Name: TG-3
Brand: Olympus

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Sample images

Switch to the camera's Scene modes and you'll find an HDR setting for capturing maximum highlight and shadow detail in high-contrast conditions. The scene above is shot with the feature disabled. Click here to see the full resolution image.

…And here it is in HDR. Notice the restrained highlights and lifted shadow areas. Click here to see the full resolution image.

The TG-3's weakest creative effect is undoubtedly its Panorama mode. This image is comprised of three automatically-snapped shots, and that's not hard to see thanks to the obvious stitching artefacts around the joins. The final result is downsized to 1280 vertical pixels, but that's a common complaint. What is unusual is the painful 30-second processing time required to create the finished article. Click here to see the full resolution image.

The Microscope setting on the mode dial instantly allows you to shoot as close as 1cm from your subject, revealing a side of common objects that's barely visible to the naked eye. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Even in regular Auto mode, the TG-3 will focus close and produce vibrant shots with decent detail. Click here to view the full resolution image.

Pink hues can often confuse a camera's metering and auto white balance, but the TG-3 has done a good job of accurately capturing these roses. Click here to see the full resolution image.

Here the camera's exposure metering has done well to retain good shadow detail without blowing out highlights and the final image is both vibrant and detailed. Click here to view the full resolution image.

Thanks to the TG-3's aperture priority mode you can set a wide aperture to help blur a background and distinguish your subject. Click here to view the full resolution image.

Keep your subject close to the lens and the new 16 megapixel sensor is capable of resolving plenty of detail. Click here to view the full resolution image.

Accurate exposure metering and punchy colours help to show off the detail in this image. Click here to view the full resolution image.

Another example of how much detail the TG-3's sensor can resolve at close range. Click here to view the full resolution image.

The camera's exposure metering invariably produces well balanced exposures. Here both the highlight and shadow areas are clearly visible, although scrutinise closely and some colour speckling is visible in the shadows of this ISO200 shot. Click here to view the full resolution image.

The TG-3's exposure metering isn't fazed even when shooting into direct sunlight like this. Click here to view the full resolution image.

There's good shadow and highlight detail in this contrasty scene, but even at ISO100 the stonework exhibits minor colour speckling noise. Click here to view the full resolution image.

Grain and colour speckling are visible under close scrutiny in low ISO images, but crank things up to ISO1600 like this shot and both can be seen when viewing at 50% image size. It's not severe enough to render such photos unusable, but it's a lacklustre performance by compact camera standards. Click here to view the full resolution image.

In the battle against image noise, detail in the middle and far distance of this shot has been smeared and consequently looks quite painterly. This is a common issue amongst small-sensor cameras though. Fortunately the accurate exposure metering, colour reproduction and lack of chromatic aberration help compensate for the loss of detail. Click here to view the full resolution image.

Again fine detail in the distant elements of this shot has been lost to image smoothing, but zoom out and the photo still looks pleasing with only minor highlight blowout. Click here to view the full resolution image.

This is shot with the lens set to maximum wide angle, equivalent to 25mm (in 35mm-camera terms). Click here to view the full resolution image.

And zoomed in 4x to a 100mm-equivalent focal length. The camera has upped the sensor sensitivity to ISO1250 to help combat camera shake, but detail has suffered as a result. Click here to view the full resolution image.

Once again the TG-3 shows what it can do in good light and at close range, producing a vibrant, detailed and well-exposed image. Click here to view the full resolution image.