that matter, HAS NOT made a serious Underwater Digital Camera!

There has to be a market for such so bear with me: is it too hard to make such a camera as a Digital Nikonos?

"There is no AC adapter or external charger, so you'll need to buy one."
Not really, because we all have piles of USB chargers in our drawers that can be used with this camera...

Thanks for the review. Some remarks (part 1) :

"The lens has two panes of glass to reduce fogging when there are sudden changes in humidity."

It's not "sudden changes in humidity" that trigger fogging of the internal side of the front element but the cooling of the latter when the camera is immersed into a medium much cooler than the one it has been kept in, e.g. cold water, or cold air (dry or humid). The water contained inside the camera (as vapour) then condenses on the inside of the cooled front element as a fog (water droplets).

it's not the two panes of glass per se that are important but the cavity they create, filled in factory with dry nitrogen (or Argon, I am not sure), thereby avoiding the risk of water vapour condensation.

"this panel does not get along with polarized sunglasses when shooting landscapes"

So, when shooting anything else than landscapes, the screen display somehow becomes polarized glasses-friendly? How does this work exactly?

The hands-on hands are back!

I know that people buy these specifically for the extreme rugged credentials, but years ago my wife and I got a refurbished TG-850 for taking snorkelling photos, and one of the main reasons was that it had a flip-around screen so that it's more versatile, and could also take selfies in a pinch.

The image quality is much worse, with the lack of RAW being the worst part (though it was less than half the price of the TG-4 at the time) but I think expanding on the feature-set a bit is worth at least as much as a new sensor.

Just FYI, the article says it can be crushed by up to 220 kg (100 lbs) of weight. 220 kg is 485 lbs, did you mean 100 kg (which is 220 kg) instead?

A tempered glass screen protector is a terrible idea because any impact forces coming from the edge of the screen protector will cause it to crack. Get a soft, flexible one that can't possibly crack instead.

Right, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

What the heck, they can add USB C to this but not to the OM5?

In regard to the fact that “many folks want [a larger] sensor”, I think it’s rather unambitious to say “that would make it a chunkier camera with a larger lens”. Look at the Sealife DC2000, which is almost identical in size to the TG series and similarly waterproof, yet has a 1” sensor, or the Fujifilm XF10, which isn’t waterproof but has a very compact lens even when turned on, and has an APS-C sensor. Sure, they’re both prime lens cameras, but the success of the Ricoh GR in particular shows that prime lens compacts are not exactly unpopular, and there is no shortage of outdoor enthusiasts (hikers, cyclists, climbers, kayakers…) who would dearly love a moderately rugged camera that fits easily into a pocket or small pouch but which gives comparable image quality to the GR.

TG-9 will be $750 ?

It would be nice if DPReview actually included sample photos in their review...especially directly comparing the TG-6 to the TG-7.

Per the review, there actually is something broke they needed to fix, and they did, the price. Keeps going up, but not the IQ. It is a yester-year camera based on the capabilities alone.

“It's nice to see that OM System has kept the resolution low to squeeze out the best image quality possible out of the sensor. “

Nice flashback to the Phil Askey type nonsense of yesteryear

Typo page 4, 3rd paragraph: should be 100 kg (220 lb).

The complaint about the display being unusable in combination with polarized glasses holds true for a lot of cameras. I have exactly the same issue with my Sony A7mk3 as well as with different Canon cameras. Surprisingly never had this issue with a phone. Or tablet. Or laptop for that matter.

Thank you for the detailed analysis 👍🏻

I personally own a Coolpix AW130, and I've been particularly disappointed by the results of this type of camera. 👎🏾

Nikon Coolpix AW130 / Nikon KeyMission 80
https://www.flickr.com/photos/maoby/albums/72157719291835371

I've been looking for a GOOD all weather camera, but the IQ and price don't make them a very attractive choice. My guess is that serious photographers would want to have very good IQ, before buying such a camera.