Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A500
90 Imaging
41 Features
51 Overall
45
63 Imaging
52 Features
52 Overall
52
Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A500 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 April 2015
- Old Model is Olympus TG-3
- Replacement is Olympus TG-5
(Full Review)
- 12MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Introduced August 2009
- Replacement is Sony A560
Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A500 Overview
On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A500, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the TG-4 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the TG-4 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor size.
Photography GlossaryThe TG-4 was introduced 5 years after the A500 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-4 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick view of how the TG-4 scores against the A500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A500 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Tough TG-4 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus TG-4 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-4 over the Sony A500
TG-4 | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | April 2015 | August 2009 | More modern by 69 months | |
Screen resolution | 460k | 230k | Clearer screen (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus TG-4
A500 | TG-4 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Common features in the Olympus TG-4 and Sony A500
TG-4 | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | More precise focus | |||
Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen size | |
Selfie screen | Neither provides selfie screen | |||
Touch friendly screen | Neither provides Touch friendly screen |
Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera often, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-4 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) while the Sony A500 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).
Compare the Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the TG-4 and the A500.
Using size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-4 and A500 is 90 and 63 respectively.
Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it's difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizes just by looking at specs. The image here should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-4 and A500.
As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The TG-4 having a tinier sensor will make getting bokeh harder and the Olympus TG-4 will give you more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The younger TG-4 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.
Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A500 Specifications
Olympus Tough TG-4 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus Tough TG-4 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 |
Type | Waterproof | Entry-Level DSLR |
Announced | 2015-04-13 | 2009-08-27 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | 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 | 12MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4272 x 2848 |
Highest native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 25 | 9 |
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 | - |
Amount of lenses | - | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display size | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 460 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 95% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 5.0 frames/s | 5.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 7.90 m (at ISO 1600) | 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 |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | - | 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 support | ||
Headphone support | ||
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 sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 247g (0.54 pounds) | 630g (1.39 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | not tested | 64 |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 21.8 |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 11.6 |
DXO Low light score | not tested | 772 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 380 images | 520 images |
Battery style | 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, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Retail price | $379 | $638 |