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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
 
Sony SLT-A99 front
Portability
57
Imaging
69
Features
88
Overall
76

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99 Key Specs

Olympus TG-870
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • 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
  • Revealed January 2016
  • Superseded the Olympus TG-860
Sony A99
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
  • Released December 2012
  • Replaced the Sony A900
  • Updated by Sony A99 II
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99 Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus TG-870 and Sony A99, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the TG-870 (16MP) and A99 (24MP) and the TG-870 (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) provide different sensor sizes.

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The TG-870 was manufactured 3 years later than the A99 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a in depth comparison, here is a concise summation of how the TG-870 scores against the A99 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Sony A99

 TG-870 A99 
ReleasedJanuary 2016December 2012Fresher by 38 months

Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Olympus TG-870

 A99 TG-870 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k921kCrisper screen (+308k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus TG-870 and Sony A99

 TG-870 A99 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-870 provides outside 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 A99 has sizing of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus TG-870 and Sony A99 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the TG-870 compared to the A99.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-870 and A99 is 91 and 57 respectively.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing merely by reading specs. The visual below will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-870 and A99.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The TG-870 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh trickier and the Sony A99 will offer you greater detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The newer TG-870 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Portrait photography features
Sony A99 Portrait photography features
36
resolution is good (16MP)
offers face detect focus
manual focus not available
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
81
manual focus
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-870
Street photography with Sony A99
65
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
more heavy than others in class (221 grams)
75
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Sports photography factors
Sony A99 Sports photography factors
51
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
weather proofing
great battery life (300 CIPA)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
78
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
provides tracking focus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect AF
not so great battery life (500 shots)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Travel photography info
Sony A99 Travel photography info
69
great battery life (300 shots)
weather proofing
resolution is good (16MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (21mm)
more heavy than others in class (221g)
does not have a selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.5)
60
weather proof
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse recording
not so great battery life (500 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Landscape photography factors
Sony A99 Landscape photography factors
50
relatively wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
weather proofing
great battery life (300 CIPA)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
74
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
has double storage slots
not so great battery life (500 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-870 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A99 as a Vlogging camera
32
relatively wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly display
lack of microphone support
more heavy than others in class (221g)
76
display is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic port
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-870 and Sony A99
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870Sony SLT-A99
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 Sony SLT-A99
Category Ultracompact Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2016-01-06 2012-12-12
Body design Ultracompact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing 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 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO 12800 -
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 19
Cross focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 921 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) no built-in flash
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
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 221g (0.49 pounds) 812g (1.79 pounds)
Physical dimensions 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 89
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.0
DXO Low light score not tested 1555
Other
Battery life 300 shots 500 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-50B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
Storage slots 1 Dual
Price at release $280 $1,998