Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A230

The following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus TG-3 and Sony A230, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the TG-3 (16MP) and A230 (10MP) and the TG-3 (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The TG-3 was unveiled 4 years after the A230 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a quick summary of how the TG-3 scores versus the A230 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Tough TG-3 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The full galleries are available at Olympus TG-3 Gallery and Sony A230 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera, you will need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-3 enjoys outer dimensions of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") with a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) and the Sony A230 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-3 and Sony A230 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the TG-3 against the A230.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-3 and A230 is 90 and 69 respectively.

Quite often, it is very tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions purely by checking specifications. The picture here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-3 and A230.

Plainly, the 2 cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The TG-3 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus TG-3 will resolve more detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The newer TG-3 will have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.