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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A550

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A550 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
  • Launched February 2015
  • Replacement is Olympus TG-870
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced December 2009
  • Older Model is Sony A100
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A550 Overview

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A550, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the TG-860 (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very well matched but the TG-860 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The TG-860 was launched 5 years later than the A550 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the TG-860 grades against the A550 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Sony A550

 TG-860 A550 
IntroducedFebruary 2015December 2009Fresher by 63 months

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus TG-860

 A550 TG-860 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display resolution922k460kClearer display (+462k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A550

 TG-860 A550 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch display Neither comes with Touch display

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry your camera, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-860 comes with outer dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) and the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A550 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the TG-860 versus the A550.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the TG-860 and A550 is 91 and 63 respectively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very difficult to envision the gap between sensor sizing merely by checking technical specs. The graphic here should give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-860 and A550.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The TG-860 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus TG-860 will give you greater detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively. The more modern TG-860 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus TG-860
Portrait photography with Sony A550
36
decent megapixels (16MP)
comes with face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
72
manual focus
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Street photography details
Sony A550 Street photography details
69
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather proof
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
74
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-860
Sports photography with Sony A550
49
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proof
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
low battery life (480 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A550 as a Travel photography camera
71
weather proof
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (21mm)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
52
good MP (14MP)
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
low battery life (480 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Landscape photography info
Sony A550 Landscape photography info
48
reasonably wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
weather proof
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
66
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
low battery life (480 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Vlogging info
Sony A550 Vlogging info
33
reasonably wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have external mic socket
9
no video shooting
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Sony A550
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Category Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2015-02-06 2009-12-09
Body design Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
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 12800
Min native ISO 125 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
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 mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 12.00 m
Flash modes 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
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/160s
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 -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 grams (0.49 lb) 632 grams (1.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 66
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 807
Other
Battery life 300 photos 480 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $279 $749