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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42
Olympus Tough TG-3 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 Mark II front
Portability
62
Imaging
75
Features
93
Overall
82

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II 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
  • Released March 2014
  • Refreshed by Olympus TG-4
Sony A9 II
(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
  • 678g - 129 x 96 x 76mm
  • Revealed October 2019
  • Replaced the Sony A9
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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II Overview

Let's examine more in depth at the Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the TG-3 (16MP) and A9 II (24MP) and the TG-3 (1/2.3") and A9 II (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The TG-3 was brought out 6 years prior to the A9 II and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple summary of how the TG-3 scores against the A9 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Sony A9 II

 TG-3 A9 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 II over the Olympus TG-3

 A9 II TG-3 
RevealedOctober 2019March 2014Fresher by 67 months
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1440k460kClearer display (+980k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Sony A9 II

 TG-3 A9 II 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus TG-3 features 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) while the Sony A9 II has specifications of 129mm x 96mm x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the TG-3 vs the A9 II.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-3 and A9 II is 90 and 62 respectively.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be hard to picture the contrast in sensor sizing only by going through a spec sheet. The visual here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-3 and A9 II.

Clearly, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The TG-3 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A9 II will produce more detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics far more aggressively. The older TG-3 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Portrait photography features
Sony A9 II Portrait photography features
37
megapixel count decent (16MP)
comes with face detection autofocus
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
85
manual focus
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Street photography factors
Sony A9 II Street photography factors
59
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
heavier than average in class (247g)
78
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
comes with touch focus
weather sealing
good high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-3
Sports photography with Sony A9 II
47
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
great battery (330 shots)
low fps (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
87
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
high max fps (20.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather sealing
great battery pack (690 CIPA)
comes with phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Travel photography features
Sony A9 II Travel photography features
74
great battery (330 shots)
weather proofing
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
heavier than average in class (247 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
73
great battery pack (690 per charge)
weather sealing
has bluetooth
comes with touch focus
decent megapixels (24MP)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A9 II Landscape photography highlights
56
pretty wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
weather proofing
great battery (330 per charge)
no manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
86
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
good high ISO (51,200)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
great battery pack (690 per charge)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Vlogging info
Sony A9 II Vlogging info
34
pretty wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
lack of external mic jack
heavier than average in class (247g)
36
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have external mic jack
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A9 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-3 and Sony A9 II
 Olympus Tough TG-3Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Tough TG-3 Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
Type Waterproof Pro Mirrorless
Released 2014-03-31 2019-10-03
Body design Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII BIONZ X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 51200
Maximum enhanced ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Lowest enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 693
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 1,440 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology TFT-LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Max silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 20.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in 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
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 247g (0.54 pounds) 678g (1.49 pounds)
Dimensions 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 129 x 96 x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photos 690 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous, 3 or 5 frames)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots Single Two
Price at release $350 $4,498