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Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax K-50

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
42
Overall
40
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Pentax K-50 front
Portability
63
Imaging
58
Features
65
Overall
60

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax K-50 Key Specs

Olympus TG-860
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 224g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Released February 2015
  • Updated by Olympus TG-870
Pentax K-50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 650g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Announced November 2013
  • Old Model is Pentax K-30
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Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax K-50 Overview

Following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus TG-860 versus Pentax K-50, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the TG-860 (16MP) and the K-50 (16MP) is relatively close but the TG-860 (1/2.3") and K-50 (APS-C) use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The TG-860 was brought out 15 months after the K-50 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-50 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the TG-860 scores versus the K-50 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Pentax K-50

 TG-860 K-50 
AnnouncedFebruary 2015November 2013More modern by 15 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Pentax K-50 over the Olympus TG-860

 K-50 TG-860 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Pentax K-50

 TG-860 K-50 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch screen Neither features Touch screen

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax K-50 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus TG-860 enjoys exterior measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Pentax K-50 has specifications of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-860 versus Pentax K-50 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the TG-860 vs the K-50.

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax K-50 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the TG-860 and K-50 is 91 and 63 respectively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax K-50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax K-50 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes purely by viewing technical specs. The pic below might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-860 and K-50.

As you have seen, the two cameras posses the exact same resolution albeit not the same sensor sizes. The TG-860 offers the smaller sensor which should make getting shallower DOF trickier. The newer TG-860 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax K-50 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax K-50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax K-50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus TG-860
Portrait photography with Pentax K-50
35
MP count decent (16MP)
has face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
74
you can focus manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Street photography factors
Pentax K-50 Street photography factors
69
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
very good high ISO (51,600)
no moving screen
heavier than competition (650 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-50 as a Sports photography camera
48
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
weather proofing
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
67
high shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
environment sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
max frames per second low (6.0 frames per second)
bad battery (410 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Travel photography info
Pentax K-50 Travel photography info
71
weather proofing
MP count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (21mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
56
environment sealing
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
bad battery (410 per charge)
heavier than competition (650g)
screen is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Landscape photography features
Pentax K-50 Landscape photography features
47
pretty wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
weather proofing
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
74
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
very good high ISO (51,600)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
bad battery (410 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-860
Vlogging with Pentax K-50
33
pretty wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of external microphone support
28
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
no mic port
heavier than competition (650 grams)
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Olympus TG-860 vs Pentax K-50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Pentax K-50
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Pentax K-50
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Pentax K-50
Type Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2015-02-06 2013-11-27
Body design Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII PRIME M
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 51600
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Total lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/6000s
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Yes Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 224g (0.49 lb) 650g (1.43 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 1120
Other
Battery life 300 photographs 410 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B D-LI109
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $279 $610