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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony S980

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Olympus TG-870
(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
  • Released January 2016
  • Older Model is Olympus TG-860
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Released February 2009
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony S980 Overview

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus TG-870 versus Sony S980, one is a Ultracompact and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the TG-870 (16MP) and S980 (12MP) but they feature the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The TG-870 was manufactured 6 years after the S980 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the TG-870 scores vs the S980 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Sony S980

 TG-870 S980 
ReleasedJanuary 2016February 2009Newer by 84 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Olympus TG-870

 S980 TG-870 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing

Common features in the Olympus TG-870 and Sony S980

 TG-870 S980 
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-870 provides physical dimensions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") having a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) and the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-870 versus Sony S980 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the TG-870 against the S980.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony S980 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-870 and S980 is 91 and 94 respectively.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions only by looking at technical specs. The picture underneath will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-870 and S980.

As you can tell, both of those cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You should anticipate the Olympus TG-870 to give you more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more recent TG-870 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Portrait photography info
Sony S980 Portrait photography info
36
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
has face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
27
manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Street photography advice
Sony S980 Street photography advice
65
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
more heavy than average (221g)
47
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-870 as a Sports photography camera
Sony S980 as a Sports photography camera
51
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
weather proofing
good battery (300 per charge)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
17
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-870 as a Travel photography camera
Sony S980 as a Travel photography camera
69
good battery (300 shots)
weather proofing
megapixel count good (16MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (21mm)
more heavy than average (221g)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
51
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Landscape photography factors
Sony S980 Landscape photography factors
50
relatively wide (21mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16MP)
weather proofing
good battery (300 CIPA)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
27
manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
manual mode not possible
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-870
Vlogging with Sony S980
32
relatively wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
lack of external microphone support
more heavy than average (221 grams)
22
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic jack
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-870 and Sony S980
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Class Ultracompact Small Sensor Compact
Released 2016-01-06 2009-02-17
Body design Ultracompact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Highest boosted ISO 12800 -
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.5-5.7 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing range 1cm 10cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 921k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 2s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 3.50 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 221g (0.49 pounds) 167g (0.37 pounds)
Dimensions 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 300 images -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID Li-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots One One
Launch price $280 $300