Hit the Mountains and the Sea: Shoot Ultra-Clear 4K Underwater with a Compact Digital Camera

Summer is here, and it is once again the peak season for water activities. Given that "a phone matters more than a boyfriend", you naturally don't want to risk getting your phone wet, so a waterproof camera comes in handy. At the very least, if the camera breaks, you don't have to worry about being unable to post on Facebook. As features have steadily improved in recent years, waterproof cameras now offer more than just three or four layers of protection. The recently launched Olympus Tough TG-5, for example, has a body that is waterproof, shockproof, crushproof, dustproof and coldproof, and also comes with a large F2.0 aperture and 4K video, so it can truly handle both the mountains and the sea.

As the first manufacturer in the world to produce waterproof, shockproof cameras, Olympus's experience goes without saying: the Tough series alone has launched more than 10 different waterproof models over the years. Compared with last year's TG-4, the new model's design has not changed much. It retains 15m waterproofing, 2.1m shockproofing, 100kgf crushproofing, dustproofing and -10℃ coldproofing, and it also keeps the F2.0 aperture of the previous generation.

Anti-fog suits diving, and video solves the focusing problem

However, this time a new anti-fog lens has been added, which reduces the chance of being unable to shoot because the lens fogs up when the ambient temperature changes suddenly. Besides preventing the effect of temperature differences on the lens when entering the water or diving, this feature also reduces lens fogging when moving in and out of air-conditioned places in daily life, so it is not designed only for divers.

If you buy a diving camera, you will of course want to take a pile of underwater photos to rack up likes. But anyone who has tried underwater photography knows that, because of the refraction of water and because the light is lower than on land, a camera focuses more slowly underwater, and the TG-5 ran into the same problem when actually shooting in water. However, since the new model adds 4K video, users only need to switch to underwater video mode, and the camera will focus using pan focus. Put simply, this maximises the camera's depth of field so that everything from a certain focal distance to infinity is captured sharply. Because no focusing is needed, it is much easier to capture beautiful seabed scenery, and you can then take a still from the video of the clear fish and use it as a photo, so you won't miss an important moment because of slow focusing.

GPS records your trip, and Wi-Fi lets you share instantly

As for other features, the TG-5 is also quite complete. Built-in GPS records the location of every shot, making it easier to organise photos later. The TG-5 also has Wi-Fi, which can connect to a dedicated mobile app to send photos straight to your phone and then share them instantly on social platforms. It also has a manometer, thermometer, compass and other functions, so you can access more kinds of information when viewing your photos. It is worth mentioning that, like previous cameras in the same series, the TG-5 will have a large number of separately purchased accessories, including a waterproof fisheye external lens, a macro ring light, a 45m diving housing, a dedicated silicone case and a sports camera bag, which open up even more ways to play.

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