Considering a TG-6

So I have a full Olympus micro 4/3 kit. But lately I've been thinking about getting an Olympus TG-6. I am thinking I could take this on some beach dives that will be shallow and when I don't want to faf with a full camera kit.

Does this make any sense?

2 minutes ago, Dann-Oh said:

So I have a full Olympus micro 4/3 kit. But lately I've been thinking about getting an Olympus TG-6. I am thinking I could take this on some beach dives that will be shallow and when I don't want to faf with a full camera kit.

 

Does this make any sense?

If you have macro targets it would be useful perhaps, I would recommend putting it in a housing even if you are not going deeper than the rating as the seals on the camera don't last forever.  The manual recommends annual replacement in the small print.

13 minutes ago, ChrisRoss said:

If you have macro targets it would be useful perhaps, I would recommend putting it in a housing even if you are not going deeper than the rating as the seals on the camera don't last forever.  The manual recommends annual replacement in the small print.

Hey Chris that makes sense.

for more context the other night I did a night dive I have room in my cars trunk for my scuba kit and 2 cylinders. I don't have room for my camera kit, so I have to keep it in my back seat. I work in a not so good part of Town so I get nervous leaving it in my car all day. 

I was thinking the tg6 would be able to join on these kind of dives.

1 minute ago, Dann-Oh said:

Hey Chris that makes sense.

 

for more context the other night I did a night dive I have room in my cars trunk for my scuba kit and 2 cylinders. I don't have room for my camera kit, so I have to keep it in my back seat. I work in a not so good part of Town so I get nervous leaving it in my car all day. 

 

I was thinking the tg6 would be able to join on these kind of dives.

For sure - It's certainly more compact - you will probably want some lighting as well, unless it's really bright it seems to me that the little sensors can struggle a bit.

I have a TG6 paired with the Oly housing (not fancy but get the job done), this is overall a great compact setup. Other brands (Nauticam, Ikelite) offer probably better and/or more durable options. I use it in ambient light while snorkeling in freshwater stream, the focal can do many thing, but I feel that this camera perform best for macro and closeups, see my Flickr account for examples; 

People using it with some lights acheive good results too. 

Think of the waterproofing as a secondary line of defence when using it inside a housing. 

39 minutes ago, JohnLiddiard said:

Think of the waterproofing as a secondary line of defence when using it inside a housing. 

Yes, and controls are easier to use when you wear gloves, compared to the camera alone. The housing allow also to attach accessories (strobes, wet lenses...).

On my last night dive I didnt want to have my camera in my car all day so I didn't bring a camera. We saw several Three Lined Aeolid (i thin they were super tiny), several spanish shawls, a hopkins rose, turbo snails, kelp snails, chestnut crowies, welks.  There was so much life I was super bummed that I did have a camera with me.

I know I could also use my tray and strobes from my Olympus EPL10 kit but that kind of defeats the purpose of this camera to be small and pocketable. I know hte photos wont be the "best" with a TG-6 and a flashlight but it would have been nice to have a camera for this dive.

I feel like the GoPro is the best answer to this issue.  So compact, takes great video and can take passable photos….did I mention compact.   I’m probably going to get a go pro very soon for this very reason. I don’t wanna always lug around my a6400 rig with duel z330’s

21 hours ago, Emmeriaa said:

I feel like the GoPro is the best answer to this issue.  So compact, takes great video and can take passable photos….did I mention compact.   I’m probably going to get a go pro very soon for this very reason. I don’t wanna always lug around my a6400 rig with duel z330’s

The three bold phrases are why I do not want a gopro.  On amazon a gopro 10 is $430, gopro 9 is $330 a TG6 is $400. I'm a photos person the only videos I've captured are when I accidently hit the video record button.  I don't see myself using the video features but the ability to zoom on the TG6 seems nice for smaller objects.  ahh decisions decisions.

Comparison between TG6 and GP10 : link

After looking at the Backscatter page and talking with them there is zero advantage to getting a tg6. I'm just going to bring my EPL10 with the kit lens and basic housing. It's nearly the same size as the tg6 in a housing AND I already have everything I need to get going.

I know it's not going to produce the best photos but it will still capture photos and memories.

I bought a TG-6 last year and I love it.  It’s lighter than my dslr rig and so even with the handles, 2 flashes and a wet dome port still easily packed into a backpack for a quick weekend trip.  Plus the macro setting on the camera is unbelievable but do get a housing (even the Olympus housing is fine) and if you’re doing to shoot macro a focus light.  

On 1/13/2022 at 12:44 PM, Dann-Oh said:

The three bold phrases are why I do not want a gopro.  On amazon a gopro 10 is $430, gopro 9 is $330 a TG6 is $400. I'm a photos person the only videos I've captured are when I accidently hit the video record button.  I don't see myself using the video features but the ability to zoom on the TG6 seems nice for smaller objects.  ahh decisions decisions.

I love my Tg-5. I've gotten some good macro shots. I was going to upgrade to the 6 but they are now $499! Guess now that they're not making them anymore demand went up.

On 1/13/2022 at 12:44 PM, Dann-Oh said:

but the ability to zoom on the TG6 seems nice for smaller objects

Fins can work as well as a zoom...... if the only advantage is the zoom, definitely use fins to get closer. 

Zooms are great and often allow you to get closer optically to skittish creatures.  But they do increase the amount of water between the camera and the subject - with all the negatives that this then produces. For macro work many folks tend to use a prime lens: 60mm, 105mm, whatever. 

On 1/15/2022 at 11:13 AM, Dann-Oh said:

After looking at the Backscatter page and talking with them there is zero advantage to getting a tg6. I'm just going to bring my EPL10 with the kit lens and basic housing. It's nearly the same size as the tg6 in a housing AND I already have everything I need to get going.

I know it's not going to produce the best photos but it will still capture photos and memories.

 

Came here to say just that.  I've used both the epl-10 with Backscatter's octopus print housing and the tg6 with olympus housing and the dimensions are basically same.  

I do like the TG-6 for tide pooling!  I add the ring flash diffuser to front to get amazing 'underwater' macro pictures at low tide. 

Interesting, I've been considering the opposite, and hoping to upgrade to micro 4/3rds from my TG6!
I love the little rig I have and feel like I've gotten amazing pictures with it, but looking for a setup with better auto focus capabilites and ability to get a narrower depth of field.

My TG6 takes is excellent for underwater macro.  I was surprised how hard it is to see the difference between shots taken with my Nikon D500 and my TG6 (no flash just a Sola light).  I am now looking for an underwater flash for my housed TG6.

On 3/18/2023 at 3:52 PM, Kraken de Mabini said:

My TG6 takes is excellent for underwater macro.  I was surprised how hard it is to see the difference between shots taken with my Nikon D500 and my TG6 (no flash just a Sola light).  I am now looking for an underwater flash for my housed TG6.

This is the main reason I am keeping my Micro4/3 gear.  I dont see the improvment in MY photography from getting a larger sensor camera.

I have a Backscatter MF1+ snoot that has never been wet if your interested in it let me know.