Olympus Tough TG-6

Olympus Tough TG-6, compact adventurous, and resistant

Robust and extreme, the Olympus Tough TG-6 declares these characteristics starting from its acronym with the term Tough in other words “resistant”. Can’t blame her right? The body of the Olympus Tough TG-6, in fact, allows underwater shooting up to 15 meters (45 with an accessory case), is repellent to dust, and can afford to fall from 2.1 meters in height without getting damaged. As if that were not enough, Olympus declared it as "non-deformable", resisting impacts up to 100 kg of weight, and can withstand up to 10 degrees below zero.

Launched on the market in the summer of 2019, the Olympus Tough TG-6 is an economical compact that renews the Tough TG-5, released the previous year. Its rude and adventurous temperament is somehow protected by a double-layer glass that avoids condensation in particularly cold and humid thermal situations. Another feature that makes the Olympus Tough TG-6 unique is the Field Sensor System which detects altitude, geographic position, sea depth, and temperature of the environments in which images or videos are taken.

Available with the Olympus Tough TG-6 several options enhance its performance. In fact, alongside the already mentioned underwater case, it is possible to apply on the TG-6 a lens for the fisheye effect, a “submarine” flash, a silicone shell to protect it from scratches, a lens cover that is easy to use even with gloves.

The body of the Olympus Tough TG-6

The Olympus Tough TG-6 has a design that immediately makes it a different compact from the rest of the cameras on the market. Available in black or in a roaring red tint, the TG-6 is halfway between sporty and industrial, with a fascinating line characterized by visible screws that give the car body an informal and sporty character, which will please the much more adventurous photographers.

Once grasped, the Olympus Tough TG-6 gives a rather pleasant sensation of compactness, with dimensions and ergonomics typical of compacts that fit without problems in the hand, as well as in any large pocket: 113x66x32.4 mm, for a weight of 253 grams, with battery and SD. The handle is satisfactory, pronounced enough to allow one-handed use.

The buttons of the Olympus Tough TG-6 are proportionate to the size of the camera body, therefore inevitably small and it is difficult to think how they can be used with gloves, given the TG-6's vocation for even very cold climates. At the top, around the shutter button is the zoom lever, while with the function dial you find the shooting modes. Finally, on the same surface, the LOG switch for the GPS is found.

The Olympus Tough TG-6 has a fixed lens, the zoom of which is activated inside the camera body, avoiding it to lean out of the camera. Around the lens, there is a bayonet for compatible accessories such as the fisheye lens.

On the rear of the TG-6, there is a pad with a central “OK” function to activate numerous modes during shooting. It is a shortcut to bypass the menu, to tell the truth, it was never complicated and supported by a simple guide. Much of the rear of the Olympus Tough TG-6 is occupied by the three-inch monitor (non-touchscreen), which offers good readability, while not being rotatable, and a user-friendly menu. Compared to that of the TG-5, the display has a much better resolution (1040k instead of 460K) but despite being the only form of viewing the shots (there is no electronic viewfinder) it is somehow the weak point of the Olympus Tough TG-6, being the only vulnerable part of the camera body, without the reinforcements present in the rest of the camera. 

Olympus Tough TG-6: brief datasheet

Data Sheet Sensor : 12 megapixel (1 / 2.33 '' CMOS, RGB Filter)
Processor: TruePic VIII
Lens : 25-100mm, f / 2-4.9
Display : 3.0-inch, 1,040 K-point
ISO: Auto and Manual 100-12,800
Autofocus : TTL iESP contrast-detect autofocus
Burst : Approx.20fps 
Battery: Li-ion battery ( approx.340 shots)
Memory : SD / SDHC / SDXC (compatible with class UHS-I)
Interface: HDMI micro connector (Type D), Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 High Speed
4K video mode : 3840 x 2160 (4k) / 30p, 25p (approx.102 Mbps) 

Olympus Tough TG-6 performance and quality

Compared to the TG-5, the Olympus Tough TG-6 is not a revolution: in addition to the Display we already mentioned, an anti-reflective coating has been added to the sensor and some new options for underwater shooting. The most popular novelty is undoubtedly a function designed for macros, thanks to the close focus of about one centimeter. The sensor is 12 megapixels, with a 25-100mm equivalent lens at a maximum aperture of f / 2-4.9.

As can be seen from these data, the Olympus Tough TG-6 does not have its strong point in the technical data sheet, if compared with that of the “normal” compact, not reinforced cameras. But its underwater character is a specialty that can overshadow traditional technical specifications for a niche of users.

And let's face it ... the so-called "Tough" cameras have never stood comparison with the shots of an SLR or a mirrorless of the same price range, but having said that, the focus of the Olympus Tough TG-6 is not bad, with its reactivity. Besides, the monitor is also well viewable even under a strong light source and offers a very intuitive menu.

With a 1 / 2.3-inch sensor, the Olympus Tough TG-6 releases images of decent quality, with some overexposure issues and falling out of detail at the edges of the frames. ISO and exposure can also be set manually from the display, but it is certainly not a trivial operation, since the electronic viewfinder is missing.

Shooting closely the wide-angle returns a slight fisheye effect, on the other hand, the color range, as happens with all Olympus, is remarkable. The colors are rich, on very rare occasions slightly artificial, but being able to shoot in the RAW format you can intervene in post-production. Using the zoom to the maximum (4x), the chromatic range loses quality - but nothing new when it comes to compact cameras - and you have to be careful where you put your fingers that could easily fit into the frame, being it a zoom with internal mechanics.

Concerning video recording, the new features of the Olympus Tough TG-6 concern the high-speed modes. In addition to being able to shoot 4K video at 30fps, the camera can also record 1080p at up to 120fps, 720p at 240fps, and 360p at 480fps. 120 frames at 1080p is a top feature for a camera like this, ideal for vlogging and blogging. And then the prospect of super slow motion 480fps travel video should be enough to appeal to any Instagrammer. Another new trick on the Olympus TG-6 is a kind of underwater microscope that somehow complements the brilliant macro function intended for shooting out of water.

Olympus Tough TG-6 vs. Panasonic Lumix FT7

With a 20mp sensor, the reinforced Panasonic company wins on the main technical aspect, but the Olympus Tough TG-6 is better than the FT7 for a light sensitivity twice higher (12800 ISO). The same can be said of the shutter (1 / 2000th vs. 0.00076th from Panasonic).

On its side, the FT7’s electronic viewfinder is absent on the TG-6 and an underwater resistance of 31 meters, instead of the 15 of the Olympus (expandable, however, with an accessory lens). On the characteristics of the monitor and the video quality, there is a substantial draw, but the Olympus Tough TG-6 checks it on a fundamental detail for a reinforced compact: a weight of only 253 grams (instead of 320 of the Lumix) and a slightly better battery autonomy (340 shots instead of 300).

Having made these comparisons, what’s the model to buy? Despite the flaw of a sensor of just 12mp, the Tough TG-6 compensates for this substantial lack with several non-negligible technical characteristics and then, last but not least… it has a price (and weight in grams) lower than Panasonic’s reinforced one.