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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42
Olympus Tough TG-3 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 front
Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 Key Specs

Olympus TG-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 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
  • 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
  • Announced March 2014
  • Refreshed by Olympus TG-4
Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Raise to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Launched April 2017
  • New Model is Sony A9 II
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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus TG-3 versus Sony A9, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the resolutions of the TG-3 (16MP) and A9 (24MP) and the TG-3 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) posses totally different sensor size.

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The TG-3 was revealed 4 years prior to the A9 which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a concise overview of how the TG-3 matches up versus the A9 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Sony A9

 TG-3 A9 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Olympus TG-3

 A9 TG-3 
LaunchedApril 2017March 2014Newer by 37 months
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1440k460kSharper screen (+980k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Sony A9

 TG-3 A9 
Screen size3"3"Same screen size
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to travel with your camera, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-3 enjoys outer measurements of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") and a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) and the Sony A9 has measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-3 versus Sony A9 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the TG-3 and the A9.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the TG-3 and A9 is 90 and 65 respectively.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading through a spec sheet. The picture here will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-3 and A9.

As you can see, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The TG-3 using its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Sony A9 will give more detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The more aged TG-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-3 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A9 as a Portrait photography camera
37
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
comes with face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
83
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Street photography highlights
Sony A9 Street photography highlights
59
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
more heavy than average in class (247 grams)
79
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
features focus by touch
weather proofing
above average ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Sports photography features
Sony A9 Sports photography features
47
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment proof
great battery power (330 per charge)
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
86
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
high frames per second (20.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
weather proofing
good battery power (650 per charge)
supports phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Travel photography information
Sony A9 Travel photography information
74
great battery power (330 shots)
environment proof
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than average in class (247g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
73
good battery power (650 CIPA)
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
features focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A9 Landscape photography highlights
56
pretty wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
environment proof
great battery power (330 per charge)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
85
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
above average ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
good battery power (650 shots)
two card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-3
Vlogging with Sony A9
34
pretty wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing external microphone socket
more heavy than average in class (247 grams)
36
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with external microphone socket
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-3 and Sony A9
 Olympus Tough TG-3Sony Alpha A9
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Tough TG-3 Sony Alpha A9
Type Waterproof Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2014-03-31 2017-04-19
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII 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 area 28.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 51200
Highest boosted ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 693
Lens
Lens mount type 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
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 1,440k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech TFT-LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 20.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 247 gr (0.54 lb) 673 gr (1.48 lb)
Physical dimensions 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 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 330 photographs 650 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots Single Two
Launch price $350 $4,498