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Canon A3500 IS vs Olympus TG-4

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37
Canon PowerShot A3500 IS front
 
Olympus Tough TG-4 front
Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
51
Overall
44

Canon A3500 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Key Specs

Canon A3500 IS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 135g - 98 x 56 x 20mm
  • Released January 2013
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
  • Launched April 2015
  • Succeeded the Olympus TG-3
  • New Model is Olympus TG-5
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Canon A3500 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Overview

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Canon A3500 IS versus Olympus TG-4, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Waterproof by brands Canon and Olympus. The image resolution of the A3500 IS (16MP) and the TG-4 (16MP) is pretty close and both cameras have the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The A3500 IS was announced 3 years prior to the TG-4 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a brief summation of how the A3500 IS scores against the TG-4 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon A3500 IS over the Olympus TG-4

 A3500 IS TG-4 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-4 over the Canon A3500 IS

 TG-4 A3500 IS 
LaunchedApril 2015January 2013More modern by 27 months
Focus manually Very precise focus
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Canon A3500 IS and Olympus TG-4

 A3500 IS TG-4 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Canon A3500 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to consider its weight and measurements. The Canon A3500 IS provides external measurements of 98mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 135 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-4 has proportions of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") with a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Canon A3500 IS versus Olympus TG-4 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the A3500 IS and the TG-4.

Canon A3500 IS vs Olympus TG-4 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the A3500 IS and TG-4 is 96 and 90 respectively.

Canon A3500 IS vs Olympus TG-4 top view buttons comparison

Canon A3500 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes only by researching a spec sheet. The pic below should give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the A3500 IS and TG-4.

As you can see, both of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions and the same exact megapixels and you can expect comparable quality of pictures but you need to factor the age of the cameras into account. The more aged A3500 IS will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon A3500 IS vs Olympus TG-4 sensor size comparison

Canon A3500 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A3500 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A3500 IS as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Portrait photography camera
34
MP count decent (16MP)
offers face detect focus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
46
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
comes with face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Canon A3500 IS Street photography features
Olympus TG-4 Street photography features
67
image stabilization (Optical)
has focus via touch
lighter than average (135g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
65
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
more heavy than others in class (247 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Canon A3500 IS as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Sports photography camera
38
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery (200 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
47
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
great battery pack (380 shots)
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon A3500 IS
Travel photography with Olympus TG-4
68
lighter than average (135 grams)
has focus via touch
MP count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
not so great battery (200 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
74
great battery pack (380 per charge)
environment sealing
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than others in class (247 grams)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon A3500 IS
Landscape photography with Olympus TG-4
41
pretty wide (28mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
not so great battery (200 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
62
focusing manually
pretty wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
great battery pack (380 per charge)
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
lack of manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon A3500 IS
Vlogging with Olympus TG-4
34
pretty wide (28mm)
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focus
lighter than average (135 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone socket
34
pretty wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone support
more heavy than others in class (247 grams)
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Canon A3500 IS vs Olympus TG-4 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A3500 IS and Olympus TG-4
 Canon PowerShot A3500 ISOlympus Tough TG-4
General Information
Company Canon Olympus
Model type Canon PowerShot A3500 IS Olympus Tough TG-4
Type Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Released 2013-01-07 2015-04-13
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by DIGIC 4 TruePic VII
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture f/2.8-6.9 f/2.0-4.9
Macro focusing range 3cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 15 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 1.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.00 m 7.90 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (25 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format H.264 H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 135g (0.30 pounds) 247g (0.54 pounds)
Physical dimensions 98 x 56 x 20mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 200 photographs 380 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NB-11L LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Card slots One One
Price at release $115 $379