That 14-150 is useless in low light, but when the sun is out, its pretty fun to be able to zoom around that range. I used it in the store and it was such a joy. If its purely for fun, thats a fun lens
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It’s a very fun lens and a great do-it-all lens when you don’t necessarily have a plan or know where you’ll end up. In short, a really nice travel option.
But…
I’m noticing the lack of optical quality in certain situations. At 150mm, it’s somewhat soft, especially away from the centre of the image. And it’s quite soft at the edges throughout the zoom range. This makes shooting in the high res modes a bit useless because it can’t resolve the detail very well. And of course, it’s not particularly fast and starts to struggle in low light, especially at the long end.
So I’m currently trying to decide on my next lens purchase and it’s not obvious. I had pretty much decided to get the 12-45mm F4 PRO, because it’s such a compact lens with great quality, and one of the reasons I bought into M43 was for the compact size. But with it still being F4 (albeit throughout the zoom range), and only offering 2mm extra at the wide end, it doesn’t really wow me too much in terms of an upgrade. Similarly, if I went for the 40-150 F4 PRO, it is still only offering a slight aperture advantage over my current 14-150 F4-5.6. Essentially, I would be just getting these lenses as replacements and for better sharpness.
So the other candidates would be the F2.8 lenses, namely the 12-40 F2.8 PRO and the 40-150 F2.8 PRO. The latter really appeals to me because I love telephoto landscape shots, but it is big and heavy and probably unwieldy on my OM-5. The 12-40 F2.8 would not be as bulky, but it’s still not exactly the compact lens I was looking for when investing in M43…
Anyway, this is a bit of a ramble, but I have decisions to make because I’m still undecided how much to invest in M43, or whether to keep my current kit as a travel option and invest in another system for the larger lenses.
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Rent them!
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Nowhere to rent near me unfortunately. I can’t even pick up certain bodies to try the ergonomics because it’s basically Sony, Canon and Nikon from big box stores, and that’s it. It’s really sad how few camera stores there are these days…
I don’t have anything new to say about this that I haven’t already said other times (about how great & fun has been my m43 experience, particularly when I upgraded to a used EM-1 and continuing to use the plastic/cheap lenses). But somebody mentioned the uberplasticky 40-150 and here’s an example of a photo that I took many years ago. Once again, incredible quality in such a humble package! much better than all the other plastic lenses I’ve tried for other systems (canon, nikon, etc).
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It is not without reason the 40-150/4.0-5.6 earned its nickname “Plastic Fantastic”.
My only gripe with this lens, (given its aperture), is that it has no weather protection.
(Can we hope that it will also come in a new, weather resistant version like the 45/1.8 and 25/1.8 has recently done?)
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I would not get my hopes up, as there is already the 40–150mm f/4 pro, fully weather sealed to their usual standards, which is available around 740€ (list price, sometimes it gets a rebate/sale).
The 40–150mm f/4–5.6 is below 200€ new, getting that weather sealed for that price would be like a steal.
Yes, you’re probably right.
(- and I wouldn’t anyhow expect to get a weather improved version for the same low price as the current version.)
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the TG series is significantly worse than any current smartphone and I’m not particularly certain what purpose its meant to serve as of now
I disagree. Very few smartphones are as rugged, have a 4x optical zoom (25–100mm equiv), or super-close macro.
Photography? 
Sure, it is a niche camera. But the niche exists nevertheless, and there are very few competitors. “Action cams” like the Ace Pro are similarly rugged, but usually much wider angle and have no zoom, and engineered for video.
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Adding to what @Tamas_Papp said, I also think that it being a proper camera is a big draw. Its image quality may be no better than a smartphone, but it handles like a proper point and shoot camera. I really don’t like shooting with my phone because I like buttons and dedicated camera controls. The ergonomics of a camera is a big deal for me.
Other than that, the main purpose of the TG line is for outdoor adventures in any conditions. You can jump on it, swim with it, dive with it, drop it… Not everyone needs that, but if you do, you can’t trust your smartphone to do the job.
But if they could put a 1" sensor in there, it would be even better, yes.
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I disagree. Very few smartphones are as rugged, have a 4x optical zoom (25–100mm equiv), or super-close macro.
I think all smartphones these days have an IP68 rating, meanwhile some cheap Chinese ones have gone up to IP69K, and the 8 part means full protection against submersion for nearly an hour for some two metres or so, any deeper and you wouldn’t really be trying to bother with a TG, would you? you’d be using a real camera with an underwater kit for such specialized shooting, no point in specialty photography with poor image quality that can’t even be printed well
as far as optical zoom… Sony’s Xperia line covers 16 to 170mm and everything in between optically, 4x is not particularly impressive, and Zeiss sells a 200mm lens for the Vivo X200 Pro smartphone
the “action cam” market is growing increasingly noncompetitive with how little effort is going into actually improving image quality
Adding to what @Tamas_Papp said, I also think that it being a proper camera is a big draw. Its image quality may be no better than a smartphone, but it handles like a proper point and shoot camera. I really don’t like shooting with my phone because I like buttons and dedicated camera controls. The ergonomics of a camera is a big deal for me.
the aforementioned Sony Xperia lineup comes with its own dedicated shutter button, as for the ergonomic factor, Leica sells a phone grip! https://www.dpreview.com/news/8373208237/leica-lux-grip-for-iphone-announcement
did I also mention that Leica makes their own phones? I own a last-generation one. (Leitz Phone 3 | Leica Camera AG) and these phones come with 1" sensors that would outperform all TG cameras
The TG-7 has an IPX8 rating, which is considerably better… if you need it. Also, it can handle drops from about 2 metres, and in the case of my Pixel, it is not drop-proof. It can handle some small drops, but nothing is covered under warranty. Google also points out that the IP rating is just for when it’s brand new, and that it isn’t guaranteed to keep this IP rating. I don’t know if tests have been done, but I would bet that the TG line retains its IP rating for longer because of the focus put on its durability.
