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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus TG-820 iHS

Portability
72
Imaging
35
Features
38
Overall
36
Olympus SP-590 UZ front
 
Olympus TG-820 iHS front
Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Key Specs

Olympus SP-590 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-676mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 413g - 116 x 84 x 81mm
  • Introduced January 2009
  • Updated by Olympus SP-600 UZ
Olympus TG-820 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
  • 206g - 101 x 65 x 26mm
  • Released February 2012
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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Olympus TG-820 iHS, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Waterproof and both are manufactured by Olympus. The image resolution of the SP-590 UZ (12MP) and the TG-820 iHS (12MP) is very well matched and both cameras boast the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SP-590 UZ was released 4 years earlier than the TG-820 iHS which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-590 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus TG-820 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple overview of how the SP-590 UZ grades versus the TG-820 iHS in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-590 UZ over the Olympus TG-820 iHS

 SP-590 UZ TG-820 iHS 
Focus manually More accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-820 iHS over the Olympus SP-590 UZ

 TG-820 iHS SP-590 UZ 
ReleasedFebruary 2012January 2009More modern by 37 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1030k230kClearer display (+800k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Olympus TG-820 iHS

 SP-590 UZ TG-820 iHS 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus SP-590 UZ has physical measurements of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") having a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-820 iHS has sizing of 101mm x 65mm x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") and a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Olympus TG-820 iHS in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the SP-590 UZ vs the TG-820 iHS.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus TG-820 iHS size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the SP-590 UZ and TG-820 iHS is 72 and 92 respectively.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus TG-820 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizes purely by checking specs. The pic underneath will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-590 UZ and TG-820 iHS.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have the same sensor dimensions and the same exact megapixels so you can expect similar quality of pictures though you should really consider the launch date of the products into consideration. The more aged SP-590 UZ is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus TG-820 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Portrait photography information
Olympus TG-820 iHS Portrait photography information
37
you can focus manually
supports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
27
provides face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Street photography features
Olympus TG-820 iHS Street photography features
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-820 iHS as a Sports photography camera
38
incredible zoom range (26-676mm 26.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
low fps (5.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery (220 shots)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SP-590 UZ
Travel photography with Olympus TG-820 iHS
58
environment sealing
has built in flash
quite wide (26mm)
very long reach (676mm)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
59
environment sealing
built-in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery (220 per charge)
resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Landscape photography factors
Olympus TG-820 iHS Landscape photography factors
46
you can focus manually
quite wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
38
relatively wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
manual mode not possible
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
not so great battery (220 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Vlogging advice
Olympus TG-820 iHS Vlogging advice
24
quite wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
does not offer selfie friendly display
low quality video (640 x 480 pxls)
does not have external mic socket
33
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-590 UZ and Olympus TG-820 iHS
 Olympus SP-590 UZOlympus TG-820 iHS
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus SP-590 UZ Olympus TG-820 iHS
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Waterproof
Introduced 2009-01-07 2012-02-08
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - TruePic VI
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Full resolution 3968 x 2976 3968 x 2976
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 64 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 26-676mm (26.0x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture f/2.8-5.0 f/3.9-5.9
Macro focusing range 1cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,030 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - HyperCrystal III TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 6.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 8.00 m 3.50 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 413 gr (0.91 pounds) 206 gr (0.45 pounds)
Physical dimensions 116 x 84 x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") 101 x 65 x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 - 220 photos
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - LI-50B
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage xD Picture Card, microSD Card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $249 $500