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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A300

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 front
Portability
64
Imaging
49
Features
45
Overall
47

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A300 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
  • Later Model is Olympus TG-870
Sony A300
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
  • Released January 2008
  • Successor is Sony A330
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A300 Overview

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A300, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the TG-860 (16MP) and A300 (10MP) and the TG-860 (1/2.3") and A300 (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

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The TG-860 was brought out 7 years after the A300 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go into a full comparison, here is a simple summary of how the TG-860 scores vs the A300 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Sony A300

 TG-860 A300 
ReleasedFebruary 2015January 2008More modern by 86 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A300 over the Olympus TG-860

 A300 TG-860 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A300

 TG-860 A300 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A300 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-860 comes with outer dimensions 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 Sony A300 has dimensions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Examine the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A300 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the TG-860 against the A300.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A300 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-860 and A300 is 91 and 64 respectively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A300 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes simply by reading specifications. The pic below may offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-860 and A300.

To sum up, each of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The TG-860 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Olympus TG-860 will deliver extra detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images way more aggressively. The more recent TG-860 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A300 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus TG-860
Portrait photography with Sony A300
36
MP count decent (16MP)
offers face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
59
manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Street photography camera
Sony A300 as a Street photography camera
69
screen tilts
image stabilization (Optical)
environment proofing
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-860
Sports photography with Sony A300
49
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
54
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-860
Travel photography with Sony A300
71
environment proofing
MP count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (21mm)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
45
flash built-in
missing Timelapse mode
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Landscape photography info
Sony A300 Landscape photography info
48
rather wide (21mm)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
environment proofing
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
57
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
tiny screen (2.7")
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Vlogging highlights
Sony A300 Vlogging highlights
33
rather wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
no external microphone port
9
can't shoot video
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Sony A300
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
Class Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2015-02-06 2008-01-30
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 3872 x 2592
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 125 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
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 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.49x
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
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) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format H.264 -
Microphone 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 224 gr (0.49 pounds) 632 gr (1.39 pounds)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 131 x 99 x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 64
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.5
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.4
DXO Low light score not tested 538
Other
Battery life 300 shots -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model Li-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Compact Flash
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $279 $0