Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Olympus XZ-1

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus TG-850 iHS and Olympus XZ-1, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both offered by Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the TG-850 iHS (16MP) and XZ-1 (10MP) and the TG-850 iHS (1/2.3") and XZ-1 (1/1.63") feature totally different sensor measurements.

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The TG-850 iHS was unveiled 3 years after the XZ-1 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the TG-850 iHS scores versus the XZ-1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS and Olympus XZ-1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus TG-850 iHS Gallery and Olympus XZ-1 Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-850 iHS enjoys physical measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs) whilst the Olympus XZ-1 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs).

Check out the Olympus TG-850 iHS and Olympus XZ-1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the TG-850 iHS vs the XZ-1.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-850 iHS and XZ-1 is 91 and 88 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions simply by looking at technical specs. The image here will provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-850 iHS and XZ-1.

As you have seen, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The TG-850 iHS using its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Olympus TG-850 iHS will give extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more recent TG-850 iHS will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.