Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A500

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus TG-860 versus Sony A500, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the TG-860 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the TG-860 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor size.

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The TG-860 was launched 5 years after the A500 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief overview of how the TG-860 matches up against the A500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The complete galleries are available at Olympus TG-860 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

When you are planning to carry around your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-860 provides external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Sony A500 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Olympus TG-860 versus Sony A500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the TG-860 against the A500.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-860 and A500 is 91 and 63 respectively.

Generally, it is difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizes only by viewing a spec sheet. The picture here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-860 and A500.

Clearly, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The TG-860 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Olympus TG-860 will result in greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a little more aggressively. The fresher TG-860 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.