Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A55

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A55, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the TG-860 (16MP) and the A55 (16MP) is fairly similar but the TG-860 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizing.

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The TG-860 was launched 4 years after the A55 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a thorough comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the TG-860 matches up versus the A55 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 & Sony SLT-A55. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus TG-860 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.

When you are planning to travel with your camera, you need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus TG-860 offers physical dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Look at the Olympus TG-860 vs Sony A55 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the TG-860 against the A55.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the TG-860 and A55 is 91 and 67 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing a spec sheet. The pic below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-860 and A55.

As you can see, each of the cameras posses the exact same MP but different sensor dimensions. The TG-860 features the tinier sensor which should make getting shallower DOF harder. The newer TG-860 provides a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.