CAMERA TEST
Joshua Waller reviews one of the few tough, waterproof, compact cameras left on the market
There aren’t many compact cameras available to buy new any more, and what’s left are usually high-end, largesensor cameras, or waterproof compact cameras with smaller sensors. The OM System Tough TG-7 falls into the latter category, and is the seventh iteration in a line of tough cameras first from Olympus, and now OM System.
The firm is quite serious about this tough compact camera.
It has numerous controls and specialised shooting modes, and a wide range of accessories is available, too. You can shoot raw and adjust manual controls. To capture as much light as possible, there’s an f/2.0 aperture at the wideangle end of the lens.
While the TG-7’s sensor is small compared to Micro Four Thirds, APS-C, full-frame or 1-inch sensor cameras, it’ll withstand conditions that would destroy other models. It’s waterproof down to 15 metres, drop-proof, crush-proof, dustproof, and freezeproof. And whilst it may look very similar to previous versions, this has advantages in the range of accessories available that work interchangeably between the models.
Compared to the previous Olympus TG-6, the TG-7 differs in the following ways. It has a USB Type-C connection for data transfer and battery charging, and is compatible with the MR-WR1 remote control. It also supports both vertical video recording, and time-lapse movie creation.
There’s even a construction mode for use on building sites.
Features
The lens on the OM System TG-7 is a 4x optical zoom lens, starting at the wideangle equivalent of 25mm, zooming to 100mm (equivalent).
It also starts with an f/2.0 aperture, which is quite bright, although this reduces down when using the zoom, dropping down to f/4.9 at the telephoto end.
There’s a 12MP BSI CMOS 1/1.7in-type sensor, which measures approximately 6.2x4.6mm. This means it’s smaller than those in most other compact cameras. In fact, it’s even smaller than many of the latest flagship smartphones. Continuous shooting is available at 5fps with the mechanical shutter, or 20fps when using the electronic shutter, both with fixed focus.
However, the smaller size means th
