Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A230
90 Imaging
40 Features
46 Overall
42
69 Imaging
50 Features
40 Overall
46
Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A230 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 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
- 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
- Announced March 2014
- New Model is Olympus TG-4
(Full Review)
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The following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus TG-3 and Sony A230, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the TG-3 (16MP) and A230 (10MP) and the TG-3 (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.
Photography GlossaryThe TG-3 was unveiled 4 years after the A230 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a quick summary of how the TG-3 scores versus the A230 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A230 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Tough TG-3 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The full galleries are available at Olympus TG-3 Gallery and Sony A230 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Sony A230
| TG-3 | A230 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | March 2014 |  | May 2009 | Newer by 60 months |
| Display dimensions | 3" |  | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
| Display resolution | 460k |  | 230k | Clearer display (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Olympus TG-3
| A230 | TG-3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually |  | Very accurate focus |
Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Sony A230
| TG-3 | A230 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display type | Fixed |  | Fixed | Fixed display |
| Selfie screen |  | No selfie screen | ||
| Touch display |  | No Touch display |
Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison
If you're going to travel with your camera, you will need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-3 enjoys outer dimensions of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") with a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) and the Sony A230 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).
See the Olympus TG-3 and Sony A230 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the TG-3 against the A230.
Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-3 and A230 is 90 and 69 respectively.
Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is very tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions purely by checking specifications. The picture here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-3 and A230.
Plainly, the 2 cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The TG-3 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus TG-3 will resolve more detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The newer TG-3 will have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.
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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A230 Specifications
| Olympus Tough TG-3 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Olympus | Sony |
| Model | Olympus Tough TG-3 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 |
| Category | Waterproof | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Announced | 2014-03-31 | 2009-05-18 |
| Body design | Compact | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor | TruePic VII | Bionz |
| Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
| Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.5 x 15.7mm |
| Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 369.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16MP | 10MP |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 3872 x 2592 |
| Highest native ISO | 6400 | 3200 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW pictures | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| AF touch | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| Single AF | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| Center weighted AF | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detect focusing | ||
| Contract detect focusing | ||
| Phase detect focusing | ||
| Number of focus points | - | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Lens focal range | 25-100mm (4.0x) | - |
| Max aperture | f/2.0-4.9 | - |
| Macro focus range | 1cm | - |
| Available lenses | - | 143 |
| Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Display sizing | 3 inch | 2.7 inch |
| Display resolution | 460k dot | 230k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Display tech | TFT-LCD | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | None | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 95 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.55x |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Continuous shooting speed | 5.0 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash range | - | 10.00 m |
| Flash options | Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless |
| Hot shoe | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Maximum 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 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | - |
| Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
| Video format | H.264, Motion JPEG | - |
| Microphone jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | BuiltIn | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 247 gr (0.54 lb) | 490 gr (1.08 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") | 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | not tested | 63 |
| DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 22.3 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 11.4 |
| DXO Low light score | not tested | 531 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 330 shots | 230 shots |
| Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | LI-92B | NP-FH50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage media | SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo |
| Storage slots | One | One |
| Cost at launch | $350 | $569 |
