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Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500

Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
54
Overall
45
Olympus Tough TG-6 front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500 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
  • Replaced the Olympus TG-5
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Announced October 2016
  • Older Model is Sony A6300
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Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500 Overview

Here is a complete assessment of the Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500, one being a Waterproof and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the TG-6 (12MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the TG-6 (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The TG-6 was introduced 2 years later than the A6500 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-6 being a Compact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief summation of how the TG-6 scores vs the A6500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-6 over the Sony A6500

 TG-6 A6500 
AnnouncedMay 2019October 2016Fresher by 32 months
Screen resolution1040k922kSharper screen (+118k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Olympus TG-6

 A6500 TG-6 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-6 and Sony A6500

 TG-6 A6500 
Focus manually More precise focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera frequently, you will want to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-6 has got outer dimensions of 113mm x 66mm x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") with a weight of 253 grams (0.56 lbs) whilst the Sony A6500 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Look at the Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at the time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the TG-6 and the A6500.

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-6 and A6500 is 90 and 81 respectively.

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizing simply by going through specs. The visual here should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-6 and A6500.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The TG-6 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A6500 will produce greater detail using its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The fresher TG-6 should have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-6 Portrait photography factors
Sony A6500 Portrait photography factors
40
focusing manually
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
80
has manual focus
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-6
Street photography with Sony A6500
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
more heavy than average (253g)
85
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
features touch to focus
environment proof
very good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-6
Sports photography with Sony A6500
47
fast continuous shooting (20.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
good battery power (340 CIPA)
no shutter priority mode
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
77
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proof
supports phase detect autofocus
terrible battery pack (350 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-6 Travel photography details
Sony A6500 Travel photography details
68
good battery power (340 per charge)
weather proofing
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than average (253g)
MP count low (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
74
environment proof
has bluetooth
features touch to focus
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
terrible battery pack (350 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-6
Landscape photography with Sony A6500
57
focusing manually
relatively wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
good battery power (340 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual mode not available
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
79
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
terrible battery pack (350 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-6 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A6500 as a Vlogging camera
34
relatively wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect autofocus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone jack
more heavy than average (253g)
39
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection autofocus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with external microphone port
does not have selfie friendly screen
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Olympus TG-6 vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-6 and Sony A6500
 Olympus Tough TG-6Sony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Tough TG-6 Sony Alpha a6500
Type Waterproof Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2019-05-22 2016-10-06
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII Bionz X
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 surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 12800 25600
Max enhanced ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 25 425
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Max silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 20.0 frames per sec 11.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, Red Eye Reduction, Slow sync. (1st curtain), Red-eye Slow sync. (1st curtain), Fill- in, Manual, Flash Off Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PC 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Built-in None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 253g (0.56 lb) 453g (1.00 lb)
Dimensions 113 x 66 x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 85
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 1405
Other
Battery life 340 images 350 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I support) SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $449 $1,298