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Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A6500

Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36
Olympus TG-820 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A6500 Key Specs

Olympus TG-820 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • 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 A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Raise to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Revealed October 2016
  • Old Model is Sony A6300
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Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A6500 Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus TG-820 iHS versus Sony A6500, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the TG-820 iHS (12MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the TG-820 iHS (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The TG-820 iHS was unveiled 5 years before the A6500 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-820 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summary of how the TG-820 iHS matches up against the A6500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-820 iHS over the Sony A6500

 TG-820 iHS A6500 
Screen resolution1030k922kSharper screen (+108k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Olympus TG-820 iHS

 A6500 TG-820 iHS 
RevealedOctober 2016February 2012More modern by 56 months
Focus manually More exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-820 iHS and Sony A6500

 TG-820 iHS A6500 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-820 iHS comes with external dimensions of 101mm x 65mm x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") having a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) and the Sony A6500 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus TG-820 iHS versus Sony A6500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at the time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the TG-820 iHS and the A6500.

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-820 iHS and A6500 is 92 and 81 respectively.

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizes merely by checking technical specs. The image underneath might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-820 iHS and A6500.

As you can tell, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The TG-820 iHS having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Sony A6500 will give you more detail having an extra 12MP. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged TG-820 iHS is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS Portrait photography information
Sony A6500 Portrait photography information
27
has face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
80
has manual focus
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS Street photography factors
Sony A6500 Street photography factors
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
85
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
has touch focus
environment proofing
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS as a Sports photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Sports photography camera
34
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
max fps very slow (5.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
not so great battery life (220 CIPA)
lacks phase detect autofocus
77
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
environment proofing
has phase detect auto focus
bad battery life (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-820 iHS
Travel photography with Sony A6500
59
weather proof
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
not so great battery life (220 shots)
megapixel count low (12MP)
does not have a selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
74
environment proofing
has bluetooth
has touch focus
decent MP (24MP)
built-in flash
bad battery life (350 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS Landscape photography highlights
Sony A6500 Landscape photography highlights
38
relatively wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
manual mode not possible
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
not so great battery life (220 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse function
79
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
bad battery life (350 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-820 iHS
Vlogging with Sony A6500
33
relatively wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
does not have a selfie friendly display
does not have external mic support
39
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has mic jack
screen is not selfie friendly
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Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-820 iHS and Sony A6500
 Olympus TG-820 iHSSony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus TG-820 iHS Sony Alpha a6500
Class Waterproof Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2012-02-08 2016-10-06
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3968 x 2976 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Highest enhanced ISO - 51200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 425
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.9-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Available lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,030 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology HyperCrystal III TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0fps 11.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.50 m 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 206g (0.45 pounds) 453g (1.00 pounds)
Dimensions 101 x 65 x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 85
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 1405
Other
Battery life 220 photographs 350 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $500 $1,298