OM SYSTEM TOUGH TG-7
This compact really is tough enough to handle anything
Yeah, that picture on the last page of this review? That’s the OM System Tough TG-7 sitting in a glass of water, with a cat taking a drink for good measure. Why? Well, why not? After all, the camera is waterproof – and I mean, seriously waterproof. Not waterproof like an iPhone, where you’re scared to let it get in contact with water because it can get damaged by anything from the pressure in a shower head to the salt in seawater. No, the OM System Tough TG-7 is properly waterproof. So, there it is – just chilling in a glass of water while I write this review. The OM System Tough TG-7 is a compact camera with a difference: it’s waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof. It has a GPS as part of a full Field Sensor System that records things like the temperature as well as altitude. That’s ideal for recording precisely what the conditions are if you’re doing something like scaling Everest, or to see how hot it was on the day you took a photo, or what altitude the plane was flying at when you took a video of yourself skydiving. The OM System Tough TG-7 does so much more than that… but, crucially, not much more than its predecessor. So how good is the TG-7 and, if you already own the Olympus Tough TG-6, would it be enough to merit an upgrade?
Key features
Let’s start with the crucial stuff: just how ‘everything-proof’ is this camera? It’s waterproof to 15m (50ft), which is as deep as five Olympic swimming pools, it’s also freezeproof to -10C (14F), which is around the average temperature in Siberia at this time of year. It’s shockproof to drops from 2.1m (7ft), so would be able to survive falling off Shaquille O’Neal’s head, and it’s crushproof to 100kg (220lbs),
which is the equivalent of being trodden on by a giant panda.
It also has a full Field Sensor system, which records GPS
(location), thermometer (air and water temperature), manometer/ barometer (altitude and water depth) and compass (direction of filming) data with your images and videos. This is ideal for indexing your files in libraries, creating geotagged maps and itineraries, or extracting useful info from an excursion.
In terms of traditional camera specs, we’re looking at a 12MP backilluminated 1/2.3-inch sensor with a 4.5-18.0mm f/2.0-4.9 lens. In fullframe (35mm) terms that gives you a 25-100mm equivalent focal range, and it doubles as a macro lens with 10mm close focusing (offering 4x optical magnification).
It shoots bursts of up to 20fps, with a buffer of 74 JPEGs or 46 raws. In
Pro Capture mode, where the camera starts buffering images when you half-press the shutter, so you capture the moment before the moment, it boasts a 10fps burst with five preframe shots.
For video, the TG-7 can record 4K up to 30p, Full HD (1080p) up to 120p and, if you want to sacrifice resolution for super-slow-mo, you can record in HD (720p) at 240p or SD (320p) at 480p.
Build and handling
While the core specifications haven’t seen much change from the TG-6, the external design of the TG-7 has had an overhaul. In terms of handling, the front grip is now much steeper, so you can get a better hold. The grip, along with the thumb rest on the back, now has
textured grooves that help improve purchase – which is very welcome, particularly when the camera is wet and your fingers are cold.
Otherwise, the layout and controls are the same as on the TG-6, although the Olympus logo has now been replaced by an OM System one, of course. Note that the rear screen doesn’t offer touch control (because it’s made of thick, Gorilla Glass-like material so it won’t break), though the colour reproduction seems to have been improved over the previous model.
As a compact camera, the TG-7 primarily offers point-and-shoot functionality; the mode dial offers standard auto, Aperture Priority and Program modes (though there is a context-sensitive control wheel on top that can be toggled between aperture and shutter for manual control depending on the mode).
A well-located lever sits in front of the shutter for electronically zooming in or out (including in macro mode), a tiny record button (which can be tricky to depress with gloves on), enables you to quickly capture video, and a switch on top of the camera can quickly toggle Log mode to record environmental info (including GPS data) – handy for disabling this when you’re worried about battery life.
The doors leading to connections and memory card slots are protected like Fort Knox, with double-locking switches and thick rubber seals to prevent liquids or particulates from entering. And yes, among the connections, there’s a USB-C port for charging.
Less protected is the camera lens itself, although, like the rear LCD, it’s made of ultra-tough material that’s repellent to fingerprints, water or grime. Any dirt that builds up can easily be wiped off with a T-shirt or napkin – though I would suggest buying OM’s irising lens cap, which can be mounted to the front, just to make life a bit easier.
The on-camera flash is worthy of note, as it can be quickly toggled from Fill to Red Eye to Slow to Full (manual) to Remote Control to LED – the latter emitting a continuous light that can be great for those moments when flash is too intrusive.
Also worth noting is that the camera comes in two colour schemes – and unlike most cameras, these are actually functional. The black version looks more like a standard compact camera, but the red option is extremely useful, since it makes it much easier to spot the camera if you drop it at the bottom of a swimming pool, in the snow or anywhere else. Trust me: I’ve almost lost my TG-6 a couple of times when taking it out in the sea, and it’s much easier to see a
camera that’s coloured bright red.
Performance
There are few surprises here – the TG-7 performs identically to the TG-6. After all, it features the same image sensor and image processor, so there’s really no difference in what the camera can do. It delivers JPEGs straight out of the camera that look fantastic, with raw files that offer plenty of latitude for editing, with electronically stabilised 4K video on a par with what you’d get from a decent smartphone – along with slow-mo and super-slow-mo options that are low in resolution, but still ideal for social media.
In terms of what’s new, the camera now supports vertical video, so socialling is a little easier than before. There’s also a cool new 299-image interval shooting function, which enables you to create timelapse movies, supported by an intelligent exposure function that keeps your frames consistent,
even in changeable lighting. There’s also an optional Construction mode in the Scene menus that caters to industrial applications for the camera. They won’t be that useful to most photographers, but having quick modes for things like panoramas and document scanning will make life easier for others.
Another new feature is the remote control option. Like all OM System cameras, the TG-7 can be paired with the OM.share smartphone app. The primary function here is to quickly transfer your files for easy sharing, but it can also be used to shoot remotely from your phone – perfect if, for example, you want to leave your camera at the bottom of a pond and snap pictures of its inhabitants without getting wet.
However, the TG-7 can now be paired with a dedicated remote control, meaning that you don’t need to mess about with the app if you want to take a quick selfie or shoot a series of stills or videos remotely.
As others have noted, the longin-the-tooth tech is outclassed by modern smartphones. Certainly, the 12MP sensor and TruePix VIII processor are at least two generations old, but the JPEGs (let alone the raws) the TG-7 produces are superior to those of the latest iPhone. And then there are the features, such as focus stacking, Live Composite, Pro Capture, 20fps bursts, full exposure control, adjustable white balance and true optical zoom.
Granted, video is not the TG-7’s strongest suit, as evidenced by the basic options on offer. But then this isn’t intended to be great camera for video, it’s intended to be a great waterproof camera, which it is.
The iPhone 15 Pro or Panasonic S5 IIX might shoot ‘better’ video, but can they shoot in a snowstorm, in a desert, or in the middle of a Tough Mudder contest? For its intended purpose, and for the price, the Tough TG-7’s video is easily good enough.
We should mention the camera’s macro capabilities, too. Most compact cameras don’t offer this, let alone waterproof compacts, so for the TG-7 to feature such great macro performance is a huge plus. Since this is an outdoor/travel camera, the ability to get close to a creature you spot while snorkelling or out on a hike really adds value.