Olympus TG-810, Panasonic DMC-FT3 and Sony DSC-TX10 – Review and Test

Posted by: AlEkSa on Under: Compare Waterproof Cameras |

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Summer has already started, waterproof digital cameras are most wanted on the market. You have probably asked yourself which one is the best. We have tested and reviewed 3 most wanted waterproof digital cameras.

Waterproof is “IN”

The waterproof digital cameras market had timid start few years ago – producers have firstly offered waterproof housings for ordinary digital cameras which haven’t been very popular because of their price which was almost the same as the cost of the digital camera and it wasn’t practical.

Olympus has published first really good waterproof digital camera (we don’t count on “before Christ” analog like Canon A-1). The market of underwater cameras has rapidly developed after that – it didn’t last much time after all other camera companies started making they own underwater cameras. Canon published Canon PowerShot D10 two years ago, which was very successful, but they haven’t changed it yet, while the competition makes at least one new model every year. That has happened this year and we have prepared for You test and review of Panasonic DMC-FT3, Olympus TG-810 and Sony DSC TX-10.

Sony DSC-TX10 · Olympus TG-810 · Panasonic DMC-FT3

Technical Details

Sony DSC-TX10

• Published: March 2011.
• Dimensions: 96 x 56 x 18 mm
• Weight: 118 grams
• Megapixels: 16.2 (4608 x 3456)
• Size of lens: 1/2.3″
• Optical zoom: 4x
• The range of the lens: 27-108 mm
• Aperture: F3.5 – F4.6
• Video: Full HD (1080p), 1920 x 1080 (60 fps)
• Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
• Internal memory: No
• Connection: USB, HDMI
• Screen size: 3.0″, 921,000 pixels
• Battery: Lithium-Ion
• Other: waterproof (up to 5m) and shockproof (up to 1.5m)

Advantages

• Design
• Size
• Quality of the picture on the screen

Disadvantages

• Slider design
• Picture quality
• High noise
• Bad designed touch panel
• Bad doors for battery and connectors

Olympus TG-810

• Published: March 2011.
• Dimensions: 100 x 66 x 26 mm
• Weight: 221 grams
• Megapixels: 14.0 (4288 x 3216)
• Sensor size: 1/2.3″
• Optical zoom: 5x
• The range of lens: 28 – 140 mm
• Aperture: F3.9 – F5.9
• Video: HD (720p), 1280 x 720 (30 fps)
• Type of card: SD/SDHC
• Connection: USB, HDMI
• Screen size: 3.0″, 920,000 pixels
• Battery: Li-Ion
• Other: GPS (geo targeting of photo), waterproof and shockproof (up to 10m)

Advantages

• Endurance
• Quality of design

Disadvantages

• Ergonomic problems
• Glass screen protector

Panasonic DMC-FT3

• Published: January 2011.
• Dimensions: 103 x 64 x 27 mm
• Weight: 197 grams
• Megapixels: 12.1 (4000 x 3000)
• Sensors size: 1/2.3″
• Optical zoom: x5
• The range between lens: 28 – 128 mm
• Aperture: F3.3 – F5.9
• Video: Full HD (1080p), 1920 x 1080 (60 fps)
• Type of memory card: SD/SDHC/SDXC
• Connection: USB, HDMI
• Screen size: 2.7″, 230,000 pixels
• Battery: Li-lon
• Other: GPS, Compass, altimeter and barometer, waterproof and shockproof (up to 12 meters)

Advantages

• Quality of picture
• Endurance
• Ergonomics
• Quality of design

Disadvantages

• Screen
• Cost

Package and Equipment

We have noticed differences after extracting. Olympus in package offers typical content of average camera: CD with instructions and printed instructions, USB and video cables, battery charger and shoelace.

Olympus TG-810 Package Content

Panasonic’s package is different, it has same things as Olympus and a huge amount of instructions which are colored and You’ll get a little brush for cleaning the lens which makes us feel happy.

Panasonic FT3 Package Content

Sony’s story is: printed instructions, USB and video cables that are connect in one cable, and shoelace.

Sony TX10 Package Content

Ergonomics

The main purpose of this photos is using in hard moments, ergonomics is one of the most important things when You have to decide which one to buy. Panasonic and Olympus are similar on this field, both also offer the body that says “I am resistant camera”. Their size is almost the same, objective is on the same place, and the flash also, and the battery and card, but there are differences.

