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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30 front
Portability
91
Imaging
45
Features
37
Overall
41

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30 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
  • Revealed February 2015
  • Replacement is Olympus TG-870
Sony QX30
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • " Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.3) lens
  • 193g - 68 x 65 x 58mm
  • Launched September 2014
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30 Overview

Below is a in depth analysis of the Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30, one being a Waterproof and the latter is a Lens-style by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the TG-860 (16MP) and the QX30 (20MP) is pretty well matched and they use the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The TG-860 was brought out 6 months later than the QX30 and they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony QX30 being a Lens-style camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick view of how the TG-860 grades against the QX30 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Sony QX30

 TG-860 QX30 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3""Bigger screen (+3")
Screen resolution460k0kSharper screen (+460k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony QX30 over the Olympus TG-860

 QX30 TG-860 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Sony QX30

 TG-860 QX30 
LaunchedFebruary 2015September 2014Similar generation
Focus manually Lack of manual focusing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30 Physical Comparison

If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus TG-860 has got external 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) while the Sony QX30 has proportions of 68mm x 65mm x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") having a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

Check the Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the TG-860 compared to the QX30.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-860 and QX30 is 91 and 91 respectively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's hard to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reading through technical specs. The visual below might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-860 and QX30.

As you have seen, both of those cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same megapixels. You should expect the Sony QX30 to resolve more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony QX30 as a Portrait photography camera
36
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
provides face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
38
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
comes with face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Street photography camera
Sony QX30 as a Street photography camera
69
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather sealing
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
62
image stabilization (Optical)
provides touch to focus
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Sports photography advice
Sony QX30 Sports photography advice
49
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
provides tracking focus
weather sealing
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
47
incredible zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (200 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Travel photography features
Sony QX30 Travel photography features
71
weather sealing
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (21mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
65
provides touch to focus
megapixel count decent (20MP)
pretty wide (24mm)
very long zoom (720mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
not so great battery pack (200 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony QX30 as a Landscape photography camera
48
really wide (21mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
weather sealing
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
39
pretty wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen ( inches)
no manual mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
not so great battery pack (200 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Vlogging factors
Sony QX30 Vlogging factors
33
really wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have mic jack
35
pretty wide (24mm)
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external microphone jack
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony QX30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Sony QX30
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30
Class Waterproof Lens-style
Revealed 2015-02-06 2014-09-03
Body design Ultracompact Lens-style
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 21-105mm (5.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.7 f/3.5-6.3
Macro focus range 1cm -
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch -
Resolution of screen 460k dot 0k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator None
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Yes None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 224 grams (0.49 pounds) 193 grams (0.43 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 68 x 65 x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photos 200 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-50B NP-BN,
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2, 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $279 $348