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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs

Olympus TG-870
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400 (Expand to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 221g - 113 x 64 x 28mm
  • Introduced January 2016
  • Earlier Model is Olympus TG-860
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Revealed December 2011
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Following is a extensive analysis of the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7, one is a Ultracompact and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the TG-870 (16MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the TG-870 (1/2.3") and NEX-7 (APS-C) offer different sensor sizing.

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The TG-870 was manufactured 4 years after the NEX-7 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the TG-870 scores vs the NEX-7 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Sony NEX-7

 TG-870 NEX-7 
RevealedJanuary 2016December 2011More modern by 50 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Olympus TG-870

 NEX-7 TG-870 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing

Common features in the Olympus TG-870 and Sony NEX-7

 TG-870 NEX-7 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement
Display resolution921k921kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-870 provides outer measurements of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Sony NEX-7 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Check out the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the TG-870 and the NEX-7.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-870 and NEX-7 is 91 and 84 respectively.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizes just by viewing a spec sheet. The pic below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-870 and NEX-7.

Clearly, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The TG-870 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony NEX-7 will result in greater detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more modern TG-870 should have an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus TG-870
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-7
36
decent MP (16 megapixels)
provides face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
77
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Street photography info
Sony NEX-7 Street photography info
65
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather sealing
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
heavier than average (221g)
76
tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Sports photography features
Sony NEX-7 Sports photography features
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
good battery power (300 per charge)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
61
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great battery life (430 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-870 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Travel photography camera
69
good battery power (300 per charge)
weather sealing
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (21mm)
heavier than average (221g)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
70
great battery life (430 CIPA)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Landscape photography highlights
Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography highlights
50
reasonably wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
weather sealing
good battery power (300 per charge)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
72
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (430 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Vlogging advice
Sony NEX-7 Vlogging advice
32
reasonably wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
lack of external mic jack
heavier than average (221g)
35
offers face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external mic port
does not contain selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-870 and Sony NEX-7
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Category Ultracompact Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2016-01-06 2011-12-13
Body design Ultracompact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 16000
Maximum enhanced ISO 12800 -
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 921k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic 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 BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 221 gr (0.49 lb) 400 gr (0.88 lb)
Physical dimensions 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 81
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.1
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 1016
Other
Battery life 300 shots 430 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $280 $699