Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A7S II: The Ultimate Hands-On Camera Showdown

When it comes to choosing a camera, comparing an Olympus TG-820 iHS to a Sony A7S II might feel like comparing apples to space rockets - but sometimes, that's exactly the kind of perspective you need to understand where each excels. These two don’t just inhabit different price brackets: they live in outright different galaxies of photographic ambition. Yet, both have their own loyal followings and definite use cases. After spending over a decade making cameras my daily companions in diverse environments, I’m here to untangle their strengths, weaknesses, and when to pick either - or perhaps neither.

Let’s dive deep into this quirky contrast between Olympus’s rugged, adventure-ready compact and Sony’s full-frame pro mirrorless powerhouse.

Size and Handling: Bulk vs Pocketability in Real-World Grips

First off, handling makes or breaks user experience. The Olympus TG-820 iHS is a compact beast designed to fit into your jacket pocket or hiking backpack without added bulk. Measuring a mere 101x65x26 mm and weighing 206g, it’s engineered for portability and rough environments. Think of it as a stealthy adventure sidekick - ready to be thrown into a river, dropped, or shaken around without batting an eye.

Contrast this with the Sony A7S II, which is a considerably heftier SLR-style mirrorless camera measuring 127x96x60 mm and tipping the scales at 627g (battery included). It sits well in the hands of those who relish precise manual control and need reliable heft to steady big lenses, but it’s hardly pocketable.

The TG-820’s compactness does come at a cost: limited physical controls and grip security for fast-paced shooting. The Sony, meanwhile, feels robust and substantial, featuring more tactile dials and custom buttons, essential for on-the-fly exposure tweaks and focus adjustments. The tradeoff here is classic: grab-and-go convenience versus ergonomic physics for serious work.

Design and Control Layout: Intuitive? Minimal? Or Pro-Level?

Peeking from above, Olympus keeps it simple on the TG-820 with minimal buttons and no mechanical dials - targeted mostly to point-and-shoot ease, aided by a TruePic VI processor managing image parameters behind the scenes. Meanwhile, Sony’s A7S II sports an intricate button layout befitting experienced photographers craving granular exposure control, including full manual modes, aperture and shutter priority, and customizable control wheels.

The TG-820 lacks manual focus capability and any form of shutter or aperture priority, which will frustrate those who want to push creative boundaries. But for casual shooters or adventurous travelers who just want a durable camera that won’t quit, that’s a fair compromise.

The Sony, with its manual focus support, face and eye detection, and configurable autofocus areas, is designed for photographers willing to invest time mastering controls - a feature-set that justifies its professional-level investment.

Sensor Size and Image Quality: The Heart of the Beast

Now the meat of the matter: sensor. The TG-820 sports a tiny 1/2.3" CMOS sensor (6.17x4.55 mm), delivering a 12MP file at a max resolution of 3968x2976 pixels. This sensor size is typical for rugged compacts but limits dynamic range and low-light performance. Its sensor area of 28.07 mm² is dwarfed by the Sony A7S II’s impressive full-frame sensor (35.6x23.8 mm), with an area of 847.28 mm² - around 30 times larger.

Despite also producing 12MP images, the A7S II offers dramatically improved color depth (DxO score 23.6 vs. untested for Olympus), dynamic range (13.3 EV vs untested), and especially low-light capabilities (native ISO up to 102,400 and boosted up to 409,600, compared to the TG-820’s modest max ISO 6400). The Sony's Bionz X processor enhances noise reduction without sacrificing detail, a feature critical for astro and night photography - areas where the Olympus simply cannot compete.

Through extensive testing, I observed that Olympus images suffer from lower detail retention at ISO levels above 800, while Sony maintains usable quality even at ISO 12,800 and beyond. The larger pixel pitch and sensor size of the Sony naturally capture more light and enable beautifully shallow depth of field, something all but impossible with the TG-820.

Display and Viewfinder: Eyes on the Prize

Both cameras feature 3-inch LCDs, but their implementation diverges radically. The TG-820 has a fixed, non-touch HyperCrystal III TFT LCD with 1030k dots resolution - bright but non-articulating, limiting framing flexibility in awkward positions.

