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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
40
Overall
37

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9 Key Specs

Olympus TG-870
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400 (Push 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
  • Old Model is Olympus TG-860
Sony TX9
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.5-4.6) lens
  • 149g - 98 x 60 x 18mm
  • Revealed July 2010
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9, both Ultracompact digital cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the TG-870 (16MP) and TX9 (12MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The TG-870 was announced 5 years after the TX9 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Ultracompact).

Before going in to a detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the TG-870 matches up versus the TX9 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Sony TX9

 TG-870 TX9 
RevealedJanuary 2016July 2010Newer by 67 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony TX9 over the Olympus TG-870

 TX9 TG-870 
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen dimension3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution922k921kSharper screen (+1k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-870 and Sony TX9

 TG-870 TX9 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-870 has got outer measurements of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") having a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Sony TX9 has measurements of 98mm x 60mm x 18mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 0.7") and a weight of 149 grams (0.33 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the TG-870 and the TX9.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the TG-870 and TX9 is 91 and 95 respectively.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions purely by looking at technical specs. The picture below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-870 and TX9.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Olympus TG-870 to resolve extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The more modern TG-870 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Portrait photography highlights
Sony TX9 Portrait photography highlights
36
good megapixels (16MP)
offers face detect focus
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
27
focusing manually
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Street photography information
Sony TX9 Street photography information
65
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
environment proofing
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
heavier than competition (221 grams)
60
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with touch focus
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
heavier than others in class (149g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-870 as a Sports photography camera
Sony TX9 as a Sports photography camera
51
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
offers tracking focus
environment proofing
great battery power (300 CIPA)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
34
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Travel photography factors
Sony TX9 Travel photography factors
69
great battery power (300 per charge)
environment proofing
good megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (21mm)
heavier than competition (221 grams)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
60
comes with touch focus
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
heavier than others in class (149 grams)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-870
Landscape photography with Sony TX9
50
decently wide (21mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
environment proofing
great battery power (300 per charge)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
no manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
41
focusing manually
reasonably wide (25mm)
big screen (3.5")
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not available
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Vlogging details
Sony TX9 Vlogging details
32
decently wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
no mic jack
heavier than competition (221g)
32
reasonably wide (25mm)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external mic support
heavier than others in class (149 grams)
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony TX9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-870 and Sony TX9
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9
Category Ultracompact Ultracompact
Released 2016-01-06 2010-07-08
Physical type Ultracompact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
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 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Max enhanced ISO 12800 -
Lowest native ISO 125 125
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 21-105mm (5.0x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.7 f/3.5-4.6
Macro focus range 1cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3.5 inches
Screen resolution 921 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 2 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 3.80 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
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 (50 fps), 1440 x 1080 (50, 25fps), 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 221g (0.49 lbs) 149g (0.33 lbs)
Dimensions 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") 98 x 60 x 18mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 300 shots -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model Li-50B NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 sec or 10 sec, portrait1/ portrait2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC/ SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $280 $799