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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony NEX-7 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
  • Announced February 2015
  • Newer Model is Olympus TG-870
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Revealed December 2011
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus TG-860 and Sony NEX-7, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the TG-860 (16MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the TG-860 (1/2.3") and NEX-7 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The TG-860 was introduced 3 years later than the NEX-7 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a in-depth comparison, here is a short summation of how the TG-860 matches up versus the NEX-7 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Sony NEX-7

 TG-860 NEX-7 
RevealedFebruary 2015December 2011More recent by 39 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Olympus TG-860

 NEX-7 TG-860 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Sony NEX-7

 TG-860 NEX-7 
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-860 provides exterior 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 NEX-7 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Check the Olympus TG-860 and Sony NEX-7 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the TG-860 compared to the NEX-7.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-860 and NEX-7 is 91 and 84 respectively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is difficult to envision the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reading specifications. The visual below will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-860 and NEX-7.

Plainly, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The TG-860 using its tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh tougher and the Sony NEX-7 will offer you more detail using its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs more aggressively. The newer TG-860 will have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Portrait photography info
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography info
36
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
features face detect focus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
77
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Street photography details
Sony NEX-7 Street photography details
69
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
76
has a tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-860
Sports photography with Sony NEX-7
49
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
features tracking focus
environment sealing
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
61
megapixel count decent (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
better than average battery power (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-860
Travel photography with Sony NEX-7
71
environment sealing
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (21mm)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
70
better than average battery power (430 per charge)
megapixel count decent (24MP)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography factors
48
relatively wide (21mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
72
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (430 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
missing Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Vlogging camera
33
relatively wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
missing mic socket
35
provides face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external microphone support
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Sony NEX-7
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Class Waterproof Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2015-02-06 2011-12-13
Physical type Ultracompact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 16000
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Yes None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 224g (0.49 lbs) 400g (0.88 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 81
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.1
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 1016
Other
Battery life 300 shots 430 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch cost $279 $699