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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A77

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42
Olympus Tough TG-3 front
 
Sony SLT-A77 front
Portability
59
Imaging
63
Features
83
Overall
71

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A77 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
  • Later Model is Olympus TG-4
Sony A77
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 50 - 16000 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 732g - 143 x 104 x 81mm
  • Launched October 2011
  • Succeeded the Sony A700
  • Later Model is Sony A77 II
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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A77 Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus TG-3 and Sony A77, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the TG-3 (16MP) and A77 (24MP) and the TG-3 (1/2.3") and A77 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizes.

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The TG-3 was announced 2 years later than the A77 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A77 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summary of how the TG-3 grades against the A77 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Sony A77

 TG-3 A77 
LaunchedMarch 2014October 2011More recent by 30 months

Reasons to pick Sony A77 over the Olympus TG-3

 A77 TG-3 
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k460kCrisper screen (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Sony A77

 TG-3 A77 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A77 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-3 provides outside measurements of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) and the Sony A77 has dimensions of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") and a weight of 732 grams (1.61 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus TG-3 and Sony A77 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the TG-3 and the A77.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A77 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-3 and A77 is 90 and 59 respectively.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A77 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A77 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to visualise the gap in sensor measurements merely by seeing specifications. The visual here might offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-3 and A77.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The TG-3 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A77 will provide more detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The newer TG-3 will have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A77 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A77 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A77 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus TG-3
Portrait photography with Sony A77
37
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
features face detect focusing
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
77
manual focus
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features face detect focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Street photography details
Sony A77 Street photography details
59
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proofing
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
more heavy than competition in class (247 grams)
74
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-3
Sports photography with Sony A77
47
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
features tracking focus
environment proofing
better than average battery (330 per charge)
slow frames per second (5.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
74
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
bad battery life (470 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-3 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A77 as a Travel photography camera
74
better than average battery (330 CIPA)
environment proofing
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than competition in class (247g)
display isn't selfie friendly
62
weather proofing
megapixel count decent (24MP)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Timelapse function
bad battery life (470 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A77 as a Landscape photography camera
56
relatively wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
environment proofing
better than average battery (330 shots)
no manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
71
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
bad battery life (470 per charge)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-3
Vlogging with Sony A77
34
relatively wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone port
more heavy than competition in class (247 grams)
76
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes microphone support
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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony A77 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-3 and Sony A77
 Olympus Tough TG-3Sony SLT-A77
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Tough TG-3 Sony SLT-A77
Category Waterproof Advanced DSLR
Announced 2014-03-31 2011-10-25
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII Bionz
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 area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 16000
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 50
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to 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 - 19
Cross focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech TFT-LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames per sec 12.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/250s
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) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 247g (0.54 lbs) 732g (1.61 lbs)
Dimensions 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 143 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 78
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.2
DXO Low light score not tested 801
Other
Battery life 330 shots 470 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-92B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $350 $900