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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A230

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A230 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
  • Announced February 2015
  • Newer Model is Olympus TG-870
Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Revealed May 2009
  • Old Model is Sony A200
  • Replacement is Sony A290
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A230 Overview

Following is a thorough assessment of the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A230, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the TG-860 (16MP) and A230 (10MP) and the TG-860 (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizing.

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The TG-860 was manufactured 5 years after the A230 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going through a full comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the TG-860 matches up versus the A230 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Sony A230

 TG-860 A230 
RevealedFebruary 2015May 2009More modern by 70 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Olympus TG-860

 A230 TG-860 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A230

 TG-860 A230 
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry around your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-860 offers external measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Sony A230 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") and a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Check the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A230 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the TG-860 and the A230.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A230 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-860 and A230 is 91 and 69 respectively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A230 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes simply by going through technical specs. The image here will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-860 and A230.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The TG-860 due to its smaller sensor will make getting bokeh tougher and the Olympus TG-860 will produce extra detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The newer TG-860 is going to have a benefit in sensor technology.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A230 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Portrait photography features
Sony A230 Portrait photography features
36
decent MP (16MP)
comes with face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
54
manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
MP count low (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Street photography camera
Sony A230 as a Street photography camera
69
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Sports photography advice
Sony A230 Sports photography advice
49
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
46
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
doesn't have liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
bad battery (230 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Travel photography advice
Sony A230 Travel photography advice
71
environment sealing
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
rather wide (21mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
45
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
bad battery (230 CIPA)
MP count low (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A230 as a Landscape photography camera
48
rather wide (21mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
focusing manually not possible
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
51
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
screen is small (2.7")
doesn't have liveview
MP count low (10MP)
bad battery (230 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Vlogging info
Sony A230 Vlogging info
33
rather wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no external mic jack
9
no video recording
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Sony A230
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Class Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2015-02-06 2009-05-18
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 3872 x 2592
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 125 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 7.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 10.00 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format H.264 -
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Yes None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 224 gr (0.49 lbs) 490 gr (1.08 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 63
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.3
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 531
Other
Battery life 300 images 230 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots One One
Launch cost $279 $569