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Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A850

Portability
90
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Tough TG-4 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A850 Key Specs

Olympus TG-4
(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
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus TG-3
  • Updated by Olympus TG-5
Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Launched April 2010
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Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A850 Overview

Here, we are matching up the Olympus TG-4 and Sony A850, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the TG-4 (16MP) and A850 (25MP) and the TG-4 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The TG-4 was unveiled 5 years after the A850 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-4 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple summary of how the TG-4 scores versus the A850 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-4 over the Sony A850

 TG-4 A850 
LaunchedApril 2015April 2010More modern by 61 months

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Olympus TG-4

 A850 TG-4 
Display resolution922k460kCrisper display (+462k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-4 and Sony A850

 TG-4 A850 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A850 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-4 has got physical measurements of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") having a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) whilst the Sony A850 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Check out the Olympus TG-4 and Sony A850 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you use during that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the TG-4 against the A850.

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A850 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-4 and A850 is 90 and 54 respectively.

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A850 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A850 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes purely by looking through a spec sheet. The picture here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-4 and A850.

Clearly, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The TG-4 using its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony A850 will result in extra detail having an extra 9MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos way more aggressively. The newer TG-4 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A850 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A850 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A850 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A850 Portrait photography highlights
47
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
features face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
72
focusing manually
amazing resolution (25 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-4
Street photography with Sony A850
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
more heavy than competitors (247 grams)
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Sports photography information
Sony A850 Sports photography information
48
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
environment proofing
great battery power (380 shots)
slow fps (5.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing resolution (25 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
max frames per second low (3.0 frames/s)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Travel photography info
Sony A850 Travel photography info
74
great battery power (380 per charge)
environment proofing
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than competitors (247g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
55
environment sealing
amazing resolution (25MP)
does not have Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-4
Landscape photography with Sony A850
62
focusing manually
really wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
great battery power (380 CIPA)
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
73
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing resolution (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
2 card slots
no liveview feature
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Vlogging details
Sony A850 Vlogging details
34
really wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone port
more heavy than competitors (247 grams)
9
no video shooting
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Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A850 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-4 and Sony A850
 Olympus Tough TG-4Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Tough TG-4 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
Class Waterproof Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2015-04-13 2010-04-15
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 25 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 6048 x 4032
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 5.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.90 m (at ISO 1600) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 247g (0.54 pounds) 895g (1.97 pounds)
Physical dimensions 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 1415
Other
Battery life 380 shots 880 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID 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 Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Card slots 1 Dual
Pricing at release $379 $0