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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A7 III

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
 
Sony Alpha A7 III front
Portability
63
Imaging
74
Features
92
Overall
81

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A7 III Key Specs

Olympus TG-870
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400 (Boost to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 221g - 113 x 64 x 28mm
  • Announced January 2016
  • Older Model is Olympus TG-860
Sony A7 III
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Expand to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 650g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Launched February 2018
  • Replaced the Sony A7 II
  • Renewed by Sony A7 IV
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A7 III Overview

Below is a complete review of the Olympus TG-870 versus Sony A7 III, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the TG-870 (16MP) and A7 III (24MP) and the TG-870 (1/2.3") and A7 III (Full frame) use different sensor sizing.

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The TG-870 was revealed 3 years before the A7 III and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A7 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the TG-870 scores against the A7 III in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Sony A7 III

 TG-870 A7 III 

Reasons to pick Sony A7 III over the Olympus TG-870

 A7 III TG-870 
LaunchedFebruary 2018January 2016More recent by 26 months
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Screen resolution922k921kSharper screen (+1k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-870 and Sony A7 III

 TG-870 A7 III 
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A7 III Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus TG-870 has physical measurements of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Sony A7 III has specifications of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Examine the Olympus TG-870 versus Sony A7 III in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the TG-870 versus the A7 III.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A7 III size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-870 and A7 III is 91 and 63 respectively.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A7 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A7 III Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to picture the gap in sensor measurements merely by going through specs. The photograph here might offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-870 and A7 III.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The TG-870 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A7 III will produce greater detail because of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older TG-870 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A7 III sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A7 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A7 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A7 III Portrait photography highlights
36
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
offers face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
84
manual focus
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Street photography information
Sony A7 III Street photography information
65
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
more heavy than competition (221g)
78
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
supports focus via touch
weather proof
good ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Sports photography features
Sony A7 III Sports photography features
51
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
weather proofing
better than average battery power (300 CIPA)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
87
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
weather proof
good battery power (610 per charge)
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-870
Travel photography with Sony A7 III
69
better than average battery power (300 CIPA)
weather proofing
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (21mm)
more heavy than competition (221g)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.5)
73
good battery power (610 CIPA)
weather proof
has bluetooth
supports focus via touch
resolution is good (24MP)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Landscape photography info
Sony A7 III Landscape photography info
50
reasonably wide (21mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
weather proofing
better than average battery power (300 shots)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
85
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
good ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
good battery power (610 shots)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Vlogging features
Sony A7 III Vlogging features
32
reasonably wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
no microphone jack
more heavy than competition (221 grams)
36
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focus
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with microphone jack
display is not selfie friendly
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A7 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-870 and Sony A7 III
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870Sony Alpha A7 III
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 Sony Alpha A7 III
Class Ultracompact Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2016-01-06 2018-02-27
Body design Ultracompact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 852.0mm²
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 51200
Maximum boosted ISO 12800 204800
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW format
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 693
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 921k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames/s 10.0 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) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 221 gr (0.49 lbs) 650 gr (1.43 lbs)
Dimensions 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 96
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 3730
Other
Battery life 300 photos 610 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One 2
Price at launch $280 $1,998