Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A230

Lets look more closely at the Olympus Tough-3000 and Sony A230, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and the A230 (10MP) is fairly well matched but the Tough-3000 (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) posses different sensor measurements.

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The Tough-3000 was introduced 8 months later than the A230 which means that they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the Tough-3000 matches up vs the A230 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery and Sony A230 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera frequently, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus Tough-3000 provides outside measurements of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony A230 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") and a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

See the Olympus Tough-3000 and Sony A230 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use during that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the Tough-3000 versus the A230.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the Tough-3000 and A230 is 94 and 69 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to picture the difference between sensor sizing simply by reading through technical specs. The graphic below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the Tough-3000 and A230.

As you have seen, each of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The Tough-3000 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh harder and the Olympus Tough-3000 will resolve extra detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images way more aggressively. The fresher Tough-3000 provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.