Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A390

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A390, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the TG-870 (16MP) and the A390 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the TG-870 (1/2.3") and A390 (APS-C) have different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The TG-870 was introduced 5 years later than the A390 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the TG-870 matches up versus the A390 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus TG-870 Gallery & Sony A390 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-870 comes with outer dimensions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) and the Sony A390 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A390 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the TG-870 and the A390.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-870 and A390 is 91 and 66 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements purely by seeing specifications. The photograph here may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-870 and A390.

Plainly, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The TG-870 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Olympus TG-870 will provide extra detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The younger TG-870 provides an advantage in sensor technology.