TG-4 VS TG-5

[northernone]

The camera is rated to 40-50'. That's it. If you go deeper you will kill it at some point, even inside the housing if it floods.
The orings need to be kept clean, free of sand, etc. But should NOT be lubed. Yes, it can hurt. Remember, grease is not compressible, too much and you will compress the oring instead and flood the camera.

If you're talking about the suggestion to lube the pad on camera's battery compartment as per the discussion I'd question your knowledge of the topic as you are talking about orings. There are certainly no orings in the tg3 I disassembled. They are gaskets.

Another point, the manufacturer rates the housing to 50ft and documents it as such. What is the reasoning behind your arbitrary the depth range of 40-50ft? Is it a rule of thumb to suggest a 20% safety margin on Olympus products, do you apply this to all housing?

Regards,
Cameron

 

[bshort4]

The camera is rated to 40-50'. That's it. If you go deeper you will kill it at some point, even inside the housing if it floods.
The orings need to be kept clean, free of sand, etc. But should NOT be lubed. Yes, it can hurt. Remember, grease is not compressible, too much and you will compress the oring instead and flood the camera.

Thanks for that info Jack, I have cleaned off the silicone from the "O" rings such as they are.

 

[bshort4]

If you're talking about the suggestion to lube the pad on camera's battery compartment as per the discussion I'd question your knowledge of the topic as you are talking about orings. There are certainly no orings in the tg3 I disassembled. They are gaskets.

Regards,
Cameron

Well Cameron now I'm totally befuddled--to grease or not to grease? lol. And yes they are gaskets and not true "O" rings and I don't believe a bit of silicone is going to hurt them and hopefully keep them from degrading over time---and yes that's the chance we take when we dive below 50 feet with the TG-3 and we will have to live with the consequences of our actions if it craps out--we were warned!

 

[northernone]

Well Cameron now I'm totally befuddled--to grease or not to grease? lol. And yes they are gaskets and not true "O" rings and I don't believe a bit of silicone is going to hurt them and hopefully keep them from degrading over time---and yes that's the chance we take when we dive below 50 feet with the TG-3 and we will have to live with the consequences of our actions if it craps out--we were warned!

Haha sorry. Didn't mean to muddy the waters. Remember I drowned my camera. ; )


Well, I'm the guy who has had probably a dozen tough series cameras over the years and drowned 3 of them... bring them near water and eventually electronics will fail you... do like I do and exceed manufactur tolerances and they die sooner.

Applying logic to add inert lube a dry rubber seal to help extend it's life and increase the odds of a good seal longer is a crap shoot.

Don't overlube regular housing orings with a ton of lube, like the other poster mentioned for the reason mentioned. Just a light coating for high pressure compression orings.

Enjoy your camera and perhaps get some insurance on it if possible (I didn't)

Regards,
Cameron

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

To update this, Nikon just a new coolpix AW zoom camera that is rated to 100 feet without any housing.

If you can wait, this might be a very viable option.

 

[tursiops]

Don't overlube regular housing orings with a ton of lube, like the other poster mentioned for the reason mentioned. Just a light coating for high pressure compression orings.

Remember, the purpose of lubing an o-ring is to make it slippery so it will slide and seat well, not to fill in grooves and keep water out. It just needs to be shiny.

To update this, Nikon just a new coolpix AW zoom camera that is rated to 100 feet without any housing.

If you can wait, this might be a very viable option.

Other than depth, the TG-4 has been much more beloved than the Nikon series....better color, ergonomics, focusing, etc.

 

[Sunshine Diver]

Guess I will have to wait for awhile for the review and comparison after people purchase TG-5

 

[Sunshine Diver]

Just checking if anyone tested out tg-5 ?

 

[UFOrb]

Given the price of the TG-5 with housing I'd recommend taking a look a the Canon G7x Mk I, or preferably Mk II, or the Sony RX100 range.

Here in the UK, the Canon G7x Mk II can be had for around £430 (~US$548) and the Canon WP-DC55 housing for around £200 (~US$255), so presumably a similar price point elsewhere.

 

[blazey07]

Bought the complete Tg-5 underwater package and looking forward to getting it dialed in before Bonaire in July.