On paper, the TG-4's lens - which is shared by the Pentax WG-4 and WG-5 - is the best in its class. At its 25mm wide end, the maximum aperture is F2.0, which makes it great for low light and underwater photography. The lens becomes a lot more conventional at the telephoto end, where the aperture is a F4.9. A sensor-shift image stabilization system helps reduce the effects of camera shake, and seemed to be effective in the time we spent with the camera. At the end of his review Jeff Kellers conclusion is "Not good for those who want smartphone IQ or better...", completely agree. Images are soft at default setting, though with relatively few sharpening artifacts. Strong noise reduction even at base ISO reduces fine detail. While the image quality from the TG-6 is fine, modern smartphones will surpass it in most situations, though once downsized to social media resolutions, it's less noticeable. But, remember, your phone isn't exactly rugged. While out-of-camera JPEGs have pleasant colors *, the lens just isn't very sharp and too much noise reduction is applied. Turning down the 'noise filter' option helps a bit, but if you're up to the challenge of processing the results, shooting Raw is the way to get the most out of the TG-6.

Olympus Stylus Tough TG-4 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS - Versus Olympus Stylus Tough TG-4 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS - Versus

The TG4 can shoot continuous full resolution images at 5fps for 100 frames. I tested it with a high speed UHS-1 SD card fitted and it fired off exactly 100 shots at a regular pace, though it became a little erratic for the last thirty. I timed the first ten at exactly 5fps, as good as Olympus says it is. 5fps isn’t bad for full frame shots on a compact. More importantly, the TOUGH TG4 gives you 100 frames, that’s enough to capture 20 seconds of action. Not many compacts are that generous, the COOLPIX AW130, which is more typical, is limited to 5 frames at 7fps or enough for a less than one-second burst.

Like the earlier TOUGH TG3, the TG4 has built-in GPS and Wifi, allowing you to tag your photos with positional information, wirelessly transfer them to your phone and upload them to the Web and remotely control the camera with a smartphone. There’s also an electronic compass feature and a manometer which measures barometric pressure providing altitude and depth information. And of course it wouldn’t be an Olympus without Art filters. Switch to the Art position on the mode dial and you can choose from Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Colour, Grainy Film, Pin hole, Diorama (miniature), and Dramatic Tone art filters. Another way to get to these is via the Picture settings on the function menu.

Olympus - TG-4 16.0-Megapixel Waterproof Digital Camera - Red Olympus - TG-4 16.0-Megapixel Waterproof Digital Camera - Red

ISO 100 prints are good at 13 x 19 inches, which is a reasonably large size for such a small sensor. There is a decent amount of fine detail and pleasing colors at this size, although for critical printing purposes the 11 x 14 inch prints here are slightly sharper. Sharpness. The Olympus TG-4 produces somewhat soft images as is often the case with this class of camera, though without strong sharpening halos around high-contrast edges that we often see. Edge enhancement creates the illusion of sharpness by enhancing colors and tones right at the edge of a rapid transition in color or tone. Above left: 100% crop, 4.5-18mm at 18mm, 1/10, 100 ISO, IS off. Above right: 100% crop, 4.5-18mm at 18mm, 1/10, 100 ISO, IS on. A fast shutter speed can freeze a fast-moving action without blurring. A slow shutter speed will blur a fast-moving action. This blurring will give the impression of dynamic motion.In continuous shooting mode the TG-4 can capture JPEGs at5 frames/second (you can't shoot continuously when Raw is enabled). There are faster modes available, which shoot at 15 and 60 fps, thoughthe resolution drops to 3 megapixel for both. Finally, here’s an example of the TOUGH TG4’s high speed mode in action. It’s great fun for subjects like this and of course you can use it underwater too.