Diving in with the Olympus TG-6

Publishers Note: It’s been a hot few weeks for many of us.  Due to recent surgery and the work needed to get photoPXL up and running, I let Michael fend for himself.  He managed to snag a camera from Olympus and took it out for a spin.  First, we thought it would be fun if we didn’t focus on all the cameras every other website is doing videos on right now.  We also wanted to share with our readers a fun video.  Michael is a super nice happy spirited guy, but more than anything else he has a constant smile and has fun doing his job.  I think you’ll find that with this video.  It’s a fun camera and a fun video, and at the same time, it’s a damn good review for a camera many wouldn’t have even looked at.  Watch the video until the end because Michael always has little fun tidbits thrown in. And if you get a chance, check out the Olympus TG-6.  Point and shoots are not dead yet, especially when they let you have fun like Michael had, not to mention taking some fresh photos.

Our friends at Olympus have loaned us this camera for the past couple of weeks and my first impression was, “This is a really fun camera!”

As listed on the Olympus website the TG-6 is Built for Adventure and as you will see in the video that I took this Waterproof, Shockproof, Dustproof, Crushproof and Freezeproof camera and put it to the test.

For starters, the overall design and ergonomics was a throwback to the point and shoot era and I have to say, I kind of miss it.

The TG6 comes in red and black. It’s easy to hold, even underwater. The battery and SD card are nestled safely behind a locking door on the bottom of the camera and there is also a safety lock on the USB / HDMI door located on the side of the camera. The doors are padded and protect against water getting into the camera. Be sure to lock the doors before jumping in.

The camera has a 12 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor and an f2.0 anti-glare wide-angle lens, which was great for shooting underwater. I found the autofocus to work well and it wasn’t too hard to see the 3.0” LCD monitor in the blazing sun. I didn’t have any major issues with the functionality of the menu and buttons and I was even able to make some adjustments while underwater.

Micahel Durr’s TG-6 Diving In Video (5:77) Enjoy!

The camera can shoot up to 20 frames per second, and in the case of trying to capture things like splashes, dumps or jumps in the water the more frames the better. It also has a 4X optical zoom which is great for getting a little closer to the action. You can get a little closer digitally but I always try to avoid digital zoom unless absolutely necessary. I found that most of the time I didn’t zoom at all and just got as close to my subject as I could.

The TG6 captures 4K 30p video and full HD video at 120 frames per second. I even had some fun shooting with the 1280 X 720 240 frames per second.

Some would say 1280 X 720 is useless, but in a time where a vast majority of people view videos on social platforms. I would say it’s more than adequate to post a few fun clips to Instagram. Be sure and visit my Instagram @instadurr to see how some of these clips look as posts. Yes! I shot some clips vertically.

This was the first Olympus underwater camera I have used and if you’re interested to see how this camera stacks up against other underwater cameras, of the same class, our friends at DP Review did a great comparison video that is linked in the YouTube video description.

Clearly, Olympus has marketed this camera to the adventure seeker but I think anyone that enjoys being in the water would love this camera. I personally enjoyed capturing images of my wife and son in the pool or on the splash pad and the quality of the camera would allow me to easily print some 8X10s to toss up on our family photo wall.

I also found when you are juggling a kid or two it’s nice to have a worry-proof camera that protects against drops and spills.

In addition to all of this, the camera also has a pretty incredible macro system, allowing you to focus as close as 1cm from the lens. There is also a focus stacking mode that automatically captures and merges 3 to 10 macro shots at different focus points and a focus bracketing mode that will allow you to shoot up to 30 frames of a single macro image. You do need to use the Olympus software to merge those images and I did not dive into that system. I did find the 10 shot merge in camera to work really well.

I did shoot RAW with the exception of the first time I used the camera when I failed to check my menu settings and ended up capturing everything in JPEG, but you know what, the world didn’t end and the images still came out great. I do prefer to shoot in RAW and process my images on my desktop when I return home.

I pretty much stayed in aperture priority and found in some cases when the water was flying I just blindly shot in hopes that I would get lucky and capture something cool. That’s where the fun came in. At one point or another, I am sure we have all created great images on accident.

One of my favorite things about this camera is that you don’t need a bunch of accessories or attachments for it. You can pretty much open the box and toss it in the water. I like the size, and how it looks and feels. You also don’t need to connect to your mobile device, unless you want to offload your images and videos on the go. There are some accessories, including a fisheye lens, which I do think would have been helpful in some scenarios.

Overall, this camera is fun and I think it proves that there is still a place for the point and shoot in today’s market. It can go places your mobile device can’t and comparing a camera like this to something like a GoPro or other action cam is really comparing apples to oranges. They are just different.

The Olympus TG-6 Is Available at the links below:
Roberts Photo
B&H Photo
Amazon

Be sure and watch the YouTube video in this article and be sure to like and subscribe to our channel.  

Michael Durr
IG: @instadurr
July 2019

Michael Durr
Indianapolis, IN

After studying broadcast journalism at Illinois State University, I began my career in Central Illinois creating commercials and on-air promotions for local television affiliates. From 2008 to 2012, I worked for The Marketing Store where I created content for clients such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Southern Comfort. From there, I worked for Maddock Douglas, an innovation consulting firm, developing an internal photo/video offering. I left Maddock Douglas to be a creative director at FÁS Chicago, where I worked primarily for Case Construction. In 2017, I relocated to Indianapolis with my wife and two sons and I have started Michael Durr Photo/Video, LLC. Currently, I work in partnership with Kevin Raber and PhotoPXL, creating video content on all things photography. In addition I work on other freelance projects primarily around the midwest. Throughout my career, talented friends and great mentors have surrounded me. I have been fortunate to wake up every day never feeling like I was going to work. The combination of my professional experience, personality and drive to improve has given me a unique perspective from behind the lens. It is a combination of work and life that inspires me.