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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290 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
  • Revealed February 2015
  • Later Model is Olympus TG-870
Sony A290
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Previous Model is Sony A230
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290 Overview

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the TG-860 (16MP) and the A290 (14MP) is fairly close but the TG-860 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizes.

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The TG-860 was announced 4 years after the A290 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a comprehensive comparison, below is a short highlight of how the TG-860 scores versus the A290 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Sony A290

 TG-860 A290 
RevealedFebruary 2015June 2010Newer by 57 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Olympus TG-860

 A290 TG-860 
Manual focus Very accurate focus

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A290

 TG-860 A290 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to travel with your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-860 provides exterior dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") having a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Sony A290 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the TG-860 compared to the A290.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the TG-860 and A290 is 91 and 66 respectively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be tough to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by researching specs. The image underneath should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-860 and A290.

All in all, each of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The TG-860 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Olympus TG-860 will provide you with greater detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop images a little more aggressively. The more modern TG-860 should have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A290 Portrait photography highlights
36
decent megapixels (16MP)
provides face detection focusing
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
65
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-860
Street photography with Sony A290
69
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
environment proof
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Sports photography factors
Sony A290 Sports photography factors
49
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proof
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
terrible battery (290 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Travel photography factors
Sony A290 Travel photography factors
71
environment proof
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (21mm)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
53
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse recording
terrible battery (290 per charge)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Landscape photography details
Sony A290 Landscape photography details
48
rather wide (21mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
environment proof
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual exposure
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
58
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
no liveview feature
terrible battery (290 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Vlogging factors
Sony A290 Vlogging factors
33
rather wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone port
9
no video
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Sony A290
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Category Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2015-02-06 2010-06-09
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor 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 surface area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format H.264 -
Mic support
Headphone support
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 224 gr (0.49 lbs) 549 gr (1.21 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.5
DXO Low light score not tested 615
Other
Battery life 300 shots 290 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-50B NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $279 $600