Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony HX30V

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus Tough-3000 and Sony HX30V, one being a Waterproof and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and HX30V (18MP) but they feature the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The Tough-3000 was manufactured 3 years before the HX30V and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a full comparison, below is a simple summation of how the Tough-3000 scores versus the HX30V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V. The entire galleries are available at Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery and Sony HX30V Gallery.

If you're planning to lug around your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus Tough-3000 features outside measurements of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") and a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Sony HX30V has measurements of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Look at the Olympus Tough-3000 and Sony HX30V in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the Tough-3000 compared to the HX30V.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the Tough-3000 and HX30V is 94 and 90 respectively.

Typically, it is difficult to envision the contrast between sensor measurements merely by going over a spec sheet. The photograph here will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the Tough-3000 and HX30V.

As you can see, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You should count on the Sony HX30V to deliver more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older Tough-3000 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.