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Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
40
Overall
37
Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS front
 
Sigma SD1 Merrill front
Portability
57
Imaging
56
Features
45
Overall
51

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill 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
  • Released May 2012
Sigma SD1 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • No Video
  • Sigma SA Mount
  • 790g - 146 x 113 x 80mm
  • Announced April 2012
  • Previous Model is Sigma SD1
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Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Overview

Here, we will be evaluating the Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sigma. The image resolution of the TG-1 iHS (12MP) and the SD1 Merrill (15MP) is relatively well matched but the TG-1 iHS (1/2.3") and SD1 Merrill (APS-C) offer totally different sensor size.

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The TG-1 iHS was released very close to the SD1 Merrill so they are of a similar age. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-1 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the TG-1 iHS grades against the SD1 Merrill for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-1 iHS over the Sigma SD1 Merrill

 TG-1 iHS SD1 Merrill 
Screen resolution610k460kSharper screen (+150k dot)

Reasons to pick Sigma SD1 Merrill over the Olympus TG-1 iHS

 SD1 Merrill TG-1 iHS 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing

Common features in the Olympus TG-1 iHS and Sigma SD1 Merrill

 TG-1 iHS SD1 Merrill 
AnnouncedMay 2012April 2012Similar age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen size
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to travel with your camera, you need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus TG-1 iHS provides exterior dimensions of 112mm x 67mm x 30mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Sigma SD1 Merrill has specifications of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") and a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the TG-1 iHS compared to the SD1 Merrill.

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the TG-1 iHS and SD1 Merrill is 91 and 57 respectively.

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions only by reading through specifications. The image below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-1 iHS and SD1 Merrill.

Plainly, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The TG-1 iHS due to its tinier sensor will make getting bokeh trickier and the Sigma SD1 Merrill will resolve greater detail as a result of its extra 3MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a good deal more aggressively.

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus TG-1 iHS
Portrait photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
27
comes with face detection focus
manual focus not available
no manual mode
external flash not possible
low MP (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
65
focusing manually
good megapixels (15MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS Street photography features
Sigma SD1 Merrill Street photography features
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
57
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS Sports photography features
Sigma SD1 Merrill Sports photography features
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather sealing
great battery pack (350 CIPA)
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
61
good megapixels (15MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
weather proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-1 iHS
Travel photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
68
great battery pack (350 CIPA)
weather sealing
has built in flash
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
no Time Lapse recording
low MP (12MP)
does not offer selfie friendly display
54
weather proofing
good megapixels (15 megapixels)
missing Timelapse function
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
Sigma SD1 Merrill as a Landscape photography camera
46
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
great battery pack (350 CIPA)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
no manual mode
low MP (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
63
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sigma SA mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
good megapixels (15MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS Vlogging advice
Sigma SD1 Merrill Vlogging advice
36
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not offer selfie friendly display
no external mic socket
9
can't record video
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Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sigma SD1 Merrill Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-1 iHS and Sigma SD1 Merrill
 Olympus Tough TG-1 iHSSigma SD1 Merrill
General Information
Brand Olympus Sigma
Model type Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS Sigma SD1 Merrill
Class Waterproof Advanced DSLR
Released 2012-05-08 2012-04-10
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI Dual True II
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS (Foveon X3)
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 24 x 16mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 384.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 15MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Highest resolution 3968 x 2976 4800 x 3200
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sigma SA
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Total lenses - 76
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 610 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 96%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s -
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s -
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - no built-in flash
Flash options - no built-in flash
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format H.264 -
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 pounds) 790 grams (1.74 pounds)
Physical dimensions 112 x 67 x 30mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 146 x 113 x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1")
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 shots -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI90B -
Self timer Yes (2 and 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage media - Compact Flash (Type I, UDMA compatible)
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $399 $2,339