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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A99 II

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Sony Alpha A99 II front
Portability
57
Imaging
77
Features
92
Overall
83

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A99 II Key Specs

Olympus TG-860
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • 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
  • Replacement is Olympus TG-870
Sony A99 II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Push to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 849g - 143 x 104 x 76mm
  • Released September 2016
  • Replaced the Sony A99
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A99 II Overview

Following is a thorough assessment of the Olympus TG-860 versus Sony A99 II, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the TG-860 (16MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the TG-860 (1/2.3") and A99 II (Full frame) possess totally different sensor size.

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The TG-860 was manufactured 19 months earlier than the A99 II which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go through a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick summation of how the TG-860 grades against the A99 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Sony A99 II

 TG-860 A99 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 II over the Olympus TG-860

 A99 II TG-860 
ReleasedSeptember 2016February 2015More modern by 19 months
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeFully articulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k460kClearer screen (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A99 II

 TG-860 A99 II 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A99 II Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-860 has outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst the Sony A99 II has sizing of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") having a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Check out the Olympus TG-860 versus Sony A99 II in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at the time. The following is the front view size comparison of the TG-860 compared to the A99 II.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A99 II size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-860 and A99 II is 91 and 57 respectively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A99 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A99 II Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizes only by looking through specs. The pic underneath will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-860 and A99 II.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The TG-860 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh harder and the Sony A99 II will result in more detail due to its extra 26MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged TG-860 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A99 II sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A99 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A99 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Portrait photography advice
Sony A99 II Portrait photography advice
36
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
offers face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
86
focusing manually
great megapixels (42 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
features face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Street photography camera
Sony A99 II as a Street photography camera
69
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
environment proofing
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
weather proof
above average high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-860
Sports photography with Sony A99 II
49
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
82
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great megapixels (42MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
features tracking autofocus
weather proof
has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery (490 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Travel photography features
Sony A99 II Travel photography features
71
environment proofing
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (21mm)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
70
weather proof
supports bluetooth
great megapixels (42 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery (490 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Landscape photography advice
Sony A99 II Landscape photography advice
48
reasonably wide (21mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
environment proofing
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
82
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great megapixels (42MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proof
two card slots
not so great battery (490 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Vlogging information
Sony A99 II Vlogging information
33
reasonably wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
lack of external mic jack
78
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone socket
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A99 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Sony A99 II
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Sony Alpha A99 II
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Sony Alpha A99 II
Type Waterproof Advanced DSLR
Released 2015-02-06 2016-09-19
Physical type Ultracompact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 42 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 7952 x 5304
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Highest boosted ISO - 102400
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW format
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 399
Cross focus points - 79
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully articulated
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames per second 12.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Off, auto, fill, slow sync, redeye reduction, rear sync, high-speed sync, wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Yes None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 224 grams (0.49 pounds) 849 grams (1.87 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 143 x 104 x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 92
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.4
DXO Low light score not tested 2317
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 490 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery & charger
Battery model Li-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS Duo slots
Card slots One 2
Pricing at launch $279 $3,198