Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A350

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A350, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and the A350 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the Tough-3000 (1/2.3") and A350 (APS-C) offer different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The Tough-3000 was announced 20 months after the A350 which makes them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera and the Sony A350 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a quick overview of how the Tough-3000 matches up against the A350 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A350. The whole galleries are available at Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery and Sony A350 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus Tough-3000 offers outer dimensions of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") and a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony A350 has specifications of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 674 grams (1.49 lbs).

Check out the Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A350 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the Tough-3000 vs the A350.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the Tough-3000 and A350 is 94 and 62 respectively.

Typically, it is very difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading through specs. The image underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the Tough-3000 and A350.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The Tough-3000 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh harder and the Sony A350 will give more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The newer Tough-3000 provides an edge in sensor technology.