Olympus SP-600 UZ vs Olympus TG-860

Below is a in-depth overview of the Olympus SP-600 UZ and Olympus TG-860, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Waterproof and both of them are offered by Olympus. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the SP-600 UZ (12MP) and TG-860 (16MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SP-600 UZ was revealed 6 years prior to the TG-860 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-600 UZ being a Compact camera and the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick view of how the SP-600 UZ grades versus the TG-860 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SP-600 UZ & Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860. The full galleries are provided at Olympus SP-600 UZ Gallery & Olympus TG-860 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus SP-600 UZ enjoys external dimensions of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") accompanied by a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs) and the Olympus TG-860 has specifications of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") having a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SP-600 UZ and Olympus TG-860 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the SP-600 UZ against the TG-860.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SP-600 UZ and TG-860 is 69 and 91 respectively.

Sometimes, it's difficult to see the gap between sensor measurements purely by going over a spec sheet. The photograph here should give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SP-600 UZ and TG-860.

As you can see, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Olympus TG-860 to offer extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older SP-600 UZ is going to be behind in sensor innovation.