Clicky

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus TG-4

Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
14
Overall
26
Canon PowerShot A3100 IS front
 
Olympus Tough TG-4 front
Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
51
Overall
44

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Key Specs

Canon A3100 IS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 35-140mm (F2.7-5.6) lens
  • 165g - 97 x 58 x 28mm
  • Introduced January 2010
Olympus TG-4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
  • Introduced April 2015
  • Old Model is Olympus TG-3
  • New Model is Olympus TG-5
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Overview

On this page, we will be comparing the Canon A3100 IS and Olympus TG-4, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Waterproof by competitors Canon and Olympus. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the A3100 IS (12MP) and TG-4 (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The A3100 IS was brought out 6 years before the TG-4 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before diving right into a detailed comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the A3100 IS matches up vs the TG-4 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

        

Reasons to pick Canon A3100 IS over the Olympus TG-4

 A3100 IS TG-4 

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-4 over the Canon A3100 IS

 TG-4 A3100 IS 
IntroducedApril 2015January 2010More modern by 64 months
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Canon A3100 IS and Olympus TG-4

 A3100 IS TG-4 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and proportions. The Canon A3100 IS offers outer dimensions of 97mm x 58mm x 28mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs) while the Olympus TG-4 has measurements of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") having a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Canon A3100 IS and Olympus TG-4 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the A3100 IS compared to the TG-4.

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus TG-4 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the A3100 IS and TG-4 is 94 and 90 respectively.

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus TG-4 top view buttons comparison

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by researching specifications. The image here may offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the A3100 IS and TG-4.

Plainly, the two cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Olympus TG-4 to provide you with more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged A3100 IS will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus TG-4 sensor size comparison

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Mastering Nature Photography with a Digital Microscope Camera

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A3100 IS Portrait photography advice
Olympus TG-4 Portrait photography advice
20
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
46
you can focus manually
decent MP (16MP)
features face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Street Comparison

Canon A3100 IS Street photography features
Olympus TG-4 Street photography features
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
heavier than average in class (247g)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Canon A3100 IS as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Sports photography camera
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
47
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
weather sealing
better than average battery power (380 CIPA)
continuous shooting slow (5.0 fps)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon A3100 IS
Travel photography with Olympus TG-4
51
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse function
low MP (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
74
better than average battery power (380 CIPA)
weather sealing
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
heavier than average in class (247g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Canon A3100 IS as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Landscape photography camera
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
low MP (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
does not have Time Lapse function
62
you can focus manually
really wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
better than average battery power (380 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not available
small sensor size (1/2.3")
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Canon A3100 IS as a Vlogging camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Vlogging camera
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have external mic support
34
really wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of external mic jack
heavier than average in class (247 grams)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A3100 IS and Olympus TG-4
 Canon PowerShot A3100 ISOlympus Tough TG-4
General Information
Brand Name Canon Olympus
Model Canon PowerShot A3100 IS Olympus Tough TG-4
Type Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Introduced 2010-01-05 2015-04-13
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - TruePic VII
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 35-140mm (4.0x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture f/2.7-5.6 f/2.0-4.9
Macro focus distance 3cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.00 m 7.90 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 165 gr (0.36 lb) 247 gr (0.54 lb)
Physical dimensions 97 x 58 x 28mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 1.1") 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 380 photos
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery model NB-8L LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2, 10, Custom, Face) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HD MMCplus SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $159 $379