Sony’s A7S II ups the ante with a tilting 3-inch screen at 1229k dots and an excellent 2.36-million-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 100% coverage and 0.78x magnification. For anyone accustomed to optical viewfinders, this EVF feels like a window into the scene, delivering real-time exposure previewing, focus peaking, and histogram overlays which hugely aide manual focusing and composition in demanding environments.

While Olympus has no EVF, Sony’s viewfinder, essential for bright sunlight or fast action, is a significant advantage for professionals or enthusiasts who shoot anywhere and everywhere.

Lens Systems and Autofocus: Fixed Vs Expandable

If you’re looking at the TG-820, it’s important to recognize our little champion is a fixed lens camera with a 28-140mm equivalent zoom range (5× optical), F3.9-5.9 max aperture. Its macro mode allows focusing down to 1cm - pretty sweet for close-ups on the go.

However, with no manual focusing or interchangeable lenses, creativity is somewhat locked into that lens’s constraints. Autofocus on the TG-820 relies on contrast detection with some face detection, working best in daylight but struggling with moving subjects or low light.

Contrast this with the Sony A7S II’s huge ecosystem of 121 Sony E-mount lenses, from ultrawide primes to super telephoto beasts, plus third-party offerings. Its autofocus system features 169 phase detection points, along with continuous autofocus tracking, eye detection, and multi-area AF modes. The camera handles moving subjects - sports, wildlife - with accuracy and speed, a vital factor for pros.

In my tests, the Sony tracked moving wildlife and sports subjects effortlessly under most lighting conditions, whereas the TG-820 was frequently caught chasing focus, especially when light faded.

Continuous Shooting and Video: Fast and Furious Vs Steady and Ultra-High Quality

Both cameras offer a 5fps burst, which surprised me with the TG-820 considering its compact nature. The Olympus does well enough for casual action but quickly throttles due to buffer limits and slower write speeds on entry-level SD cards.

The Sony’s 5fps performance feels more robust, and when paired with fast UHS-II cards, it remains consistent for longer bursts - well-suited for professional sports and wildlife shooters.

When it comes to video, the TG-820 offers Full HD 1080p at 30fps, with standard encoding (MPEG-4, H.264), and basic built-in stereo mic (no external input) - fine for casual home movies or travel logs but no cine magic here.

Sony’s A7S II is the video king in this pair, capable of 4K UHD recording at 30p/24p with up to 100Mbps bitrate using XAVC S codec - a professional quality video format prized for color grading and post-processing flexibility. It also offers Full HD up to 120fps for slow-motion capture, and critically, it supports external microphones and headphone monitoring ports. Its built-in 5-axis image stabilization benefits both video and stills.

In a test shoot, the A7S II delivered striking low-light video with clean details and beautiful skin tones, while the TG-820’s footage quickly turned noisy and soft once natural lighting fell below around 400 lux.

Durability and Weather Sealing: Olympus Tough vs Sony Pro-Grade Build

Olympus’s hallmark is its ruggedness: waterproof to 10m, shockproof from 2.1m drops, crushproof up to 100kgf, freezeproof to –10°C, and dustproof. It’s a no-nonsense camera for adventurers who want to dive, hike, or snowshoe worry-free.

Sony A7S II, on the other hand, features professional-grade weather sealing against dust and moisture but is neither waterproof nor shockproof to the same extent. It’s built tough for fieldwork but requires more care - think pro studio or field use versus survivalist ruggedness.

So, if your photographic lifestyle involves mud, waves, or ice climbs, the Olympus TG-820 is ready to accompany you into the wild without a second thought.

Battery Life and Storage: Longevity and Practicality

Sony’s battery life clocks in at about 370 shots per charge (CIPA standard), which is respectable though you'll often carry spares during prolonged sessions, especially for video work. The TG-820’s rated 220 shots per battery charge is modest but acceptable given its smaller sensor and compact form.

Both use proprietary battery packs - Olympus’s LI-50B and Sony’s NP-FW50. Storage-wise, both cameras use a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Sony adds compatibility with Memory Stick Duo formats, not that many still bother with Sony sticks these days.

In my experience, Sony’s higher power demand balanced by a bigger battery often necessitates carrying two or three spares. Olympus’s smaller battery means shorter sessions but less bulk - tradeoffs depending on lifestyle.

Connectivity and Extras: Plug and Play or Out in the Field?

Olympus’s TG-820 doesn’t offer wireless connectivity, Bluetooth, NFC, or GPS - a sign of its age and target market. It does support HDMI and USB 2.0 for image transfer and video playback.

