As a professional photographer, you can usually find me with one mirrorless camera on each hip and a toolbelt of extra lenses, flashes, and accessories around my waist. I still love taking pictures when I’m not working, but when I go on vacation, hauling around a kit full of gear feels, well, like work. That’s why on my last family vacation, I ended up taking more pictures on a compact camera: The OM System Tough TG-7.
The TG-7 isn’t better than my mirrorless, but this waterproof camera goes where my mirrorless camera can’t. The camera is waterproof, dropproof, freezeproof, and well, pretty much vacation-proof. I took the TG-7 out for saltwater fishing, kayaking to see the dolphins, sandy beaches, and underwater in the Airbnb pool. All places that would have me more stressed than relaxed, attempting to take my pricey Fujifilm mirrorless there.
The TG-7 has a fairly typical 12MP 1/2.3-inch sensor that’s not really anything special, but what drew me to the TG-7 over other waterproof compacts is the lens. The lens is a bright f/2 at the widest angle, which is fantastic for going underwater away from the sun and still getting usable shots.
The other unique feature of the TG-7’s lens is how close it can get. I’ve photographed everything from snowflakes to bugs using the microscopic macro mode, and it’s both incredibly fun and impressive.
While the TG-7 is my favorite compact for travel, there’s another type of photographer that I also recommend as a great camera for kids and teens. A kid's camera needs to survive dunks in the toilet and being grabbed with sticky after-dinner fingers. The TG-7 will do all that, plus as a camera made for adults, it’s one they won’t grow out of as a tween or teen.
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