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Olympus TG-4 vs Sony W230

Portability
90
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Tough TG-4 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
25
Overall
30

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony W230 Key Specs

Olympus TG-4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
  • Released April 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus TG-3
  • New Model is Olympus TG-5
Sony W230
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 30-120mm (F2.8-5.8) lens
  • 156g - 95 x 57 x 22mm
  • Released February 2009
Photography Glossary

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony W230 Overview

The following is a complete assessment of the Olympus TG-4 versus Sony W230, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the TG-4 (16MP) and W230 (12MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The TG-4 was announced 6 years after the W230 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the TG-4 matches up against the W230 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-4 over the Sony W230

 TG-4 W230 
ReleasedApril 2015February 2009Newer by 75 months
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W230 over the Olympus TG-4

 W230 TG-4 

Common features in the Olympus TG-4 and Sony W230

 TG-4 W230 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony W230 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to travel with your camera, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus TG-4 has physical dimensions of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") and a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) while the Sony W230 has proportions of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 156 grams (0.34 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-4 versus Sony W230 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the TG-4 and the W230.

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony W230 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-4 and W230 is 90 and 95 respectively.

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony W230 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony W230 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be tough to picture the gap between sensor dimensions merely by reading technical specs. The pic below might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-4 and W230.

As you can tell, both of those cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different resolution. You should expect the Olympus TG-4 to deliver greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs more aggressively. The more recent TG-4 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony W230 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony W230 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony W230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Portrait photography information
Sony W230 Portrait photography information
47
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
comes with face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
no manual control
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
27
manual focus
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-4 as a Street photography camera
Sony W230 as a Street photography camera
65
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
heavier than others (247 grams)
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Sports photography highlights
Sony W230 Sports photography highlights
48
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
great battery life (380 per charge)
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
low resolution sensor (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Travel photography info
Sony W230 Travel photography info
74
great battery life (380 shots)
environment sealing
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
heavier than others (247g)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (30mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Landscape photography details
Sony W230 Landscape photography details
62
focusing manually
pretty wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
great battery life (380 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
no manual control
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
36
manual focus
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (30mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
manual exposure not possible
low resolution sensor (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Vlogging factors
Sony W230 Vlogging factors
34
pretty wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
no external mic jack
heavier than others (247 grams)
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (30mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone support
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Olympus TG-4 vs Sony W230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-4 and Sony W230
 Olympus Tough TG-4Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Tough TG-4 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230
Class Waterproof Small Sensor Compact
Released 2015-04-13 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) 30-120mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/2.8-5.8
Macro focus distance 1cm 4cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 1 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter rate 5.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.90 m (at ISO 1600) 3.90 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 247g (0.54 lb) 156g (0.34 lb)
Physical dimensions 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 95 x 57 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
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 380 pictures -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-92B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $379 $180