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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2 Key Specs

Olympus TG-850 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 218g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2014
Panasonic S2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 112g - 98 x 57 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2012
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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the TG-850 iHS (16MP) and the S2 (14MP) is pretty close and both cameras have the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The TG-850 iHS was launched 2 years after the S2 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a simple overview of how the TG-850 iHS grades against the S2 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-850 iHS over the Panasonic S2

 TG-850 iHS S2 
LaunchedJanuary 2014January 2012More modern by 26 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Olympus TG-850 iHS

 S2 TG-850 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus TG-850 iHS and Panasonic S2

 TG-850 iHS S2 
Focus manually No manual focus
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry around your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-850 iHS offers outside dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") having a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs) while the Panasonic S2 has sizing of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the TG-850 iHS against the S2.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the TG-850 iHS and S2 is 91 and 96 respectively.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizes only by looking through specifications. The image here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-850 iHS and S2.

Plainly, each of these cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Olympus TG-850 iHS to render extra detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The more recent TG-850 iHS is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Portrait photography factors
Panasonic S2 Portrait photography factors
35
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
33
good MP (14 megapixels)
provides face detect focusing
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Street photography camera
Panasonic S2 as a Street photography camera
69
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (112 grams)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Sports photography details
Panasonic S2 Sports photography details
51
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
environment sealing
great battery life (330 shots)
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
39
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14MP)
great battery pack (280 shots)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-850 iHS
Travel photography with Panasonic S2
72
great battery life (330 shots)
environment sealing
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (21mm)
does not have selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
70
great battery pack (280 CIPA)
lighter than competition (112g)
good MP (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
decently wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Landscape photography factors
Panasonic S2 Landscape photography factors
50
rather wide (21mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
great battery life (330 CIPA)
focusing manually not possible
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
41
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14MP)
great battery pack (280 per charge)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-850 iHS
Vlogging with Panasonic S2
33
rather wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have selfie friendly screen
no external microphone port
32
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
lighter than competition (112g)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of microphone support
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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-850 iHS and Panasonic S2
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-S2
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
Class Waterproof Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2014-01-29 2012-01-09
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4616 x 3464 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 23
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.5-5.7 f/3.1-6.5
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech TFT LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 1/2s 8s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 3.30 m
Flash modes - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Yes None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 218 gr (0.48 lb) 112 gr (0.25 lb)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 330 images 280 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 sec, 12 sec, Custom Self-Timer (1-30 sec start timer, 1-10 pictures, 1-3 sec interval)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $250 $109