Seriously Close-up with Olympus

I mentioned the strange little symbol on the control dial of the new Olympus TG 5 yesterday. The one under the blue arrow: At first I though it was something in Klingon, but after I rotated it to the index mark to start the function I discovered that it is the macro function command...and that symbol is really a small microscope. How appropriate - Olympus are very big names in very small subjects as their medical imaging division has a massive hold upon that market. If you have been analysed and pathologied ( ? ) in the past decades it is likely that someone looked at your bugs with an Olympus microscope. There really is no better firm for this sort of thing. Well, as odd as it might seem to put microscopic or macroscopic capability into a camera that is hanging around your neck as you rappel down a rock face, Olympus has done it and practical experiement proves that it works. The fact that a small camera has, of necessity, a small sensor and a small lens means that there is the possibility of a useful depth of field with the kind of extension possible in this underwater casing. So it proved. Take a $ 2 coin out and look at it yourself to see how big the field of action is. Note: the Olympus files that come straight out of the camera contain the subscription you see. You can wipe it off but I have left it on as a trademark for them. We really are talking small and close-up here - the black beetle was barely 3mm long and even the caterpillar was only 5mm. The camera was zoomed out to the longest focal length that it reaches and the framing done with the LCD screen. This beats most other cameras I use all hollow as far as ability to reach into the micro world. The fact that the camera is as tough as an artillery shell and small enough to go into the top pocket of a shirt means that anyone who is an dedicated macro shooter in the field could well take this literally everywhere for the spur-of-the-moment shot. Okay, you might be the sort of dedicated worker who trundles through the forest with a backpack full of lenses, strobes, tripods, and focusing stages, and more power to you...but for the quick close capture, this Olympus is hard to beat. However, as they say on the advertisments for kitchen appliances, there is more...and we'll see you tomorrow to show you.