Olympus TG-870 vs Sony W290
91 Imaging
40 Features
46 Overall
42
94 Imaging
34 Features
28 Overall
31
Olympus TG-870 vs Sony W290 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 125 - 6400 (Bump 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
- Succeeded the Olympus TG-860
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-140mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
- 167g - 98 x 57 x 23mm
- Launched February 2009
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes Olympus TG-870 vs Sony W290 Overview
Here, we will be reviewing the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony W290, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the TG-870 (16MP) and W290 (12MP) but both cameras boast the identical sensor dimensions (1/2.3").
Photography GlossaryThe TG-870 was launched 6 years later than the W290 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.
Before delving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick overview of how the TG-870 scores versus the W290 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards Olympus TG-870 vs Sony W290 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290. The complete galleries are available at Olympus TG-870 Gallery & Sony W290 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Sony W290
| TG-870 | W290 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | January 2016 | February 2009 | More recent by 84 months | |
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
| Screen resolution | 921k | 230k | Crisper screen (+691k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Olympus TG-870
| W290 | TG-870 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus | More accurate focusing |
Common features in the Olympus TG-870 and Sony W290
| TG-870 | W290 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 3" | 3" | Same screen sizing | |
| Selfie screen | Neither has selfie screen | |||
| Touch friendly screen | No Touch friendly screen |
Olympus TG-870 vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison
If you're aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-870 has external dimensions 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 W290 has measurements of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony W290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that moment. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the TG-870 vs the W290.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the TG-870 and W290 is 91 and 94 respectively.
Olympus TG-870 vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it is very tough to envision the difference between sensor measurements just by going over a spec sheet. The visual underneath might give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-870 and W290.
Clearly, each of the cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Olympus TG-870 to deliver greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The newer TG-870 will have an advantage in sensor innovation.
Olympus TG-870 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideStreet Comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesSports Comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firmsTravel Comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthLandscape Comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoVlogging Comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
Olympus TG-870 vs Sony W290 Specifications
| Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Olympus | Sony |
| Model | Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 |
| Type | Ultracompact | Small Sensor Compact |
| Released | 2016-01-06 | 2009-02-17 |
| Physical type | Ultracompact | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePic VII | - |
| Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16MP | 12MP |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest Possible resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
| Maximum native ISO | 6400 | 3200 |
| Maximum enhanced ISO | 12800 | - |
| Lowest native ISO | 125 | 80 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| Single AF | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Number of focus points | - | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | fixed lens | fixed lens |
| Lens focal range | 21-105mm (5.0x) | 28-140mm (5.0x) |
| Largest aperture | f/3.5-5.7 | f/3.3-5.2 |
| Macro focus distance | 1cm | 10cm |
| Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Screen diagonal | 3 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of screen | 921 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | None | None |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 4s | 2s |
| Max shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/1600s |
| Continuous shutter rate | 7.0 frames per second | 2.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Set WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash range | 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) | 3.90 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
| Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4 |
| Microphone port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| 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 | ||
| Environmental sealing | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 221g (0.49 lb) | 167g (0.37 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") | 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
| 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 photographs | - |
| Battery type | Battery Pack | - |
| Battery model | Li-50B | - |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
| Card slots | Single | Single |
| Price at release | $280 | $230 |