Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A550
91 Imaging
41 Features
46 Overall
43
63 Imaging
53 Features
65 Overall
57
Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A550 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 125 - 6400 (Increase to 12800)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
- 221g - 113 x 64 x 28mm
- Launched January 2016
- Older Model is Olympus TG-860
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Announced December 2009
- Old Model is Sony A100
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In this write-up, we are analyzing the Olympus TG-870 and Sony A550, one is a Ultracompact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the TG-870 (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the TG-870 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe TG-870 was announced 6 years after the A550 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving in to a full comparison, below is a brief view of how the TG-870 scores versus the A550 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
Photography Glossary Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A550 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus TG-870 Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Sony A550
| TG-870 | A550 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | January 2016 |  | December 2009 | More modern by 74 months |
Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus TG-870
| A550 | TG-870 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus |  | More precise focus | ||
| Display resolution | 922k |  | 921k | Crisper display (+1k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus TG-870 and Sony A550
| TG-870 | A550 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display type | Tilting |  | Tilting | Tilting display |
| Display sizing | 3" |  | 3" | Equivalent display dimensions |
| Selfie screen |  | Lack of selfie screen | ||
| Touch display |  | Lack of Touch display |
Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison
If you are looking to carry around your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-870 comes with 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) whilst the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).
Examine the Olympus TG-870 and Sony A550 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the TG-870 against the A550.
Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-870 and A550 is 91 and 63 respectively.
Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it is very tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes just by reading through technical specs. The picture underneath will provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-870 and A550.
As you have seen, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The TG-870 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Olympus TG-870 will give you greater detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics far more aggressively. The newer TG-870 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.
Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A550 Specifications
| Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 |
| Category | Ultracompact | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Launched | 2016-01-06 | 2009-12-09 |
| Physical type | Ultracompact | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | TruePic VII | Bionz |
| Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
| Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 365.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 14 megapixels |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4592 x 3056 |
| Highest native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
| Highest boosted ISO | 12800 | - |
| Min native ISO | 125 | 200 |
| RAW support | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| AF single | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| Center weighted AF | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Total focus points | - | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Lens zoom range | 21-105mm (5.0x) | - |
| Maximum aperture | f/3.5-5.7 | - |
| Macro focusing distance | 1cm | - |
| Amount of lenses | - | 143 |
| Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Tilting | Tilting |
| Screen diagonal | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of screen | 921 thousand dots | 922 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | None | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 95% |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.53x |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 4s | 30s |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/4000s |
| Continuous shooting rate | 7.0fps | 7.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
| Change WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in 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 | ||
| AEB | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Maximum flash synchronize | - | 1/160s |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) | - |
| Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
| Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | - |
| Microphone support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | BuiltIn | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 221g (0.49 pounds) | 632g (1.39 pounds) |
| Dimensions | 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | not tested | 66 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 21.9 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.8 |
| DXO Low light rating | not tested | 807 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 300 pictures | 480 pictures |
| Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | Li-50B | NP-FM500H |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Card slots | One | One |
| Launch pricing | $280 | $749 |