Torn between TG6 & E-PL10

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tedblack

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16
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Location
Connecticut
# of dives
0 - 24
I don’t do much macro shooting and I prefer to use a wide angle lens. But the price point and convenience of the TG6 is really appealing. I feel like buying the EPL10 would lead to me skimping on strobes and accessories.

My other concern, would this be too much camera for someone relatively new to the hobby? The point and shoot aspect of the TG6 is also really appealing but the concept of learning my equipment and growing as a photographer is nice too.

Has anyone else gone through this predicament already?
 
I apologize because you did not ask but I would get confortable diving first (trim, buoyancy, etc) so that you are able to position yourself to photograph (and not damage your surroundings).
 
I apologize because you did not ask but I would get confortable diving first (trim, buoyancy, etc) so that you are able to position yourself to photograph (and not damage your surroundings).

Good advice and something that I’m working on as well. I like taking photos of my dive buddies, sea turtles, etc. I feel like I can safely manage that type of photography without worrying about damaging anything around me or creating any other issues.

Now hovering inches above coral while taking macro shots of nudibranchs...definitely not comfortable attempting anything like that.
 
I don’t do much macro shooting and I prefer to use a wide angle lens. But the price point and convenience of the TG6 is really appealing. I feel like buying the EPL10 would lead to me skimping on strobes and accessories.

I started out with a tg4, great cameras and quickly grew my interest in UW photography. Very quickly I figured out that I didn't care to shoot macro and much preferred big subjects and wide angle. Because of that I quickly outgrew the tg4 because of it's limitations. The tiny sensor doesn't work great for WAL at significant depth, particularly due to lack of full manual control.

That doesn't mean you can't use a tg6 for WA shooting or that you can't get good shots with it, but it will have limitations and you may start to notice them more and more.

As far as I can tell the price difference between a tg6 with housing and the epl10 and housing is only $200-$300, so not very big to necessarily skimp on strobes and the WAL.

My other concern, would this be too much camera for someone relatively new to the hobby? The point and shoot aspect of the TG6 is also really appealing but the concept of learning my equipment and growing as a photographer is nice too.

Maybe... maybe not. Some people might be task loaded just monitoring their air... It really depends on how familiar with photography you are in general and how comfortable you are diving. The types of diving matter too and of course there's no reason you couldn't start slow with the epl10, start with a single strobe and just shoot portraits and slowly add to your setup and shooting.

I still have my tg4 as a backup/snorkel camera so I don't necessarily regret starting with a simple camera, but I knew nothing of photography in general when I got it.
 
check out my post here, plus the entire thread

Hopefully Future Diver wondering about Photography

I purchased a Tg6+Sea&Sea Y03 strobe in an emergency a year ago (My sony housing developed a leak, and I could not get a replacement part sent to Cayman with the borders closed, and Tg6 was about the only reasonably priced short-term solution available locally.)

I've used in on 75 dives so far (so about 2000 shots) and I really dislike it, mostly because it does not allow for manual settings. It does have aperture preferred mode (you set the aperture and ISO range and the camera selects the shutter speed for proper exposure). But the geniuses at Olympus set it up so that as you zoom in, the aperture closes, which makes absolutely no sense. And there are only two wide angle aperture settings (2.0 and 2.8, both of which get smaller as you zoom). I do like the TTL strobe - just position the strobe, focus, shoot, and forget about it. I will also say it is very good for macro, but if you are planning to do more wide angle as I do, I would pass on the Tg.
 
I don’t do much macro shooting and I prefer to use a wide angle lens. But the price point and convenience of the TG6 is really appealing. I feel like buying the EPL10 would lead to me skimping on strobes and accessories.

My other concern, would this be too much camera for someone relatively new to the hobby? The point and shoot aspect of the TG6 is also really appealing but the concept of learning my equipment and growing as a photographer is nice too.

Has anyone else gone through this predicament already?

Ted,

Read up on sensor sizes. I seriously debated between those two cameras myself. The TG6 has a GoPro sized sensor while the EPL10 has a much larger 4/3 sensor. The sensor size and low light capability was important to me as the water I dive in often has a sediment in it making it hard to use strobes or video lights.

I was leaning heavily towards the EPL10 before I found a good deal on a used full frame camera. Probably overkill for my needs but I hope to grow into it.

Sam
 
I have owned both.
The tg6 is great with macro and an excellent camera at its price point
The epl10 is a step up and lets you expand for a reasonable price
 
Rather than a new epl10, you might look at a better but used 4/3 camera, from the first generation, like the OMD-M1 or M5 or M10. With housings, these just-a-few-years-old cameras are still great, WAY beyond the TG-X and also the epl10, and there are more and more showing up used on SB and WetPixel for good prices.
 
I started out with a tg4, great cameras and quickly grew my interest in UW photography. Very quickly I figured out that I didn't care to shoot macro and much preferred big subjects and wide angle. Because of that I quickly outgrew the tg4 because of it's limitations. The tiny sensor doesn't work great for WAL at significant depth, particularly due to lack of full manual control.

That doesn't mean you can't use a tg6 for WA shooting or that you can't get good shots with it, but it will have limitations and you may start to notice them more and more.

As far as I can tell the price difference between a tg6 with housing and the epl10 and housing is only $200-$300, so not very big to necessarily skimp on strobes and the WAL.



Maybe... maybe not. Some people might be task loaded just monitoring their air... It really depends on how familiar with photography you are in general and how comfortable you are diving. The types of diving matter too and of course there's no reason you couldn't start slow with the epl10, start with a single strobe and just shoot portraits and slowly add to your setup and shooting.

I still have my tg4 as a backup/snorkel camera so I don't necessarily regret starting with a simple camera, but I knew nothing of photography in general when I got it.


This makes sense. And you’re right, the price differ isn’t really that much. My next dive is a few months away so I can definitely manage to get what I need before then.

the bigger sensor ok the EPL10 does seem to fit my needs better than the TG6 at this point.
Thank you for such a detailed response.
 
check out my post here, plus the entire thread

Hopefully Future Diver wondering about Photography

I purchased a Tg6+Sea&Sea Y03 strobe in an emergency a year ago (My sony housing developed a leak, and I could not get a replacement part sent to Cayman with the borders closed, and Tg6 was about the only reasonably priced short-term solution available locally.)

I've used in on 75 dives so far (so about 2000 shots) and I really dislike it, mostly because it does not allow for manual settings. It does have aperture preferred mode (you set the aperture and ISO range and the camera selects the shutter speed for proper exposure). But the geniuses at Olympus set it up so that as you zoom in, the aperture closes, which makes absolutely no sense. And there are only two wide angle aperture settings (2.0 and 2.8, both of which get smaller as you zoom). I do like the TTL strobe - just position the strobe, focus, shoot, and forget about it. I will also say it is very good for macro, but if you are planning to do more wide angle as I do, I would pass on the Tg.


Thank you for sharing your experience with the TG6. I think I’m going to get the EPL10 next week and start building around that for my next setup.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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