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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ1

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
42
Overall
38
Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
38
Features
34
Overall
36

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ1 Key Specs

Olympus TG-2 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 - 111 x 67 x 29mm
  • Revealed June 2013
Panasonic SZ1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 131g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Released January 2012
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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ1 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus TG-2 iHS versus Panasonic SZ1, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the TG-2 iHS (12MP) and SZ1 (16MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The TG-2 iHS was released 18 months later than the SZ1 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before diving into a complete comparison, here is a simple view of how the TG-2 iHS scores versus the SZ1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-2 iHS over the Panasonic SZ1

 TG-2 iHS SZ1 
ReleasedJune 2013January 2012Fresher by 18 months
Screen resolution610k230kClearer screen (+380k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ1 over the Olympus TG-2 iHS

 SZ1 TG-2 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus TG-2 iHS and Panasonic SZ1

 TG-2 iHS SZ1 
Manually focus No manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ1 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-2 iHS has got external measurements of 111mm x 67mm x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ1 has measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs).

Check out the Olympus TG-2 iHS versus Panasonic SZ1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use during that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the TG-2 iHS vs the SZ1.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-2 iHS and SZ1 is 91 and 95 respectively.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizing simply by looking at specs. The visual below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-2 iHS and SZ1.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different resolution. You can count on the Panasonic SZ1 to give extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The younger TG-2 iHS provides a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ1 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic SZ1 Portrait photography highlights
27
supports face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
34
good MP (16MP)
supports face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Street photography details
Panasonic SZ1 Street photography details
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Sports photography factors
Panasonic SZ1 Sports photography factors
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
better than average battery (350 shots)
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Travel photography details
Panasonic SZ1 Travel photography details
68
better than average battery (350 per charge)
weather proof
built-in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
missing Timelapse mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
70
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
good MP (16MP)
has built in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-2 iHS
Landscape photography with Panasonic SZ1
46
reasonably wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
better than average battery (350 per charge)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
no manual exposure
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
missing Timelapse mode
42
fairly wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
lack of manual mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic SZ1 as a Vlogging camera
36
reasonably wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing external microphone port
32
fairly wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect autofocus
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing mic jack
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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Panasonic SZ1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-2 iHS and Panasonic SZ1
 Olympus Tough TG-2 iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
Class Waterproof Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2013-06-28 2012-01-09
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3968 x 2976 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 23
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximal aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range 1cm 4cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 610k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology OLED TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 8 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 5.60 m
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 230 gr (0.51 lb) 131 gr (0.29 lb)
Physical dimensions 111 x 67 x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 shots 250 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-90B -
Self timer Yes (2 and 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage - SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $380 $179