Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony HX1

Here, we are contrasting the Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony HX1, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and HX1 (9MP) and the Tough-3000 (1/2.3") and HX1 (1/2.4") have different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The Tough-3000 was released 9 months later than the HX1 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief overview of how the Tough-3000 grades versus the HX1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery and Sony HX1 Gallery.

In case you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus Tough-3000 features external dimensions of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") having a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Sony HX1 has measurements of 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") with a weight of 544 grams (1.20 lbs).

See the Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony HX1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the Tough-3000 and the HX1.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the Tough-3000 and HX1 is 94 and 67 respectively.

Typically, it can be tough to picture the difference in sensor measurements merely by going through technical specs. The visual here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the Tough-3000 and HX1.

As you have seen, both of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The Tough-3000 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus Tough-3000 will show greater detail as a result of its extra 3 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics way more aggressively. The more recent Tough-3000 should have a benefit in sensor innovation.