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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
42
Overall
40
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 front
Portability
62
Imaging
53
Features
47
Overall
50

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350 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
  • Announced February 2015
  • Successor is Olympus TG-870
Sony A350
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 674g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
  • Launched June 2008
  • Replacement is Sony A380
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Sony A350

 TG-860 A350 
LaunchedFebruary 2015June 2008Fresher by 82 months
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A350 over the Olympus TG-860

 A350 TG-860 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A350

 TG-860 A350 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350 size comparison

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

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Portrait photography factors
Sony A350 Portrait photography factors
35
decent MP (16 megapixels)
offers face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
71
focusing manually
good megapixels (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Street photography camera
Sony A350 as a Street photography camera
69
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
66
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
more heavy than average in class (674g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-860
Sports photography with Sony A350
48
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proofing
no shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A350 as a Travel photography camera
71
weather proofing
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (21mm)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
51
good megapixels (14MP)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse function
more heavy than average in class (674 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A350 as a Landscape photography camera
47
pretty wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
weather proofing
manual focus not available
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
64
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A350 as a Vlogging camera
33
pretty wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone support
9
no video
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A350 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Sony A350
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Sony Alpha DSLR-A350
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Sony Alpha DSLR-A350
Category Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2015-02-06 2008-06-06
Body design Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor 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 area 28.1mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 125 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.49x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless
Hot shoe
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 format H.264 -
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 224 gr (0.49 pounds) 674 gr (1.49 pounds)
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 rating not tested 65
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.5
DXO Low light rating not tested 595
Other
Battery life 300 photographs -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID Li-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, UDMA Mode 5, Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $279 $600