Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony QX1

Following is a extended review of the Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony QX1, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Lens-style by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the TG-820 iHS (12MP) and QX1 (20MP) and the TG-820 iHS (1/2.3") and QX1 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The TG-820 iHS was unveiled 3 years before the QX1 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-820 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony QX1 being a Lens-style camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the TG-820 iHS scores against the QX1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus TG-820 iHS & Sony Alpha QX1. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus TG-820 iHS Gallery & Sony QX1 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-820 iHS enjoys outside dimensions of 101mm x 65mm x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") and a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Sony QX1 has measurements of 74mm x 70mm x 53mm (2.9" x 2.8" x 2.1") having a weight of 216 grams (0.48 lbs).

Check out the Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony QX1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at the time. The following is the front view size comparison of the TG-820 iHS compared to the QX1.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-820 iHS and QX1 is 92 and 90 respectively.

Normally, it is very tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading through specs. The pic here will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-820 iHS and QX1.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The TG-820 iHS with its tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh more challenging and the Sony QX1 will resolve more detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged TG-820 iHS is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.