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Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II

Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36
Olympus TG-820 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha A99 II front
Portability
57
Imaging
77
Features
92
Overall
83

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II Key Specs

Olympus TG-820 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
  • 206g - 101 x 65 x 26mm
  • Announced February 2012
Sony A99 II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Expand to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 849g - 143 x 104 x 76mm
  • Introduced September 2016
  • Earlier Model is Sony A99
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Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II Overview

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the TG-820 iHS (12MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the TG-820 iHS (1/2.3") and A99 II (Full frame) boast different sensor sizing.

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The TG-820 iHS was announced 5 years earlier than the A99 II and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-820 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a short summary of how the TG-820 iHS matches up versus the A99 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-820 iHS over the Sony A99 II

 TG-820 iHS A99 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 II over the Olympus TG-820 iHS

 A99 II TG-820 iHS 
IntroducedSeptember 2016February 2012More recent by 56 months
Focus manually Very precise focus
Screen typeFully articulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k1030kSharper screen (+199k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus TG-820 iHS and Sony A99 II

 TG-820 iHS A99 II 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-820 iHS offers outside dimensions of 101mm x 65mm x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") along with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Sony A99 II has measurements of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") having a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the TG-820 iHS versus the A99 II.

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the TG-820 iHS and A99 II is 92 and 57 respectively.

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very hard to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through a spec sheet. The photograph below will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-820 iHS and A99 II.

As you can see, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The TG-820 iHS having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A99 II will provide more detail with its extra 30MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The older TG-820 iHS will be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS Portrait photography advice
Sony A99 II Portrait photography advice
27
has face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
low resolution (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
86
has manual focus
MP count excellent (42 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS Street photography advice
Sony A99 II Street photography advice
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
above average high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS Sports photography advice
Sony A99 II Sports photography advice
34
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking autofocus
environment proof
slow fps (5.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery power (220 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
82
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count excellent (42MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides tracking focus
environment sealing
comes with phase detect autofocus
terrible battery (490 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS as a Travel photography camera
Sony A99 II as a Travel photography camera
59
environment proof
flash built-in
quite wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
bad battery power (220 shots)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
70
environment sealing
has bluetooth
MP count excellent (42 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery (490 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-820 iHS
Landscape photography with Sony A99 II
38
quite wide (28mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
manual exposure not possible
low resolution (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
bad battery power (220 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
82
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count excellent (42 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
no anti-alias filter
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
two card slots
terrible battery (490 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-820 iHS
Vlogging with Sony A99 II
33
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic socket
78
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect autofocus
high video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does have microphone socket
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Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A99 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-820 iHS and Sony A99 II
 Olympus TG-820 iHSSony Alpha A99 II
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus TG-820 iHS Sony Alpha A99 II
Type Waterproof Advanced DSLR
Announced 2012-02-08 2016-09-19
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 42MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3968 x 2976 7952 x 5304
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Highest boosted ISO - 102400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 399
Cross focus points - 79
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.9-5.9 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fully articulated
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 1,030k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech HyperCrystal III TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per second 12.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.50 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Off, auto, fill, slow sync, redeye reduction, rear sync, high-speed sync, wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 206 grams (0.45 pounds) 849 grams (1.87 pounds)
Physical dimensions 101 x 65 x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") 143 x 104 x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 92
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.4
DXO Low light score not tested 2317
Other
Battery life 220 pictures 490 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery & charger
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS Duo slots
Card slots One Two
Price at launch $500 $3,198