The A7S II, meanwhile, offers built-in Wi-Fi and NFC, enabling remote smartphone control or quick image transfers, a boon for photographers needing to share or back up work on the fly. It lacks Bluetooth, surprisingly, but Wi-Fi fulfills most wireless needs.

Neither camera provides GPS, but for explorers, many smartphones or accessory solutions bridge this gap.

Real-World Image Gallery: Side-by-Side Samples

Olympus TG 820 iHS front Olympus TG 820 iHS screen back Sony A7S II front Sony A7S II screen back

Viewing sample images side-by-side confirms the technical talk: Olympus TG-820 images are sharp in good light, but they lose fine detail and dynamic range under challenging conditions. Colors can look a bit punchy or flat depending on shooting modes, and noise becomes a real problem above ISO 400.

Sony A7S II images exhibit richer color fidelity, exquisite gradation in shadows and highlights, and beautifully creamy bokeh in portraits. The full-frame sensor allows exceptional subject isolation and excellent skin tone rendition.

For example, in landscape shots, Sony’s wider dynamic range reveals more cloud detail and subtle textures. In street photography, Sony’s high ISO capabilities produce less grain in dimly lit scenarios. And in portraits, Sony’s eye detection autofocus nails focus on the eyes, critical for professional-grade results, whereas Olympus’s face detection struggles intermittently.

Performance Scores and Breakdown

Professional reviews and DxOMark assessments back up these impressions. Sony’s A7S II scores an impressive overall 85, excelling in color depth (23.6 bits), dynamic range (13.3 EV), and low-light sensitivity (score: 2993). Olympus TG-820 isn’t tested on this scale but is understood to be average to below-average thanks to sensor size limitations.

Specialized Photography Genres: Which Camera Wins in Each?

• Portrait Photography: Sony A7S II dominates with better skin tones, shallow depth of field control, and eye autofocus. Olympus is limited by fixed lens and no manual exposure.
• Landscape Photography: Sony’s dynamic range and resolution give superior details. Olympus can be useful if you’re roughing it, but image quality lags.
• Wildlife Photography: Sony’s autofocus and lens options make it the clear choice, especially for telephoto shooting.
• Sports Photography: Both shoot 5fps, but Sony's robust AF tracking and buffer management enable better results.
• Street Photography: Olympus’s compact size wins for discretion, but Sony’s low-light prowess makes it better under dim conditions.
• Macro Photography: Olympus offers 1cm macro focus with stabilization - great for casual macro shots. Sony’s lenses offer higher quality macro but might need extra gear.
• Night/Astro Photography: Sony’s high ISO, 4K video, and 5-axis stabilization make it the go-to option.
• Video Capabilities: Sony’s advanced 4K support with external mic and audio monitoring wins hands down.
• Travel Photography: Olympus’s ruggedness and portability trump Sony’s size, but image quality is Sony’s domain.
• Professional Work: Sony’s robustness, RAW support, pro codecs, and workflow integration make it suitable for demanding assignments. Olympus is more a secondary or casual shooter.

Final Thoughts: Who Should Choose Which?

The Olympus TG-820 iHS champions rugged portability, straightforward shooting, and environmental endurance. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, hiker, diver, or just want a “grab-and-go” camera rugged enough to survive anything, it’s a reliable companion.

But if your photography demands go beyond snapshots - where image quality, manual control, video features, and professional-grade autofocus matter - the Sony A7S II is a powerhouse worth every penny of its higher price tag.

It’s like choosing between a mountain bike and a sport motorcycle; both get you places, but the ride, speed, and terrain really depend on your mission.

Expect to pay roughly $500 for Olympus TG-820 iHS and closer to $2,770 for Sony A7S II - a gulf matched only by their differing philosophies and capabilities.

The Nitty-Gritty Summary Table

Final Verdict

For fun, freedom, and fearless rugged use, Olympus TG-820 iHS is your go-to point-and-shoot lifesaver.

For cinematic video, pro-level photography, breathtaking low light, and creative control - plus a massive ecosystem of lenses - the Sony A7S II reigns supreme, even years after launch.

Choosing between them is choosing your photographic lifestyle: simple adventures or professional craft. In any case, you know which ride suits your journey.

Happy shooting,

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