Olympus TG-4 vs Sony TX1

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus TG-4 and Sony TX1, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the TG-4 (16MP) and TX1 (10MP) and the TG-4 (1/2.3") and TX1 (1/2.4") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The TG-4 was unveiled 5 years after the TX1 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-4 being a Compact camera and the Sony TX1 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short view of how the TG-4 matches up vs the TX1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Tough TG-4 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1. The full galleries are available at Olympus TG-4 Gallery and Sony TX1 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-4 comes with outside measurements of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") having a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) and the Sony TX1 has measurements of 94mm x 58mm x 17mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.7") along with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-4 and Sony TX1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the TG-4 against the TX1.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-4 and TX1 is 90 and 96 respectively.

More often than not, it can be tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions simply by checking specs. The pic here may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-4 and TX1.

All in all, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The TG-4 using its larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus TG-4 will give more detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos way more aggressively. The fresher TG-4 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.