Olympus TG-6 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus TG-6 versus Sigma DP3 Merrill, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sigma. The resolution of the TG-6 (12MP) and the DP3 Merrill (15MP) is fairly close but the TG-6 (1/2.3") and DP3 Merrill (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The TG-6 was released 6 years later than the DP3 Merrill and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-6 being a Compact camera and the Sigma DP3 Merrill being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a short summation of how the TG-6 scores versus the DP3 Merrill when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Tough TG-6 & Sigma DP3 Merrill. The complete galleries are available at Olympus TG-6 Gallery & Sigma DP3 Merrill Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus TG-6 enjoys outside dimensions of 113mm x 66mm x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 253 grams (0.56 lbs) while the Sigma DP3 Merrill has specifications of 122mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.3") and a weight of 330 grams (0.73 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-6 versus Sigma DP3 Merrill in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the TG-6 versus the DP3 Merrill.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-6 and DP3 Merrill is 90 and 83 respectively.

More often than not, it is very hard to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements simply by researching specs. The visual underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-6 and DP3 Merrill.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The TG-6 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Sigma DP3 Merrill will render extra detail as a result of its extra 3MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The younger TG-6 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.