Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Sony A37

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus TG-1 iHS versus Sony A37, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the TG-1 iHS (12MP) and A37 (16MP) and the TG-1 iHS (1/2.3") and A37 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizing.

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The TG-1 iHS was announced within a month of the A37 and they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-1 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple summary of how the TG-1 iHS scores versus the A37 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS and Sony SLT-A37. The whole galleries are available at Olympus TG-1 iHS Gallery and Sony A37 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus TG-1 iHS has outside measurements of 112mm x 67mm x 30mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") with a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Sony A37 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus TG-1 iHS versus Sony A37 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use at that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the TG-1 iHS vs the A37.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-1 iHS and A37 is 91 and 67 respectively.

Often, its difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizes simply by going over a spec sheet. The pic below may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-1 iHS and A37.

As you can see, each of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The TG-1 iHS using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony A37 will offer more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop pics somewhat more aggressively.