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Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20

Portability
90
Imaging
38
Features
51
Overall
43
Olympus Tough TG-5 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
50
Overall
43

Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20 Key Specs

Olympus TG-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Raise to 12800)
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 250g - 113 x 66 x 32mm
  • Launched May 2017
  • Previous Model is Olympus TG-4
  • New Model is Olympus TG-6
Sony TX20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.5-4.6) lens
  • 133g - 96 x 56 x 18mm
  • Introduced February 2012
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Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20 Overview

In this write-up, we will be analyzing the Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the TG-5 (12MP) and TX20 (16MP) but they come with the same exact sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The TG-5 was manufactured 5 years after the TX20 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-5 being a Compact camera and the Sony TX20 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the TG-5 matches up against the TX20 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-5 over the Sony TX20

 TG-5 TX20 
IntroducedMay 2017February 2012Newer by 64 months

Reasons to pick Sony TX20 over the Olympus TG-5

 TX20 TG-5 
Screen resolution922k460kSharper screen (+462k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-5 and Sony TX20

 TG-5 TX20 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to travel with your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-5 has outer dimensions of 113mm x 66mm x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") having a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) while the Sony TX20 has measurements of 96mm x 56mm x 18mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Look at the Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the TG-5 vs the TX20.

Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-5 and TX20 is 90 and 96 respectively.

Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very difficult to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions only by going over a spec sheet. The image below should provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-5 and TX20.

As you can see, both of the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You can count on the Sony TX20 to offer more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively. The fresher TG-5 provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-5 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony TX20 as a Portrait photography camera
39
has manual focus
comes with face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
40
focusing manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
offers face detect focusing
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-5
Street photography with Sony TX20
64
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
no articulating screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
more heavy than others in class (250g)
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers touch to focus
weather proof
screen is fixed
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony TX20 as a Sports photography camera
46
max fps high (20.0 frames per second)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with tracking focus
weather sealing
great battery pack (340 shots)
no shutter priority
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
50
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
offers tracking focus
weather proof
good battery (250 CIPA)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-5
Travel photography with Sony TX20
68
great battery pack (340 per charge)
weather sealing
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than others in class (250 grams)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
72
good battery (250 shots)
weather proof
offers touch to focus
MP count good (16MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony TX20 as a Landscape photography camera
57
has manual focus
relatively wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
great battery pack (340 shots)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
no manual mode
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
52
focusing manually
fairly wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
weather proof
good battery (250 shots)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-5 Vlogging info
Sony TX20 Vlogging info
34
relatively wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detect autofocus
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does not have selfie friendly display
lack of microphone port
more heavy than others in class (250g)
35
fairly wide (25mm)
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing mic jack
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Olympus TG-5 vs Sony TX20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-5 and Sony TX20
 Olympus Tough TG-5Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Tough TG-5 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20
Type Waterproof Ultracompact
Launched 2017-05-17 2012-02-28
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII BIONZ
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Highest boosted ISO 12800 -
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 25 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Max aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/3.5-4.6
Macro focus range 1cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 20.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 3.70 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, slow sync, redeye slow sync, fill, manual, off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Built-in None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 250 grams (0.55 lb) 133 grams (0.29 lb)
Dimensions 113 x 66 x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") 96 x 56 x 18mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 340 shots 250 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-92B NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $449 $330