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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus TG-4

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Olympus Tough TG-4 front
Portability
90
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus TG-4 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Introduced February 2012
Olympus TG-4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
  • Announced April 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus TG-3
  • New Model is Olympus TG-5
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus TG-4 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Olympus TG-4, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Waterproof and they are both produced by Olympus. The image resolution of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the TG-4 (16MP) is very close and they come with the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ-31MR iHS was manufactured 4 years before the TG-4 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a short view of how the SZ-31MR iHS scores versus the TG-4 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Olympus TG-4

 SZ-31MR iHS TG-4 
Display resolution920k460kClearer display (+460k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-4 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 TG-4 SZ-31MR iHS 
AnnouncedApril 2015February 2012More recent by 38 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Olympus TG-4

 SZ-31MR iHS TG-4 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus TG-4 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS offers outer dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-4 has sizing of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Olympus TG-4 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS vs the TG-4.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus TG-4 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-31MR iHS and TG-4 is 89 and 90 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus TG-4 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus TG-4 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to envision the difference in sensor measurements just by researching specs. The photograph below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-31MR iHS and TG-4.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements and the identical MP and you should expect comparable quality of images however you would want to factor the production date of the cameras into account. The older SZ-31MR iHS will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus TG-4 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Portrait photography advice
Olympus TG-4 Portrait photography advice
34
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
47
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has face detection focus
saves RAW formats
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS as a Street photography camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Street photography camera
64
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers focus by touch
lighter than average (226 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
65
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
more heavy than competitors (247g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sports photography advice
Olympus TG-4 Sports photography advice
44
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery pack (200 shots)
lack of phase detect autofocus
48
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
good battery (380 CIPA)
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography factors
Olympus TG-4 Travel photography factors
67
lighter than average (226 grams)
offers focus by touch
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
no Timelapse recording
terrible battery pack (200 per charge)
does not have selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
74
good battery (380 shots)
environment sealing
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than competitors (247g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography factors
Olympus TG-4 Landscape photography factors
41
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
terrible battery pack (200 CIPA)
no Timelapse recording
62
has manual focus
pretty wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
good battery (380 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
no manual control
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Vlogging info
Olympus TG-4 Vlogging info
35
pretty wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average (226g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
does not have selfie friendly screen
no external microphone port
34
pretty wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone jack
more heavy than competitors (247 grams)
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus TG-4 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Olympus TG-4
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSOlympus Tough TG-4
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Olympus Tough TG-4
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Waterproof
Introduced 2012-02-08 2015-04-13
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Dual TruePic V TruePic VII
Sensor type BSI-CMOS 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 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 25
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.0-4.9
Macro focusing range 1cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 920 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 9.30 m 7.90 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226g (0.50 lbs) 247g (0.54 lbs)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2")
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 200 pictures 380 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $0 $379