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Tough Tips – Screen Protection

Tips for the Olympus Tough TG-5 rugged camera.

Back to Camera menu.

Tough Tips pages: Filters | Hidden Features | Screen Protection | Menu Settings

Written 1 July 2018 by Ian Mander.

The menu structure of the TG-5 is a bit strange. The menu structure on my Panasonic GM1 (a non-tough camera) mostly seems quite intuitive. The TG-5's menu structure is going to take a bit of guesswork, random navigation, and a lot of getting used to. This is a pity, because it's a disincentive for people to get the most out of their camera.

  • Set the time:

    • Setup Menu (the spanner) –> [Clock symbol] Settings –> [Clock symbol].
    • Will turning on GPS keep the clock on time? I don't know because I couldn't get a fix inside, even by large windows or under a plastic roof. And it's cold and wet outside. Update Oct 2019: Yes, and it even sets Daylight Saving Time.

  • Set the time zone in the same parent folder:

    • Setup Menu (the spanner) –> [Clock symbol] Settings –> Time Zone.
    • My camera's clock runs a little fast so I set it a few seconds behind the actual time.

  • Screen brightness. The default setting for the screen brightness is right in the middle of what it's capable of. To help see it more easily in daylight:

    • Setup Menu (the spanner) –> option 4 (icon that looks like a dinner plate with a knife and fork next to it). Set to desired level, hit OK.

  • File numbering. I like to know the total photo count of my cameras, but by default the file numbering of the TG-5 restarts each time you put in a new card or reformat a card, which is a complete pain. It can be changed in the camera menu system:

    • Custom Menu (the cog wheel) –> menu F –> File Name. Change "Reset" to "Auto".

  • Level of noise reduction. I really don't like the watercolour look that small sensor photographs often have due to significant noise reduction image processing. I prefer to have more detail with a little more noise. There's a setting for that:

    • Custom Menu (the cog wheel) –> menu C –> Noise Filter –> Low.
    • The next setting, Noise Reduction, is whether the camera will take a black photo after a photo to be able to cancel the brightness of "on" pixels that shouldn't be on.

  • Adjust horizontal guide. My M4/3 camera has a tilted horizontal, which is rather annoying, especially since there isn't any way to correct it. The TG-5 has an accurate level but there is a setting to adjust it.

    • Custom Menu (the cog wheel) –> menu H –> Level Adjust. It has two settings – reset to default, and reset present level to 0.


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