Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A6500

Below, we are reviewing the Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A6500, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the TG-860 (16MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the TG-860 (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) possess different sensor size.

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The TG-860 was introduced 20 months prior to the A6500 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick view of how the TG-860 grades against the A6500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 & Sony Alpha a6500. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus TG-860 Gallery & Sony A6500 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus TG-860 has external measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Sony A6500 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A6500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the TG-860 compared to the A6500.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the TG-860 and A6500 is 91 and 81 respectively.

Often, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing merely by checking a spec sheet. The graphic below will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-860 and A6500.

As you can see, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The TG-860 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony A6500 will give you more detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older TG-860 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.