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Olympus TG-630 iHS vs Sony A290

Portability
94 Imaging
36 Features
34 Overall
35
Olympus TG-630 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66 Imaging
54 Features
47 Overall
51

Olympus TG-630 iHS vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Olympus TG-630 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 66 x 22mm
  • Released January 2013
Sony A290
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
  • Released June 2010
  • Superseded the Sony A230
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Olympus TG-630 iHS vs Sony A290 Overview

Below is a in depth analysis of the Olympus TG-630 iHS and Sony A290, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the TG-630 iHS (12MP) and the A290 (14MP) is relatively close but the TG-630 iHS (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The TG-630 iHS was launched 2 years later than the A290 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-630 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving into a thorough comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the TG-630 iHS matches up versus the A290 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-630 iHS over the Sony A290

		

		

			
 TG-630 iHS A290 
ReleasedJanuary 2013June 2010More recent by 32 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)
		

	

	
	

		

		
Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Olympus TG-630 iHS

		

		

			
 A290 TG-630 iHS 
Focus manually  Dial exact focusing
		

	

	
	

		

		
Common features in the Olympus TG-630 iHS and Sony A290

		

		

			
 TG-630 iHS A290 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen  Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen  Neither has Touch friendly screen
		

	

	

	
	
	
	

	

		

		
Olympus TG-630 iHS vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

		

		

			
For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus TG-630 iHS has outer dimensions of 98mm x 66mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.6" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Sony A290 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).
Compare the Olympus TG-630 iHS and Sony A290 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the TG-630 iHS versus the A290.
Olympus TG-630 iHS vs Sony A290 size comparison
Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-630 iHS and A290 is 94 and 66 respectively.
Olympus TG-630 iHS vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison		

	

	
	

		

		
Olympus TG-630 iHS vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

		

		

			
Normally, it is difficult to envision the contrast in sensor measurements just by researching specs. The visual underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-630 iHS and A290.
As you can plainly see, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The TG-630 iHS because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A290 will render more detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs way more aggressively. The newer TG-630 iHS will have an edge in sensor tech.
	
			Olympus TG-630 iHS vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison			
		

	

	
	

		

		
Olympus TG-630 iHS vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

		

		

					

		Olympus TG-630 iHS vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison	

	
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Photography Type Scores

		

	

	
Portrait Comparison
Olympus TG-630 iHS Portrait photography info
Sony A290 Portrait photography info
27
 includes face detection autofocus
 manual focus not available
 no manual control
 external flash not possible
 resolution not great (12MP)
 sensor  is very small (1/2.3")
 no RAW format
65
 has manual focus
 resolution is good (14MP)
 sensor size is good (APS-C)
 offers face detect focus
 delivers RAW files
 no liveview
Photography Glossary
Street Comparison
Olympus TG-630 iHS Street photography advice
Sony A290 Street photography advice
62
 built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 environment proofing
 no moving screen
 sensor  is very small (1/2.3")
 no RAW format
66
 has image stabilization (Sensor based)
 sensor size is good (APS-C)
 delivers RAW files
 no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison
 Olympus TG-630 iHS as a Sports photography camera
 Sony A290 as a Sports photography camera
34
 built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 includes tracking autofocus
 environment proofing
 painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
 no shutter priority mode
 resolution not great (12 megapixels)
 sensor  is very small (1/2.3")
 low battery life (220 CIPA)
 no phase detect autofocus
55
 has image stabilization (Sensor based)
 resolution is good (14 megapixels)
 sensor size is good (APS-C)
 supports phase detect auto focus
 no liveview
 max frames per second low (3.0 frames per second)
 terrible battery life (290 shots)
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Travel Comparison
Travel photography with Olympus TG-630 iHS
Travel photography with Sony A290
59
 environment proofing
 flash built-in
 quite wide (28mm)
 doesn't have Timelapse recording
 low battery life (220 per charge)
 resolution not great (12MP)
 display isn't selfie friendly
 sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
53
 resolution is good (14 megapixels)
 has built in flash
 lack of Timelapse recording
 terrible battery life (290 CIPA)
 display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison
Olympus TG-630 iHS Landscape photography details
Sony A290 Landscape photography details
39
 quite wide (28mm)
 pretty good screen size (3 inches)
 built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 environment proofing
 manual focus not available
 fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
 sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
 no manual control
 resolution not great (12 megapixels)
 sensor  is very small (1/2.3")
 no RAW format
 low battery life (220 shots)
 doesn't have Timelapse recording
58
 has manual focus
 switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
 has image stabilization (Sensor based)
 resolution is good (14MP)
 sensor size is good (APS-C)
 delivers RAW files
 tiny screen (2.7 inches)
 no liveview
 terrible battery life (290 CIPA)
 lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison
Olympus TG-630 iHS Vlogging highlights
Sony A290 Vlogging highlights
33
 quite wide (28mm)
 built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
 includes face detection autofocus
 high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
 sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
 display isn't selfie friendly
 doesn't have external microphone socket
9
 can't shoot video
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Olympus TG-630 iHS vs Sony A290 Specifications

		

		

					

		
		

			Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-630 iHS and Sony A290
 Olympus TG-630 iHSSony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus TG-630 iHS Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Class Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2013-01-08 2010-06-09
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter    
Aspect ratio 4:3 and  16:9 3:2 and  16:9
Max resolution 3968 x 2976 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files    
Autofocusing
Focus manually    
Touch focus    
Continuous AF    
Single AF    
Tracking AF    
AF selectice    
AF center weighted    
AF multi area    
Live view AF    
Face detect AF    
Contract detect AF    
Phase detect AF    
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.9-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly    
Liveview    
Touch capability    
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority    
Aperture priority    
Manual mode    
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB    
Image stabilization    
Built-in flash    
Flash range - 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe    
AE bracketing    
White balance bracketing    
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure    
Average exposure    
Spot exposure    
Partial exposure    
AF area exposure    
Center weighted exposure    
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone support    
Headphone support    
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth    
NFC    
HDMI    
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing    
Water proof    
Dust proof    
Shock proof    
Crush proof    
Freeze proof    
Weight 167g (0.37 pounds) 549g (1.21 pounds)
Physical dimensions 98 x 66 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.6" x 0.9") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.5
DXO Low light score not tested 615
Other
Battery life 220 shots 290 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature    
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $200 $600