Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A350, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the TG-860 (16MP) and the A350 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the TG-860 (1/2.3") and A350 (APS-C) use totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The TG-860 was brought out 6 years later than the A350 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A350 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the TG-860 grades against the A350 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A350. The entire galleries are available at Olympus TG-860 Gallery & Sony A350 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-860 offers outside dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) and the Sony A350 has dimensions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 674 grams (1.49 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A350 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the TG-860 compared to the A350.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-860 and A350 is 91 and 62 respectively.

Normally, it's tough to see the contrast in sensor sizing only by seeing specs. The photograph below may give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-860 and A350.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The TG-860 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh harder and the Olympus TG-860 will provide extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images a little more aggressively. The newer TG-860 is going to have an edge in sensor tech.