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Olympus 8000 vs Sony A850

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29
Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A850 Key Specs

Olympus 8000
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.5-5.1) lens
  • 182g - 95 x 62 x 22mm
  • Launched July 2009
  • Other Name is mju Tough 8000
Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Released April 2010
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Olympus 8000 vs Sony A850 Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus 8000 and Sony A850, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the 8000 (12MP) and A850 (25MP) and the 8000 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) posses different sensor sizing.

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The 8000 was unveiled 9 months earlier than the A850 which means that they are of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus 8000 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a short summary of how the 8000 scores vs the A850 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus 8000 over the Sony A850

 8000 A850 

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Olympus 8000

 A850 8000 
ReleasedApril 2010July 2009More modern by 9 months
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Olympus 8000 and Sony A850

 8000 A850 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A850 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus 8000 provides external dimensions of 95mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") having a weight of 182 grams (0.40 lbs) while the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Check the Olympus 8000 and Sony A850 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you select at that moment. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the 8000 against the A850.

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A850 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the 8000 and A850 is 94 and 54 respectively.

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A850 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A850 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizes simply by checking out specs. The image below might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the 8000 and A850.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The 8000 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A850 will produce more detail having an extra 13 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged 8000 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A850 sensor size comparison

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A850 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A850 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus 8000 Portrait photography factors
Sony A850 Portrait photography factors
21
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
72
focusing manually
amazing MP (25MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports RAW files
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Olympus 8000 as a Street photography camera
Sony A850 as a Street photography camera
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus 8000
Sports photography with Sony A850
34
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
no shutter priority mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing MP (25MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
weather sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
no liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus 8000 Travel photography features
Sony A850 Travel photography features
61
weather proofing
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
55
weather sealing
amazing MP (25MP)
missing Timelapse mode
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus 8000 Landscape photography factors
Sony A850 Landscape photography factors
35
fairly wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
no manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
low resolution (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
missing Timelapse mode
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing MP (25 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
has double storage slots
no liveview
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus 8000
Vlogging with Sony A850
28
fairly wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
missing external microphone support
9
can't shoot video
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Olympus 8000 vs Sony A850 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 8000 and Sony A850
 Olympus Stylus Tough 8000Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
Otherwise known as mju Tough 8000 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Launched 2009-07-01 2010-04-15
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 25MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3968 x 2976 6048 x 4032
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 64 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-102mm (3.6x) -
Largest aperture f/3.5-5.1 -
Macro focus distance 2cm -
Total lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Min shutter speed 1/4s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed - 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) -
Highest video resolution 640x480 None
Video file format Motion JPEG -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 182 gr (0.40 lb) 895 gr (1.97 lb)
Physical dimensions 95 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 79
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.2
DXO Low light score not tested 1415
Other
Battery life - 880 photographs
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage xD Picture Card, microSD Card, Internal Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Storage slots 1 Dual
Price at release $380 $0