It wasn’t too long ago that if you wanted to take your precious camera underwater with you, you needed to jam it into a cumbersome metal enclosure so as to keep the water out. This often meant a significant additional expense in purchasing the housing, one more bulky item to pack for your snorkeling trip, not to mention the fact that the housing would increase the size and weight of your camera by two or three times. What was once a small point-and-shoot camera that could easily be operated with one hand has now become a hefty burden that requires two hands to wield.
Thankfully, for those of us who want a reliable camera that fits in the palm of our hand and also functions beneath the waves, there is the Olympus TG series. These cameras have been out for quite a while now, with the most recent model being the TG-7, and have really set the standard for what amphibious compact cameras should offer the shooter. Olympus has done such a superb job of building a camera that’s ready to be submerged right out of the box; other camera manufacturers like Sony, Canon, or Nikon have basically backed away from this corner of the market. As a result, the TG series has become the obvious camera choice for snorkelers around the world.
While the TG cameras are ready to start shooting underwater straight away, I’d like to ever so delicately present the idea of purchasing a housing for your TG camera, using only the most rock-solid points. I get that this might sound a little contradictory as I’ve just set TG cameras on a pretty high pedestal for their underwater readiness sans accessories. In my opinion, the TG camera’s pedestal position is very well deserved, and I don’t offer these points on behalf of any faults with TG cameras, as their build quality is superb. I only offer this advice–based on years of snorkeling with guests and their TG cameras–because user error has always been the cause of an unhoused camera flooding. Annoyingly, people–by nature– make mistakes. I know you may think you won’t make a mistake after purchasing your brand new TG-7 camera, but the statistical odds are stacked against you, I’m afraid, especially when a manta or whale shark suddenly swims past the boat, and you scrabble to get yourself and your camera ready to jump in the water. A housing will almost guarantee your camera’s safety while also giving you some additional ergonomic benefits. I know there are quite a few of you who are unconvinced at the moment, but please, just hear me out.
Housing – No Stress of Flooding
The most common reason why TG cameras flood is because one of the hatch doors covering the battery and SD card, or the charging ports is left unlocked. On each of these doors, there is a tiny little siding lock which is very often overlooked, especially in a moment of excitement or distraction. If this little lock is left undone, you can be certain that the camera will flood and damage it permanently. With a camera housing, even if you forget to lock or even latch the compartment door, your camera will remain safe from flooding. Even in the very unlikely event that you forget to lock the camera doors, and your camera housing were to also flood as a result of a dirty o-ring, there is still a very good chance your camera won’t be damaged. When a camera housing floods, they do so slowly, and you’re likely to notice any water entering thanks to the clear backside of the housing. Once you notice water entering the housing, remove the camera before it fills and causes permanent damage. An unlocked hatch door and a little water bouncing around a housing isn’t a problem, but an unlocked hatch door and an ocean of water is a big problem.
Won’t a Housing be Big and Heavy?
Yes, even a smaller housing like the one for the TG series will be quite a bit bigger than the camera itself. The lucky thing is, the Olympus TG cameras are quite small, not much bigger than a smartphone, so a housing–while bigger–is still easily managed in one hand. A TG camera housing is also still small enough to easily pack in your hand carry luggage.
When you first put the camera inside the housing and pick it up, you’re likely to find it quite heavy. If you have any sort of grip strength issues, you might think that this will be too much to handle on a snorkel. My counter to this thought is as follows: the Olympus TG camera housing is positively buoyant in the water, even with the camera inside. Not only will the camera and housing feel as if they weigh nothing in the water, but if you happen to drop the camera and housing, it will float. A TG camera without a housing is negatively buoyant, so if you drop it, it will sink very quickly!
Housings are More Ergonomic
To add to the fact that a TG camera and housing are easily wielded with a single hand by all, they’re also more ergonomic, especially where the buttons and dials are concerned. The compactness of a TG camera means the button layout is also compact. On land, the button layout is not much of an issue, but underwater, you’re likely to find that it’s a bit of a tedious task to differentiate between different buttons, especially with any sort of snorkeling gloves on. The housing, on the other hand, has a much broader button layout, with buttons and dials clearly identifiable by touch. There’s no confusion between one button and the next.
Housings are Cheaper Than a Backup Camera
In the past, I’ve had people argue against getting a camera housing because they thought the housings would be too big and heavy for them to manage in the water, which we’ve now learned is not the case. It’s the opposite, in fact. Instead, their contingency plan for a flooded camera was to purchase a second camera. While this is one way to keep shooting underwater in the event of a flooding, it’s the more expensive option. An Olympus TG7 camera costs $550 USD, while an Olympus TG7 housing costs $350.
Which Housing to Buy?
There are a number of different housings you can buy, some better than others, based on the material and craftsmanship. Our go-to housing is Olympus’ model. It’s made from polycarbonate, so it’s lightweight yet very sturdy and easy to hold in one hand in the water. I’ve seen a lot of these housings over the years, and they always seem to function as they need to, so long as the user keeps the o-ring clear.
The other housings available for the Olympus TG series cameras are also fantastic, but because most are made from aluminum, the cost increases quite a bit, as does the weight. The one housing I’d strongly recommend against is the Sea Frogs. Although made from polycarbonate the construction quality of this brand has historically been very poor.
Final Thoughts
I bring this up because my heart breaks a little each time a guest comes up to me with a camera full of water and we still have another week’s worth of snorkeling to do. No joke, it happens on nearly every trip. Yes, the TG cameras are waterproof, but only to a certain extent, which does not account for the human condition–mistakes. Inside the housing you get the added assurance that your cameras will not flood, even if you forget to latch the different compartments. With a housing, your camera will float rather than sink, and you can more easily operate it with one hand thanks to the larger buttons it offers. Yes, a camera housing is an additional expense, but you can’t put a price on those magical moments you captured, and it’s still cheaper than buying a second camera if your first camera drowns. The way I see it, TG camera users stand to gain so much more from putting their cameras inside a housing; there’s no reason not to!
