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Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500

Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
54
Overall
45
Olympus Tough TG-6 front
 
Sony Alpha a3500 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 Key Specs

Olympus TG-6
(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
Sony a3500
(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
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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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-6 over the Sony a3500

 TG-6 a3500 
RevealedMay 2019March 2014More modern by 63 months
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper 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 typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 size comparison

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

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-6 Portrait photography information
Sony a3500 Portrait photography information
40
has manual focus
supports face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
77
has manual focus
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-6 as a Street photography camera
Sony a3500 as a Street photography camera
65
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
heavier than competition (253g)
57
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
heavier than average in class (411 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-6 Sports photography information
Sony a3500 Sports photography information
47
high fps (20.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking autofocus
environment proofing
better than average battery (340 per charge)
no shutter priority
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
60
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
good battery power (470 per charge)
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-6 Travel photography highlights
Sony a3500 Travel photography highlights
68
better than average battery (340 per charge)
environment proofing
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
heavier than competition (253 grams)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
60
good battery power (470 shots)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
heavier than average in class (411g)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-6 Landscape photography features
Sony a3500 Landscape photography features
57
has manual focus
quite wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
better than average battery (340 per charge)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
manual mode not possible
low resolution (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
70
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
good battery power (470 shots)
lack of image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-6 Vlogging advice
Sony a3500 Vlogging advice
34
quite wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external mic jack
heavier than competition (253 grams)
26
includes face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
does not have mic support
heavier than average in class (411 grams)
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Olympus TG-6 vs Sony a3500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-6 and Sony a3500
 Olympus Tough TG-6Sony 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