Olympus TG-5 Waterproof Camera with 3-Inch LCD, Black and Camera Case

Highly recommend this camera for underwater snorkeling photos. Have tried many throughout the years, none as easy to use, reliable, holds a charge, and takes beautiful pics. Love not replacing batteries, just plug in at end of day. Super easy to change settings under water. For a point and shoot this is a great underwater camera. I dont usually write reviews but was so happy with this I felt I needed to.

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Its obvious that Olympus designed this series of camera to provide major benefits over cell phone cameras. (tough, underwater and super macro). I bought this camera for the sole purpose of documenting flaws in tiny precision parts. The microscope mode is simply amazing combined with the LG-1 light guide. Heres a summary of my likes and dislikes. Even though I have some issues with the camera it still deserves 5 stars. +: Microscope mode is simply amazing. You can focus as close as 1cm and zoom 4X optically. The built in focus stacking will process several images to maximize sharpness. With the LG-1 light guide you get perfect lighting up close. If this isnt enough you can choose digital zoom to magnify zoom by factors of 1X, 2X or 4X. (obviously image quality degrades at these high settings) +: The camera feels very well built. +: 4K video, GPS and waterproof are all nice features to have but I havent used them yet. +: Std. micro USB data/charging cable vs proprietary cable -: The biggest disappointment is WiFi. The primitive WiFi only works with cell phones. You cannot use WiFi over a network/PC. I dont know of any photographers that post process and archive their images on a cell phone. My older Panasonics have much better built in WiFi. -: The user interface is just OK. Some modes and settings are just not very obvious and somewhat cluttered. Having the full user manual is a must and I see that Olympus has finally put it on their US website. (the included Quick Start guide is worthless) -: While in microscope mode, there is no provision for user tweaks to aperture or program shift. Although focus stacking is great to have, you cannot select the size of the stack. (I think three images is all it can stack but focus bracketing gives you more options if you want to do your own stacking). P.S. The gear in the images is about .300" O.D. The first image was taken at min. focus distance of about 1 cm using 4X optical zoom and focus stacking. The second image adds 4X digital zoom for a total of 16X.

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I bought this camera after reading all the reviews and viewing all the videos I could find on YouTube. I was really disappointed regarding lack of realistic underwater content in any of the reviews. I’m very particular about photo quality and therefore knew I’d need a high quality camera. That being said, I ended up purchasing the TG5 as it’s highest ranked online. I couldn’t tell from any reviews whether I could truly depend on it being waterproof while snorkeling, because all the YouTube videos “recommend” the housing that costs almost as much as the camera. I’m picky with picture quality, but I’m a beginner at snorkeling, and I don’t scuba. This camera is truly amazing. I’m beating myself up a bit for not getting to know all the settings before I left for the Caribbean and here’s why: 1. In auto mode, you can’t manually set the flash. You need to use the custom setting mode to set fill flash for inside pictures. Otherwise, you’ll likely end up with slightly blurry under exposed pictures indoors in the evening. 2. If you are swimming in clear Caribbean water that is somewhat shallow with no one around, you won’t need the specialized fish settings. However, if you are swimming in a group where water is deeper, try the fish settings. Otherwise your photos end up green. I was nervous due to reviews saying this camera got fried the first time in the water. I assure you that if you lock the access doors to the charge port & memory card/battery, this won’t happen. Everyday when you get home, follow the instructions by submersing the camera in cool water, shake the debris off, then rinse under a flow of clean water, and it works like magic. Definitely get a floating wrist band to protect your investment. By all accounts, people think this camera looks like a silly point and shoot. However I’d challenge you to take it underwater then hold it against the fabric of your clothing and take a macro. This camera is incredible. I did notice that if there is any lingering spot of saltwater on the lense, you’ll get a hazy spot on your pictures. Make sure your lense is clean. I have an Olympus PL5 and a TG5. Incredible photo quality. I will try to post a few underwater pictures from the TG5 below. The turtle is green - taken on auto with about 25 people swimming around me and he’s about 10 feet below me. The starfish is about 12” away in clear water on fish snapshot. The fish are auto setting, no one else around in salt water.

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Bought this camera for our beach vacation. We left our phones in the hotel room during the day - and we wanted a waterproof camera that could be thrown in a tote, was kid friendly, and could be taken to the beach/pool without worrying about sand/water damage. My kids (10 & 12) had fun taking underwater selfies, making movies in the pool, and trying to photograph fish & turtles at the beach. Half way through the trip I was so happy with the durability of the TG-5 and the quality of the pictures that I quit luggging my big camera around... only pulling it out when I needed a telephoto lens. I would recommend purchasing a floating strap if kids are going to use the camera and/or if you are going to take the camera out on a lake or in the ocean. The pictures I posted were all taken on a sunny days in Hawaii; the clarity of our pictures varied depending on how clear the water was and how bright it was outside. I would highly recommend this camera to anyone looking for a beach vacation camera.

