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The Best Waterproof Tough Camera

Our pick for best waterproof tough camera, the OM System Tough TG-7, in front of a blue background.
Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter

Top pick

This camera can tolerate freezing temperatures, 7-foot falls, and 50-foot dunks. It produced the best image quality in our tests, it captures 4K video, and it’s simple to use.

With the best ratings we’ve seen for diving depth and drop resistance, plus image quality slightly better than that of the competition, the OM System Tough TG-7 is an excellent choice marred only by flaws common to all tough cameras. Its lens lets in more light than the one in our budget pick, the Pentax WG-90, which helps it achieve slightly better image quality overall. And its 4x zoom covers a full-frame-equivalent focal-length range of 25–100mm, which is enough to handle the majority of common shooting situations.

Images we shot using the TG-7’s full auto mode looked great, compared with that of the competition. Tough cameras don’t capture images that look as nice as what you get from a mirrorless camera—or even your smartphone—but if you need a camera that can deal with rough treatment, they’re the best you can get. Colors in images we captured with the TG-7 generally looked accurate and well saturated, and they contained a good amount of detail.

The OM System Tough TG-7 chose an exposure that was a tad brighter than the Pentax WG-90 and gave a little more pop to the colors, while its wider maximum aperture provided more separation of the license plates from the background. Phil Ryan/NYT Wirecutter

Its auto exposure makes good decisions. When we took photos with both very bright and very dark areas, the camera chose an exposure that maintained more detail in the extremes than our budget pick did. Its ability to capture the extremes is also partially thanks to its sensor having fewer pixels (12 megapixels) than the WG-90’s (16 megapixels).

It has features and accessories that appeal to avid photographers. If you like to do macro photography, the TG-7’s automatic focus stacking can help. Plus, its raw-image capture gives you more leeway to adjust images in editing software. The camera can also accept accessories such as fish-eye and telephoto lens adapters, a waterproof housing to extend its dive limit from 50 feet to nearly 150 feet, and even a light guide to change the flash into a ring light.

Underwater shots look great. Shooting underwater in a swimming pool with the TG-7 was easy, and we never felt as if the camera would slip out of our hands. Our images from the pool had a slight blue cast, but we were impressed with this camera’s ability to present pleasing colors that handily outdid what we saw from the WG-90.

The TG-7 did a good job of capturing the silver and red of the Diet Coke can, as well as the look of the glass ladybug, and it shows a little less noise than the WG-90. Nicki Koetting/NYT Wirecutter

The TG-7 is comfortable to use and carry. Its grip protrudes slightly from the front of the camera, and the back includes a small rest for your thumb. You control the zoom with a forefinger-operated lever that surrounds the shutter-release button. Hikers and rock climbers are likely to appreciate that the TG-7 weighs a mere 8.8 ounces.

The TG-7 has a small slider that lets you lock the battery securely into place. Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter

You can operate the camera remotely or send images to your smartphone through the OM Image Share app (Android, iOS). Don’t get too excited if you want to use that feature while submerged—Wi-Fi doesn’t travel well through water. You’ll have to wait until you’re back on dry land to transfer images to your phone.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Like all tough cameras, the TG-7 uses a relatively small 1/2.3-inch sensor, and with all other factors being equal, smaller sensors can lead to noisier pictures, especially in dim light. This sensor is a little smaller than what you can find in a premium smartphone (such as a current iPhone or Pixel) and much smaller than the 1-inch sensor in non-tough point-and-shoot cameras in the same price range.