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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A9

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
42
Overall
38
Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha A9 front
Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A9 Key Specs

Olympus TG-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 111 x 67 x 29mm
  • Launched June 2013
Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Revealed April 2017
  • Replacement is Sony A9 II
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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A9 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony A9, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the TG-2 iHS (12MP) and A9 (24MP) and the TG-2 iHS (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The TG-2 iHS was unveiled 4 years prior to the A9 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a quick summary of how the TG-2 iHS scores vs the A9 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-2 iHS over the Sony A9

 TG-2 iHS A9 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Olympus TG-2 iHS

 A9 TG-2 iHS 
RevealedApril 2017June 2013More recent by 46 months
Focus manually More accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1440k610kSharper display (+830k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony A9

 TG-2 iHS A9 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to lug around your camera, you have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-2 iHS offers exterior measurements of 111mm x 67mm x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") and a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Sony A9 has sizing of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") and a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony A9 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the TG-2 iHS against the A9.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A9 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-2 iHS and A9 is 91 and 65 respectively.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's difficult to envision the contrast between sensor measurements purely by going over a spec sheet. The visual below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-2 iHS and A9.

As you can see, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The TG-2 iHS with its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony A9 will offer you extra detail having an extra 12MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older TG-2 iHS is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A9 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus TG-2 iHS
Portrait photography with Sony A9
27
features face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
83
you can focus manually
good resolution (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Street photography features
Sony A9 Street photography features
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
79
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
supports touch focus
environment sealing
above average ISO range (51,200)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS as a Sports photography camera
Sony A9 as a Sports photography camera
40
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking autofocus
environment sealing
better than average battery power (350 CIPA)
continuous shooting slow (5.0 fps)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
86
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
quiet mode (1/32,000s)
high max frames per second (20.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
offers tracking autofocus
environment sealing
great battery power (650 shots)
supports phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Travel photography details
Sony A9 Travel photography details
68
better than average battery power (350 CIPA)
environment sealing
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
lack of Timelapse function
megapixel count low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
73
great battery power (650 shots)
environment sealing
has bluetooth
supports touch focus
good resolution (24 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Landscape photography details
Sony A9 Landscape photography details
46
quite wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
better than average battery power (350 CIPA)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not available
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
lack of Timelapse function
85
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
above average ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
great battery power (650 shots)
two card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-2 iHS
Vlogging with Sony A9
36
quite wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external microphone socket
36
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external microphone socket
display is not selfie friendly
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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony A9
 Olympus Tough TG-2 iHSSony Alpha A9
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS Sony Alpha A9
Type Waterproof Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2013-06-28 2017-04-19
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3968 x 2976 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 51200
Highest boosted ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 693
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 610k dots 1,440k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech OLED -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 20.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - no built-in flash
Flash modes - Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
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 BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 230 gr (0.51 lbs) 673 gr (1.48 lbs)
Physical dimensions 111 x 67 x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 92
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 3517
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 650 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-90B NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 and 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous)
Time lapse feature
Storage type - Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots 1 2
Cost at launch $380 $4,498