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Speaking from a photographer whos used Canons, Nikons and most recently the Sony A7R II, this camera is awesome for the price point and what its designed to do. It wont take poster quality portraits that you could crop the heck out of and still get an useable image. It wont give you creamy bokeh/ridiculous depth of field like a 50mm will. It wont let give you the reach and the zoom that you have become used to with your favorite telephoto. But what it does give you is an amazing rugged camera that you could fit in your pocket, go trek/dive/bang it around and not worry about it. It can give you a nifty HUD like display you see in video games with your photos/videos. So all in all, to the pixel peepers out there, in our day and age where most of our works are viewed on a 4 inch display, content and storytelling reigns supreme. Plus.. show me a $500 camera that can go down ~50ft and take pictures like this.

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This little Camera is awesome. If you read the full owners manual and care for it exactly as they tell you too, you should not have any flooding problems. I am an experienced photographer and underwater photographer. I like this camera more than the old Nikonis I used for years. When preparing your camera for a dive or snorkeling trip. I always sit under the brightest light I can find and check the door seals with a magnifying glass or one of those Jewelers round lights with the big magnifier. Granted most people wont have one of those available to them but a really good light and magnifier work almost as good. You can see the smallest nick, debris, sand, etc. this way. A little piece of hair can cause a leak. I wipe the seals and the inside rims of the hatches with one of those light eyeglass cloths and inspect the seals again. Then I take the smallest amount of the silicone seal grease that comes with the camera and apply sparingly as recommended. I have a feeling people saw the bag with the grease, display cover, etc. and never looked up what it was for? There has been nothing but just getting use to the settings, etc. but the camera is a champ on land and sea. Get the housing, strobe, slave cable and strobe arm and this camera really performs well. I took it to 120 with not a bit of trouble. Love it.

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I needed a small camera to take on a cruise and shoot some underwater photos and video. This was just what I was looking for. Certainly didnt want to lug around my 5DMKIV all around the Caribbean. Shooting underwater was fantastic. The controls were easy to manipulate underwater. Most of the photos were really good and the video was nice as well. Anyone who thinks that the image quality of any point and shoot is as good as a DSLR like the MKIV or MKIII is delusional, but then again I cant submerge a DSLR underwater like the TG-5. For vacation snap shots it fits the bill nicely.

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I normally carry a full size camera and wanted something smaller, lighter and waterproof as a backup; this camera was perfect. It is a little bigger than point & shoots I have had in the past but still compact enough to travel well. I also bought the case and kept it clipped on my belt loop with 2 extra batteries. I used it for snorkeling and on a zip line in the rain; got great pictures both times. My trip was 11 days and I still have not had to change the battery (270 pictures and 1 short video - I still had my full size camera with me.) I have not had it long enough to discover any dislikes. My full size camera is a Sony and it was the Sony representative who recommended this camera.

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WOW!! I bit the bullet and got a new underwater camera for our upcoming summer adventures. We are huge snorkelers and our last camera was reaching a point of low battery, low quality pics (i had to edit A LOT!) These are SOC - Straight out of camera - AMAZING For snorkeling fans, what i loved was the amount of detail for the perimeter and background as well as the subject. We also used it above water - when we climbed the falls. - Our guide took all those photos in Auto, they all turned out FABULOUS!! I am so happy i invested in this camera. Initially it was a smidgen heavier than my last one, and the buttons were different .. So i suggest playing with it during the day above water first - now it feels totally natural in my hand! The Olympus app and ability to upload the images was a HUGE hit for me! We travel to many places without a laptop or way to upload images for social media - the app takes care of that, I can upload my pics to my phone on the boat ride back to shore - SO COOL!!! Seriously, This camera ROCKS!!! Dont let price hold you back - its worth every penny!

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I bought this based on the recommendation of a friend in one of the PSA Fine Art Study Groups. He posted a beautiful closeup shot of a flower and touted his new T-5 camera. Based on his recommendation, I purchased one solely for macro shots. The camera also has underwater capabilities but I havent used it for that. I did buy the extra Olympus light ring for the camera. The in-camera focus stacking feature is amazing and so are the capabilities provided by the microscope mode which provides me with the ability to capture images of small things that I had never been able to photograph before. The price is good and the camera is very durable. The only downside is that the image file size is a bit small so cropping isnt a good option without negatively impacting the resolution of the image. For the price, this camera cant be beat and it is truly state-of-the-art. I recommend it if you are interested in close-up photography but be sure an also buy the little LED light ring which is inexpensive but important for close-up photography.

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