Olympus TG-870 vs Sony A99

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 & Sony SLT-A99. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus TG-870 Gallery & Sony A99 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.