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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
42
Overall
40
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
57
Features
65
Overall
60

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37 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
  • Introduced February 2015
  • Replacement is Olympus TG-870
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Released May 2012
  • Older Model is Sony A35
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37 Overview

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the TG-860 (16MP) and the A37 (16MP) is fairly well matched but the TG-860 (1/2.3") and A37 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor size.

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The TG-860 was unveiled 2 years later than the A37 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the TG-860 matches up vs the A37 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Sony A37

 TG-860 A37 
ReleasedFebruary 2015May 2012Fresher by 34 months
Display dimension3"2.6"Larger display (+0.4")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Olympus TG-860

 A37 TG-860 
Manually focus Very accurate focus

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Sony A37

 TG-860 A37 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch display No Touch display

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-860 comes with physical measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst the Sony A37 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the TG-860 compared to the A37.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the TG-860 and A37 is 91 and 67 respectively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing simply by reading through technical specs. The graphic below will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-860 and A37.

As you can tell, both of the cameras have got the exact same resolution but not the same sensor sizing. The TG-860 has got the tinier sensor which should make getting shallower DOF harder. The fresher TG-860 will have an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A37 as a Portrait photography camera
35
good resolution (16MP)
provides face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
74
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Street photography advice
Sony A37 Street photography advice
69
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
weather sealing
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
77
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Sports photography highlights
Sony A37 Sports photography highlights
48
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
provides tracking focus
weather sealing
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
61
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
low battery (500 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Travel photography details
Sony A37 Travel photography details
71
weather sealing
good resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
decently wide (21mm)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
54
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
low battery (500 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A37 as a Landscape photography camera
47
decently wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
weather sealing
focusing manually not possible
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
64
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.6 inch)
low battery (500 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Vlogging factors
Sony A37 Vlogging factors
33
decently wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have microphone port
35
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone port
screen is not selfie friendly
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Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Sony A37
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Sony SLT-A37
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Sony SLT-A37
Type Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2015-02-06 2012-05-16
Body design Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Lowest native ISO 125 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 2.6 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated 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
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 224 gr (0.49 lb) 506 gr (1.12 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 75
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.3
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.9
DXO Low light rating not tested 799
Other
Battery life 300 photos 500 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch pricing $279 $522