Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony HX9V

Here is a thorough analysis of the Olympus TG-820 iHS and Sony HX9V, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the TG-820 iHS (12MP) and HX9V (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The TG-820 iHS was revealed 7 months later than the HX9V so they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the TG-820 iHS scores versus the HX9V when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus TG-820 iHS & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus TG-820 iHS Gallery & Sony HX9V Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus TG-820 iHS comes with 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) and the Sony HX9V has specifications of 105mm x 59mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Examine the Olympus TG-820 iHS and Sony HX9V in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the TG-820 iHS versus the HX9V.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-820 iHS and HX9V is 92 and 91 respectively.

Oftentimes, its difficult to see the gap in sensor sizing simply by looking through specs. The graphic below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-820 iHS and HX9V.

All in all, both cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Sony HX9V to render greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The newer TG-820 iHS is going to have an edge in sensor innovation.