Olympus TG-5 Field Test Part II

Olympus TG-5 Field Test Part II

A solid waterproof camera with improved image quality & performance

by Jeremy Gray | Posted 08/31/2018

In our first Olympus TG-5 Field Test, written by Dave Pardue, he looked at the camera's revised design, image quality, the optional converter lenses and much more. If you have yet to read his Field Test, it would be good to do so before reading this second Field Test.

In this Field Test, I will be focusing on the TG-5's overall performance, autofocus, video and sharing some general thoughts about using the TG-5 in the field.

Performance, Autofocus and Usability

The Olympus Tough TG-5 is powered by the TruePic VIII image processor. This is the same processor that powers other recent Olympus models, such as the OM-D E-M1 II flagship Micro Four Thirds camera. The new processor allows the TG-5 to have some features the TG-4 lacked, including in-camera RAW processing and the ability to continuously shoot RAW files.

When looking at performance, the TG-5 performs very well for its class. It has good startup time, focuses quite quickly and can cycle through single JPEG and RAW shots quickly. The camera shoots large/normal JPEG images at up to 20 frames per second for an unlimited amount of shots -- unlimited in a theoretical sense but limited in practicality by the capacity of your memory card -- and can record RAW images at the same impressive speed, albeit at a smaller buffer (15 frames in our lab testing). The JPEG and RAW buffers clear in about 4 seconds with a fast card, which is impressive and will allow you to keep up with action in the field.

In real-world use, the camera feels very snappy. The camera has good battery life as well; it's rated for 340 shots. Finally, although not necessarily a concern with a camera like the TG-5, it is worth pointing out that the camera has a mechanical shutter which tops out at 5 fps. When using the Sequential High shooting mode at 20 fps, the camera uses electronic shutter. When shooting with the mechanical shutter, the RAW buffer increases to around 30 frames.

Turning our attention now to autofocus. The camera relies upon a 25-point contrast-detect autofocus system. The system is pretty quick and generally reliable. Its performance does decrease a bit in low light, unsurprisingly, but it can focus in dim enough conditions to handle focus when shooting underwater, provided you don't take it too deep.

Another very good aspect of the autofocus system is its macro capabilities. Through much of the camera's focal length range, you can focus as close as 0.4 inches (1 centimeter). It can be tough to work from this distance, but it's neat that it is an option. The camera offers focus stacking and focus bracketing options and can also utilize a "microscope" focusing mode, which allows for even closer focus at the cost of image quality.

In addition to these neat tricks, the camera offers face detection and the ability to cycle through 25 different focus points. I will say that it's not easy to switch between individual focus points, but that's not a huge issue for a tough camera. To change a point focus in single-point AF mode, you have to press the Menu and OK buttons at the same time to access this menu option. The camera also offers manual focusing along with focus peaking; a nice touch.

Regarding usability, I do like the improved controls on the TG-5, including the revised mode dial. I am not a big fan of the camera's menu system though. It is confusing. For example, if you want to shoot in RAW image quality, you have to press OK button during shooting, to bring up the pop-up shortcut menu. It isn't in the standard camera menu. Another issue I have is that the rear LCD screen is not very sharp. The display offers only 460k dots, leaving the display looking a bit pixelated and not very sharp. The protective cover on the display is also very easy to scratch, which will inevitably happen if you pocket the camera like I did.

Overall, the camera performs well. It is quick, offers fast shooting and is responsive during shooting. Autofocus performance is also pretty good, particularly with respect to its close focus capabilities. The user experience is not perfect. The ergonomics are good, but the menus are obtuse, so your experience can range from very good to somewhat frustrating depending on what you are trying to achieve at any given time. If you are just focused on shooting, the TG-5 is pleasant to use. If you are trying to change numerous settings on the TG-5, however, it could prove to be a more annoying camera.

Image Quality

Image quality was discussed extensively in Dave Pardue's Field Test, but I wanted to share some of my own thoughts as well. It's something of an oddity for a new camera to release with less megapixels than its predecessor, but that's precisely what the TG-5 has done. Where the TG-4 relied on a 16-megapixel sensor 1/2.3-inch sensor, the TG-4 employs a new backside-illuminated 12-megapixel sensor. Frankly, this makes considerably more sense because it's a very small sensor and 16 megapixels is too many to retain good image quality. I enjoyed shooting with the TG-4 and found its low ISO images to be fine, but it struggled at higher ISO settings.

When you combine a more reasonable megapixel count and a powerful processor in the TG-5, the end result is impressive image quality for a waterproof pocket camera. The TG-5 still won't match the image quality of something like a Micro Four Thirds camera, of course, as there are severe physical limitations at play, but the important thing to note is that the TG-5 produces better-looking images than the TG-4.

With a camera such as the TG-5, image quality also depends on the built-in lens. The lens is one of the few aspects of the imaging pipeline that remains unchanged compared to the TG-4. The lens offers a 4x optical zoom, which goes from an 35mm-equivalent range of 25mm to 100mm. The maximum aperture starts at a bright f/2.0 and decreases to f/4.9 by 100mm, which isn't great, but the lens needs to be very compact so achieving f/2.0 is impressive even if the telephoto end is not as good. As was the case with the TG-4, I find the lens to work well still with the TG-5. There are some issues in the extreme corners and sometimes very odd flaring, which you can see manifest itself as purple flare in the center of the frame in different shots in the gallery, but the lens can produce pretty sharp images. There can also be rather significant issues with fringing.

Overall, I think that the TG-5's image quality is pretty good in general, and very good within the tough camera context. Less is more with the TG-5 when it comes to megapixels.

Video

The Olympus TG-5 has 4K UHD video recording (3,840 x 2,160 pixels), which is impressive. More impressive still is that the camera utilizes the full width of the sensor to record 4K video at up 30 frames per second. The camera records at a 102Mbps bit rate, which is pretty good too. That's some serious video recording capabilities for a sub-$400 underwater compact camera.

Unsurprisingly, however, the 4K video quality is not going to blow you away, but it can record 4Kp30 and do so underwater all while fitting in a pocket when you're done shooting. That said, the quality certainly isn't bad. Autofocus during video is something of a disappointment, though. The camera is prone to hunting for focus and even when focus is acquired, it can sometimes wobble, which is distracting. The image is also quite shaky if you zoom in or out during video recording. Further, there is some fairly substantial cropping with 4K video, so you won't be able to get a very wide image, even at the widest zoom setting.

If you want a faster frame rate, you can shoot at up to 60 fps in Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) and at 120 fps in a special high-speed mode. You can shoot at 240 fps in 1280 x 720 and at 480 fps in standard definition resolution.

Olympus TG-5 Field Test Part II Summary

A fun compact tough camera which delivers improved performance

What I liked:

• As tough as ever
• Improved image quality
• Better overall performance than the TG-4
• Reliable autofocus in many conditions
• Improved video features

What I didn't like:

• Autofocus can be a little slow in low light
• Built-in lens is impressively compact, but not very good optically
• Odd flare issues at times

The Olympus TG-5 improves upon its predecessor in numerous ways. It may not offer a lot of incentive for a TG-4 owner to upgrade, but it makes a compelling case for being an excellent tough camera. If you have an imminent vacation or just enjoy a lot of outdoor activities, the TG-5 is a great companion. It easily slips away into a pocket, is very durable, can be used in any weather -- and underwater -- and offers many nice photo and video features. It's an enjoyable camera to use and it will survive essentially any outdoor fun you want to experience.