Olympus screen is bigger, although a huge amount of glass doesn’t offer trust. Other things are better on Panasonic. Panasonic isn’t so much better, but it has better solutions for some problems, Olympus has some sundries that we didn’t like: On/Off button is little and next to trigger, zooming is solved with weird combination of functional buttons and switches.

2.7″ Screen Panasonic DMC-FT3

Sony has totally different access then Olympus and Panasonic. It is smaller then Olympus and Panasonic.

Sony DSC-TX10 of characteristic appearance of ultra-compact T series

Front side has slide design as other Sony’s ultra-compact cameras have, which is aesthetic good solution, but it isn’t good for camera which will be used on sand beaches. Almost all important buttons are on touch screen. Sony’s screen is better then Olympus and Panasonic’s screen, because of its size and lighting. It is interesting when You browse pictures with finger movement.

We expect good quality and good interface from waterproof digital camera. Panasonic has both things. Olympus has only first thing and Sony is not very well on both field.

Picture Quality

If You don’t know anything about cameras and You go to the shop and You want to buy camera, although if You see little Sony cameras, the vendor could easily undeceive when he starts talking about the quality of picture. You probably think that the number of megapixels is the most important to cameras, but it is not true.

Number of megapixels was important in the begining of the digital photography, but when they raised the border of 10 megapixels, it became totally unimportant. Vendors know that and they put sensors with more megapixels in more expensive models. Buyers don’t know that and they buy the camera which has bigger number of megapixels.

Sony has made a huge change: they added Exmor R sensor with background lighting, which made better photos then competition in night (which is their good thing against other digital cameras). That was a HIT and many competition companies bought that sensor and they installed it in their waterproof digital cameras. It had 10 megapixels “only” and this year they made photo with 16 megapixels.

When You want to buy digital camera, the first thing that is MOST IMPORTANT is to buy the camera with less megapixels then other cameras of that cost.

Lens to all these digital cameras are almost the same, all of them offer same optical zoom (Olympus 5x, Sony 4x, Panasonic between them) and equally small apertures, so it doesn’t effect very much on the quality of picture. Although Sony and Panasonic lure people with “Leica” and “Carl Zeiss” names, this is just a marketing trick, it doesn’t effect so much on the quality of the picture. You can see photo examples below, they have been made in automatic mode which is used by the average users.

Automatic flash is bad thing on cameras today, they all have installed algorithm which says use the flash when the light is low. It is very good when You make picture of the object that is near to the camera, but when You use it to make pictures of far objects it is harmful. When You see many people who are using flash in the dark hall or on stadium, You see the people who haven’t read camera’s instructions.

Photo examples made by Olympus TG810 • Panasonic DMC-FT3 • Sony DSC-TX10

Click on the image to maximize it.

Results? Sony gets last place. That haven’t surprised us so much, but interesting thing is that it doesn’t fall out because of noise, it falls out because of the worst automatic measurement of balance of white color we have ever seen. Difference between Panasonic and Olympus is not so big, but Panasonic is better. Photos made by Panasonic are a better at night.

Video Examples

Sony TX10 and Panasonic FT3 support Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) video recording with 60fps, while Olympus supports HD video (1280 x 720 pixels) with only 30fps.

Conclusion

The best waterproof digital camera is Panasonic DMC-FT3, he best ergonomics and picture quality, the most resistant. If You don’t like Panasonic, what ever the reason is, Olympusom TG-810 isn’t some much worse then Panasonic.

What about Sony TX10? Exaggeration with megapixels has resulted in average picture quality.

Ironically is that Sony didn’t made any mistake with these bad things, they know what they are doing. Yes, Panasonic and Olympus, are too better then Sony TX10, but Sony TX10 offers users things they want: good designed small camera which can fall in the water. Who cares if the pictures are average, the average user will never notices that.

Where to Buy them!

If You want to have these photos in Your album, waterproof digital camera is required. Amazon.com offers discount if You buy this product through our link. Click on the name of the camera and buy it:

Olympus TG-810 Panasonic DMC-FT3 Sony DSC-TX10