Sony Alpha 9 II vs OM System Tough TG-7

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha 9 II and the OM System Tough TG-7, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sony Alpha 9 II was introduced in October 2019 and OM System Tough TG-7 was introduced in September 2023. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 9 II over OM System Tough TG-7.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose OM System Tough TG-7 over Sony Alpha 9 II.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sony Alpha 9 II and OM System Tough TG-7 have 3.0" screens with 1,440k dot and 1,040k dot resolutions respectively. Sony Alpha 9 II has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. OM System Tough TG-7 has a Fixed screen Sony Alpha 9 II also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Electronic (OLED) Viewfinder on Sony Alpha 9 II

Sony Alpha 9 II has a built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 3,686k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 0.78x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on OM System Tough TG-7.

Sony Alpha 9 II features a 24.2 megapixel Full Frame Stacked CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.6 x 23.8 mm and a total area of 847.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 50 - 204,800 in boosted mode. OM System Tough TG-7 features a 12 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800.

Sony Alpha 9 II has Stacked CMOS sensor. The key feature of such sensor is its three-dimensional structure, which consists of multiple layers of semiconductor material and circuitry stacked on top of each other. This allows the sensor to have dedicated layers for image capture and signal processing. This separation allows for faster data readout, reducing rolling shutter effects and enabling high-speed shooting and video recording. It is also more power-efficient.

OM System Tough TG-7 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Sony Alpha 9 II is equipped with BIONZ X processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. OM System Tough TG-7 is equipped with TruePic VIII processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization (5.5 stops of compensation in Sony Alpha 9 II and 2.5 stops of compensation in OM System Tough TG-7). On Sony Alpha 9 II it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in GPS on OM System Tough TG-7

OM System Tough TG-7 has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac/b/g/n 2.4/5 GHz on Sony Alpha 9 II) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Sony Alpha 9 II

Sony Alpha 9 II has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

NFC on Sony Alpha 9 II

Sony Alpha 9 II has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB Type-C inputs for data transfer and battery charging. Sony Alpha 9 II has a Micro HDMI and OM System Tough TG-7 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha 9 II comes with NP-FZ100 battery pack with battery life of 690 shots and OM System Tough TG-7 comes with LI-92B battery pack with battery life of 330 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha 9 II has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slots. OM System Tough TG-7 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I support) card slot.

Shutter

Sony Alpha 9 II has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/32000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/8000 sec with mechanical shutter on Sony Alpha 9 II, and up to 1/2000 sec on OM System Tough TG-7. Sony Alpha 9 II can shoot continuously up to 20.0 fps with electronic shutter and up to 10.0 fps with mechanical shutter. OM System Tough TG-7 can shoot continuously up to 20.0 fps.

Focusing

Sony Alpha 9 II has Fast Hybrid AF (Phase-detection / Contrast-detection) system with 693 focusing points and OM System Tough TG-7 has 25 focusing points. Sony Alpha 9 II has detection range from -3 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Sony Alpha 9 II ranges from -3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Sony Alpha 9 II. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Alpha 9 II and exposure bracketing on OM System Tough TG-7.

Flash

OM System Tough TG-7 has a built-in flash. Sony Alpha 9 II has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Intelligent Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Sony Alpha 9 II.

Sony Alpha 9 II body has dimensions of 129 x 96 x 76 mm (5.08 x 3.78 x 2.99") and OM System Tough TG-7 body has dimensions of 114 x 66 x 33 mm (4.49 x 2.6 x 1.3"). Sony Alpha 9 II weighs 678 g (1.49 lb / 23.92 oz) and OM System Tough TG-7 weighs 253 g (0.56 lb / 8.92 oz).

Sony Alpha 9 II

OM System Tough TG-7

129 mm

96 mm

114 mm

66 mm

96 mm

66 mm

76 mm

33 mm