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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A6500

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
42
Overall
38
Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A6500 Key Specs

Olympus TG-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 111 x 67 x 29mm
  • Introduced June 2013
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Introduced October 2016
  • Superseded the Sony A6300
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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A6500 Overview

Here is a comprehensive review of the Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony A6500, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the TG-2 iHS (12MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the TG-2 iHS (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The TG-2 iHS was revealed 4 years prior to the A6500 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the TG-2 iHS matches up vs the A6500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-2 iHS over the Sony A6500

 TG-2 iHS A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Olympus TG-2 iHS

 A6500 TG-2 iHS 
IntroducedOctober 2016June 2013Fresher by 39 months
Focus manually More accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k610kClearer screen (+312k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony A6500

 TG-2 iHS A6500 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry your camera, you will have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-2 iHS has external dimensions of 111mm x 67mm x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") and a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) whilst the Sony A6500 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony A6500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view scale comparison of the TG-2 iHS and the A6500.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-2 iHS and A6500 is 91 and 81 respectively.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be tough to picture the difference in sensor sizing purely by seeing specs. The graphic underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-2 iHS and A6500.

All in all, both of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The TG-2 iHS using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony A6500 will show extra detail because of its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older TG-2 iHS will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Portrait photography camera
27
has face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
low MP (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
80
has manual focus
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Street photography highlights
Sony A6500 Street photography highlights
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
fixed screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
supports focus by touch
weather proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS as a Sports photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Sports photography camera
40
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking focus
weather sealing
great battery life (350 CIPA)
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
77
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
supports phase detect autofocus
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS as a Travel photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Travel photography camera
68
great battery life (350 CIPA)
weather sealing
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
missing Timelapse mode
low MP (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
74
weather proofing
connects via bluetooth
supports focus by touch
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-2 iHS
Landscape photography with Sony A6500
46
quite wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
great battery life (350 CIPA)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not possible
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
missing Timelapse mode
79
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Vlogging information
Sony A6500 Vlogging information
36
quite wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
missing microphone support
39
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with microphone port
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony A6500
 Olympus Tough TG-2 iHSSony Alpha a6500
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS Sony Alpha a6500
Category Waterproof Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-06-28 2016-10-06
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3968 x 2976 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 425
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 610k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech OLED -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options - Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 230g (0.51 lb) 453g (1.00 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 67 x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 85
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.7
DXO Low light score not tested 1405
Other
Battery life 350 photos 350 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-90B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 and 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media - SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $380 $1,298