I’m not sure where you’re located but in North America it is very difficult to find many of the top Chinese-made phones and even Sony phones. They just don’t sell them here. So we have a limited choice, heavily skewed towards Apple, Google and Samsung.
Also worth noting is the price difference. The TG-7 is close to half the price of flagship phones, and once you add the phone grips, lenses and whatever else you need to improve the ergonomics, it starts to look even better value.
I do agree that there are lots of interesting developments in the mobile world, and the TG line does not make sense for everyone. But I don’t think phones are the obvious better choice for all situations. Ultimately, I hope cameras like the TG continue to get made and continue to thrive. I like dedicated cameras, and I don’t want phones replacing them. They are different products and excel in different areas.
how is IPX8 considerably better? X means untested, not X as in 10, this means the TG-8 is not sealed against dust or sand unlike most smartphones
Phone cases & screen protectors can make any phone drop-proof…
Google also points out that the IP rating is just for when it’s brand new, and that it isn’t guaranteed to keep this IP rating.
This applies to cameras too, Canon says the same about the 1D series, seals will always deteriorate with usage, and this applies to the TG
I’m not sure where you’re located but in North America it is very difficult to find many of the top Chinese-made phones and even Sony phones. They just don’t sell them here. So we have a limited choice, heavily skewed towards Apple, Google and Samsung.
Fair enough
My mistake, it’s not better on paper. It would suggest that a phone can match the TG-7 in terms of waterproofness. However, the marketing materials don’t seem to support this. The TG-7 is supposed to be able to handle immersion of up to 15 metres for 1 hour, and my IP68 phone is something like 1.5 metres for 30 minutes.
Is this because IPX8 is the maximum rating for water resistance?
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Is this because IPX8 is the maximum rating for water resistance?
No, actually, IPX9K is the highest rating for water resistance, which guarantees resistance against high-powered beams/jets of water like those from pressure washers… it’s actually kind’ve weird a rugged camera could not meet 9K certification yet some $300 Huawei phones can, maybe its not as rugged as OM would like us to believe?
Maybe, but its marketing claims certainly seem to indicate that they think it can outperform phones in immersion. I don’t know that much about IP ratings, but maybe they didn’t pursue an IPX9 rating because immersion for a longer duration is more important than ability to withstand high-pressure jets? From what I understand IPX9 covers a different type of water resistance and does not necessarily mean it can withstand the same immersion duration.
I’m certainly not trying to defend OM System here. I do not own a TG camera and can’t speak to its durability. But user opinions do seem to support the fact that it is a tough camera, and likely tougher than most phones.
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It is curious how much phones try to be cameras these days. It is very clear that people want cameras, so of course the supply pops up to trick them into believing that their phone can act like a camera. I still do not see them providing the same kind of experience, for following reasons.
First, phones are too freakin’ large. Yes, they can be slim, but they are too long. A phone with a 6.5" display is usually over 160mm. Compare the 140mm wide OM-3, a fairly chunky boy, the 110mm wide Ricoh GRiv, 114mm TG-7… you get the picture. Yes, cameras are thick, but I consider that a feature.
Second, cameras have a lot of tactile controls. Even the most basic usually have a mode dial, one generic dial, a couple of buttons you can customize. Tactile controls are especially important for streamlined shooting. The first thing I learn when I get a new camera is how to control everything I want to without looking.
Third, phones are nasty little distraction machines. I disable notifications from nearly every app, and still get quite a few every hour. Apps have perfected attention seeking and I am not superhuman to resist them. In contrast, my camera lets me focus on taking pictures.
Four, I can replace batteries in my camera. This is very important for me when I go on multi-day hikes or events where I shoot a lot. Also, when batteries age, I just get new ones and pop them in. Same applies to SD cards.
Incidentally, I think that spending 300€ on the Leica Lux Grip is patently crazy. That amount of money gets you a used camera, maybe with paired a decent beginner lens. Like a Sony NEX-5 or 6, or an older micro 4/3, or a DSLR, like the Canon EOS 5D.
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Honestly, the truth is that the RAWs you can get out of a phone blow out any camera under M4/3 out of the water… so it no longer makes much sense to bother with point-and-shoots… I think phones being too long doesn’t make much of an issue personally - you also have to account for things like autofocus or adaptability, phones have terrifyingly fast autofocus, I’ve shot sports with the Xperia line which boasts a 500-zone CDAF+PDAF system that I’d consider to be equal to an a6700 in most situations
Frankly this is entirely dependent on how you use your phone, I don’t have any social media apps on mine since I don’t particularly care about social media, on my phone is usually a book&manga reader, a local video player/streamer for movies on-the-go, and a dozen or so camera apps alongside the respective editing applications (I’ve seen people with a Samsung Note series phone go as far as to open Darktable through a Debian userland on their phone :D)
I agree, the price is a bit much, but as a photographer who began on mobile photography, I tend to treat my phone as a backup camera for when I’m outside without having my camera by my side, these kinds of accessories can be helpful in a pinch