Olympus TG-4 vs Sony QX100

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus TG-4 and Sony QX100, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Lens-style by brands Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the TG-4 (16MP) and the QX100 (20MP) is very close but the TG-4 (1/2.3") and QX100 (1") offer totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The TG-4 was introduced 20 months after the QX100 making them a generation away from each other. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-4 being a Compact camera and the Sony QX100 being a Lens-style camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a short highlight of how the TG-4 matches up against the QX100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Tough TG-4 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100. The whole galleries are available at Olympus TG-4 Gallery and Sony QX100 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus TG-4 offers external measurements 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 QX100 has proportions of 63mm x 63mm x 56mm (2.5" x 2.5" x 2.2") accompanied by a weight of 179 grams (0.39 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-4 and Sony QX100 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the TG-4 versus the QX100.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the TG-4 and QX100 is 90 and 92 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions just by looking through technical specs. The image here might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-4 and QX100.

As you can tell, both cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The TG-4 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony QX100 will provide you with greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images way more aggressively. The fresher TG-4 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.