Olympus Tough TG-5 is the latest generation of Olympus’ popular series of tough camera. This camera is waterproof up to 15m deep, shockproof up to a 2.1M drop, crushproof up to 100 kgf, and freezeproof down to -10°C. It can shoot RAW images, 4K video and excellent macro photography. Thanks to a bright f/2.0 high-resolution lens for high image quality, this camera takes great photos underwater. It has built-in WiFi, GPS tracking, compass, optical image stabiliser, 4x optical zoom and dual-pane protective glass provides an airtight seal that protects the lens and minimises condensation on the lens that tends to occur during sudden changes in temperature.

Melbourne metropolitan doesn’t have snow even in winter, so my Sony DSC-RX100 III is already the ultimate pocket camera for anything I need most of the time. However, RX100’s operating temperature range starts from 0°C, so when I booked a quick getaway with my family to a snow resort, I decided to get a camera that would surely survive temperature lower than 0°C and still able to take great photos. I was torn between Olympus Tough TG-5 and Olympus Tough TG-870. Finally decided to go with TG-5 because it’s a newer model, takes RAW images and said to product better image quality in less-than-bright environments. TG-870 was tempting thanks to its flip display (making it a good selfie camera) and significantly higher resolution display. Oh well, I guess we can’t have everything. I choose better photo quality.

There are 2 colour options for TG-5: black and red. The black model has the Tough branding written in pink. The red model is actually a combination of black-red background with white branding. I decided to get the black model because I found a good deal from a store that only sells black model.

My first impression on TG-5 is that this camera is well-built, feels solid and the weight is reasonable. Especially for me who already get used to carry RX100 around, I have no problem in putting TG-5 into my pocket. The controls seem to be well placed and I think I will be able to use them without problem wearing gloves, but that still need to be tested later.

One issue I immediately realise is the fact that the camera lens is widely exposed. Sure this is a tough camera, but being tough doesn’t mean that camera lens couldn’t get dirty. Thanks to its size, I managed to get my fingerprints on it within the first few hours of testing. I need to get something to protect it, I might have to check TG-5 compatible accessories later.

On the top of this camera, there are on/off button, shutter button, zoom control, multi-function wheel and log switch. At the front it has flash, LED light, a button to unlock the lens ring, which I assume can be changed with compatible accessories. On the left side there is a sealed compartment with micro-USB and micro-HDMI slot. The double-locked seal looks solid, but takes a bit of time to open and close. Not necessarily a bad thing. On the right side is strap eyelet. At the back side we have record button, mode wheel, info button, play button, menu button the standard 4 directions buttons with ok in the middle. Finally, at the bottom we have the standard tripod socket and compartment for LI-92B battery and SD card. Double-lock mechanism is also used here.

Camera operation is fairly easy and straightforward. Turn on the camera, select mode and shoot. The result, however, is another matter entirely. I downloaded my first few photos to my computer and was immediately disappointed with the image quality. I downloaded the manual guide from Olympus website and spent good amount of time reading it, figuring out how to set it the way I like. The default setting was to take JPG images in “normal” quality. Above it, they offer “fine” and “super fine” quality, and also RAW image. To put it quite frankly, the “normal” quality sucks. Not sure why anyone would want to shoot photos on this mode, yet they somehow think it’s the best initial experience for users starting to use their flagship camera. The super fine quality produces much better image quality though.

The microscope mode to shoot object from a close distance is really nice. This mode is probably the only mode it does better job than my Sony RX100 Mk3. The focus is great and the object looks super detailed. Very happy with this. Other modes are generally in the “alright” zone. Perhaps because I still need to learn more to familiarise myself with this camera. As long as my object doesn’t move, I generally get nice looking photos, sharp with good colours. To take photos of my active toddler, only the sport mode could handle it.

The flash setting for Auto mode is not being remembered next time I use Auto mode. I have to remember to turn off the flash over and over again. Very annoying. I’m sure they can solve this with firmware update, let’s hope it would actually happen. There are C1 and C2 mode that we can record any setting we need and quickly access it later. Very handy. Even though this camera promises 4x optical zoom, the image result is generally crappy when we use zoom. So I learned to avoid it altogether. Finally, the date and time would automatically got reset if I open the battery/memory card compartment for too long, apparently. It already happened twice during 1 week of ownership, with the battery was not even taken out. I only took out the memory card to download the photos into my computer and had to re-enter date and time when I turned on the camera afterwards. Also, setting date and time is buggy. I set date and time, then I was asked for time zone. Since Melbourne is GMT+10, it automatically added 10 hours on top of the time I just entered. Very bad user experience.

Another complaint with this camera is that the auto focus is slow. There is a face detection feature, but it’s nowhere as good as what I used to get with my Sony cameras, even the mid-end models.

Despite all the quirks I’m not entirely happy with, this is a decent camera producing good photos if we set it correctly. The real test would be during my trip to snow resort later.