Fujifilm XP160 to Olympus TG-6?

[Marlene996]

I currently have a Costco Fujifilm XP-160 water camera which has been great for surf photography but now I take it diving and I'm finding it lacking. I can get descent pictures of fish but I really want to take nice macro shots of smaller fish and animals in the reef and I don't really want to break the bank at this moment. I just started diving and have a long list of gear to buy (wetsuit, computer, and mask are checked off haha).

Will the Olympus TG-6 really be an upgrade or am I just trading same for same? On paper the specs seem about the same, but I've read some threads where divers really love them. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.

These pictures of the nudi and crab are without flash and the last with.

 

[AggressorBLUE]

Either way you go, I’ll note that the onboard flash for pretty much any camera won’t cut it underwater. Just not powerful enough.

That said, among the advantages of the TG-6, is the wide range of available accessories for it, including a dedicated underwater housing, which I highly recommend.Even though the camera itself is waterproof, it will help with the wear and tear of saltwater diving, and expand the depth rating of the setup substantially. It can also be rigged up to use it’s onboard flash to trigger a larger external strobe, which will help underwater photos immensely. Lots of video light mounting options as well.

It’s also a really sharp macro shooter. Really punches above weight there.

Backscatter has a good overview of the TG-6 and assorted ways to accessorize it to your needs:

Olympus TG-6 Review: The Easiest Underwater Compact Camera - Underwater Photography - Backscatter

We love the Olympus TG-6 for its extremely simple operation, outstanding macro ability, and the great image quality produced in both photo and video. It’s our pick for the Best All-Around Underwater Compact Camera in 2019, and it’s an ideal camera choice for not only beginners but also SLR...

www.backscatter.com

 

[tarponchik]

I'd say yes, TG-6 is great for close-ups and macro. I haven't used TG-6 much yet since I just got it last Summer to replace TG-4, but the optics are pretty much the same.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Looking at your photos I would say swapping your camera by itself won't make any difference to your photos.

What will make a considerable improvement is 1) getting an external strobe to light up your subject and 2) getting close to your subject and zooming in to fill the photo.

The TG-6 has great macro ability, but that's no use if you can't light the subject. The XP-150 has a 5X zoom that should be ok to learn macro.

I'm not sure what external strobes and trays/arms are compatible with the XP-150. If there is a suitable small strobe I would spend my money on it, rather than a new camera, and push the XP-150 until you fill limited by its focusing characteristics.

As AggressorBlue mentions the good thing about the TG-6 is that there's plenty of accessories (including strobes) and excellent documentation on doing macro with it.

Cheers
Rohan.

 

[tursiops]

I'd say yes, TG-6 is great for close-ups and macro. I haven't used TG-6 much yet since I just got it last Summer to replace TG-4, but the optics are pretty much the same.

Nice shots, but do you always pick stuff up to photograph it?

 

[tursiops]

Looking at your photos I would say swapping your camera by itself won't make any difference to your photos.

What will make a considerable improvement is 1) getting an external strobe to light up your subject and 2) getting close to your subject and zooming in to fill the photo.

The TG-6 has great macro ability, but that's no use if you can't light the subject. The XP-150 has a 5X zoom that should be ok to learn macro.

I'm not sure what external strobes and trays/arms are compatible with the XP-150. If there is a suitable small strobe I would spend my money on it, rather than a new camera, and push the XP-150 until you fill limited by its focusing characteristics.

As AggressorBlue mentions the good thing about the TG-6 is that there's plenty of accessories (including strobes) and excellent documentation on doing macro with it.

Cheers
Rohan.

I agree. You can't shoot small stuff from very far away.....even a telephoto/zoom won't help if (a) the water is crappy and/or (b) the light from your camera can't get to the subject. You have to get close.
The color balance from shooting ambient needs either your own light on the subject, or post-processing to adjuxst th white-balance, or both. The third shot -- of the tangs and the coral -- is over-exposed, possibly becasue your camera exposed for ambient light and then you added the flash on top of that.
NONE of these problems will be fixed by changing the camera.

 

[Blackreef]

TG6 is great.

 

[Blackcrusader]

I currently have a Costco Fujifilm XP-160 water camera which has been great for surf photography but now I take it diving and I'm finding it lacking. I can get descent pictures of fish but I really want to take nice macro shots of smaller fish and animals in the reef and I don't really want to break the bank at this moment. I just started diving and have a long list of gear to buy (wetsuit, computer, and mask are checked off haha).

Will the Olympus TG-6 really be an upgrade or am I just trading same for same? On paper the specs seem about the same, but I've read some threads where divers really love them. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.

These pictures of the nudi and crab are without flash and the last with.

TG photos, Show us what you shot.

Shot from yesterdays night dive. Just jpeg have not edited raw files yet.

scubaboard.com