Olympus TG-310 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus TG-310 and Sigma SD1 Merrill, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sigma. The resolution of the TG-310 (14MP) and the SD1 Merrill (15MP) is pretty well matched but the TG-310 (1/2.3") and SD1 Merrill (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The TG-310 was manufactured 15 months prior to the SD1 Merrill which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-310 being a Compact camera and the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the TG-310 matches up versus the SD1 Merrill with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus TG-310 and Sigma SD1 Merrill. The entire galleries are available at Olympus TG-310 Gallery and Sigma SD1 Merrill Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-310 enjoys external dimensions of 96mm x 63mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") with a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) while the Sigma SD1 Merrill has sizing of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") along with a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs).

Check out the Olympus TG-310 and Sigma SD1 Merrill in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the TG-310 and the SD1 Merrill.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-310 and SD1 Merrill is 94 and 57 respectively.

Normally, it's tough to see the difference between sensor sizes only by checking a spec sheet. The picture underneath will offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-310 and SD1 Merrill.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The TG-310 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh trickier and the Sigma SD1 Merrill will resolve greater detail due to its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged TG-310 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.