Canon A490 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS

Its time to look a little more closely at the Canon A490 and Olympus TG-850 iHS, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Waterproof by manufacturers Canon and Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the A490 (10MP) and TG-850 iHS (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The A490 was revealed 5 years before the TG-850 iHS which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a short overview of how the A490 grades versus the TG-850 iHS with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot A490 and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS. The full galleries are viewable at Canon A490 Gallery and Olympus TG-850 iHS Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Canon A490 comes with outer measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") and a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-850 iHS has proportions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Compare the Canon A490 and Olympus TG-850 iHS in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the A490 vs the TG-850 iHS.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A490 and TG-850 iHS is 93 and 91 respectively.

Typically, its tough to envision the difference between sensor sizes only by checking technical specs. The image here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the A490 and TG-850 iHS.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but not the same resolution. You should anticipate the Olympus TG-850 iHS to give greater detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The more aged A490 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.