Clicky

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Olympus VG-120

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
40
Overall
37
Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS front
 
Olympus VG-120 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Olympus VG-120 Key Specs

Olympus TG-1 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 112 x 67 x 30mm
  • Launched May 2012
Olympus VG-120
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Revealed January 2011
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Olympus VG-120 Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus TG-1 iHS and Olympus VG-120, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Ultracompact and they are both manufactured by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the TG-1 iHS (12MP) and the VG-120 (14MP) is pretty well matched and they come with the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

The TG-1 iHS was unveiled 17 months after the VG-120 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-1 iHS being a Compact camera and the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summary of how the TG-1 iHS scores vs the VG-120 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-1 iHS over the Olympus VG-120

 TG-1 iHS VG-120 
RevealedMay 2012January 2011Newer by 17 months
Screen resolution610k230kCrisper screen (+380k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Olympus TG-1 iHS

 VG-120 TG-1 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus TG-1 iHS and Olympus VG-120

 TG-1 iHS VG-120 
Manually focus Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Olympus VG-120 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to travel with your camera, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus TG-1 iHS provides outer dimensions of 112mm x 67mm x 30mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") along with a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) whilst the Olympus VG-120 has specifications of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs).

Check the Olympus TG-1 iHS and Olympus VG-120 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen during that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the TG-1 iHS versus the VG-120.

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Olympus VG-120 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-1 iHS and VG-120 is 91 and 96 respectively.

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Olympus VG-120 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Olympus VG-120 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions simply by reading through technical specs. The pic underneath may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-1 iHS and VG-120.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Olympus VG-120 to resolve extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more modern TG-1 iHS is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Olympus VG-120 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Olympus VG-120 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Olympus VG-120 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus VG-120 as a Portrait photography camera
27
has face detection focusing
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
33
good MP (14MP)
features face detect focusing
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Street Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS as a Street photography camera
Olympus VG-120 as a Street photography camera
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
48
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS Sports photography factors
Olympus VG-120 Sports photography factors
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking autofocus
weather sealing
better than average battery (350 CIPA)
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
26
good MP (14MP)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery power (160 shots)
has no phase detect AF
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS Travel photography info
Olympus VG-120 Travel photography info
68
better than average battery (350 CIPA)
weather sealing
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
missing Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
62
good MP (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (26mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
bad battery power (160 per charge)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS Landscape photography highlights
Olympus VG-120 Landscape photography highlights
46
fairly wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
better than average battery (350 CIPA)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not available
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
missing Time Lapse recording
36
decently wide (26mm)
nice screen size (3")
good MP (14MP)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
bad battery power (160 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse function
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-1 iHS
Vlogging with Olympus VG-120
36
fairly wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
missing external mic jack
28
decently wide (26mm)
features face detect focusing
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have microphone port
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Olympus VG-120 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-1 iHS and Olympus VG-120
 Olympus Tough TG-1 iHSOlympus VG-120
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS Olympus VG-120
Category Waterproof Ultracompact
Launched 2012-05-08 2011-01-06
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI TruePic III
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3
Maximum resolution 3968 x 2976 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 6400 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) 26-130mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/2.8-6.5
Macro focusing distance - 7cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 610k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 4.40 m
Flash modes - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 230 grams (0.51 lb) 120 grams (0.26 lb)
Dimensions 112 x 67 x 30mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 350 photos 160 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI90B LI-70B
Self timer Yes (2 and 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media - SD/SDHC
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $399 $190