Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500
90 Imaging
39 Features
54 Overall
45


69 Imaging
63 Features
54 Overall
59
Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 3840 x 2160 video
- 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
- 253g - 113 x 66 x 32mm
- Launched May 2019
- Older Model is Olympus TG-5
(Full Review)
- 20MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 16000
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
- Revealed March 2014
- Succeeded the Sony A3000

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 Overview
Below, we will be analyzing the Olympus TG-6 and Sony a3500, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the TG-6 (12MP) and a3500 (20MP) and the TG-6 (1/2.3") and a3500 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

The TG-6 was unveiled 5 years after the a3500 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-6 being a Compact camera and the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the TG-6 matches up against the a3500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Tough TG-6 & Sony Alpha a3500. The full galleries are provided at Olympus TG-6 Gallery & Sony a3500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-6 over the Sony a3500
TG-6 | a3500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | May 2019 | ![]() | March 2014 | More modern by 63 months |
Screen resolution | 1040k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+810k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Olympus TG-6
a3500 | TG-6 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus TG-6 and Sony a3500
TG-6 | a3500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | More exact focus | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen sizing |
Selfie screen | ![]() | No selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither contains Touch friendly screen |
Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison
For those who are looking to carry around your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-6 has got external measurements of 113mm x 66mm x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 253 grams (0.56 lbs) while the Sony a3500 has dimensions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).
Examine the Olympus TG-6 and Sony a3500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the TG-6 compared to the a3500.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-6 and a3500 is 90 and 69 respectively.

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison
Typically, its tough to picture the gap between sensor sizes simply by reading through specs. The pic below may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-6 and a3500.
As you can plainly see, both of those cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The TG-6 having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony a3500 will resolve extra detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The newer TG-6 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 Specifications
Olympus Tough TG-6 | Sony Alpha a3500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus Tough TG-6 | Sony Alpha a3500 |
Category | Waterproof | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Launched | 2019-05-22 | 2014-03-21 |
Physical type | Compact | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic VIII | BIONZ image |
Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 20 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 5456 x 3632 |
Maximum native ISO | 12800 | 16000 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 25 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | Sony E |
Lens zoom range | 25-100mm (4.0x) | - |
Maximal aperture | f/2.0-4.9 | - |
Macro focusing distance | 1cm | - |
Total lenses | - | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Screen resolution | 1,040 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Screen technology | - | TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.47x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting rate | 20.0fps | 4.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | - | 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) |
Flash modes | Auto, Red Eye Reduction, Slow sync. (1st curtain), Red-eye Slow sync. (1st curtain), Fill- in, Manual, Flash Off | Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest 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 | 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PC | 1920 x 1080 |
Maximum video resolution | 3840x2160 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | AVCHD, H.264 |
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 | Built-in | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 253 grams (0.56 lb) | 411 grams (0.91 lb) |
Dimensions | 113 x 66 x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") | 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 340 images | 470 images |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | LI-92B | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes | Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I support) | - |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Pricing at launch | $449 | $398 |