Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, we are going to illustrate the Olympus TG-5 and Sony A500 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Olympus TG-5 has external dimensions of 113 x 66 x 32 mm (4.45 x 2.6 x 1.26″) and weighs 250 g (0.55 lb / 8.82 oz) (including batteries). Sony A500 has external dimensions of 137 x 104 x 84 mm (5.39 x 4.09 x 3.31″) and weighs 630 g (1.39 lb / 22.22 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Olympus TG-5 and the Sony A500. Olympus TG-5 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 24mm narrower, 38mm shorter and 52mm thinner than Sony A500. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Olympus TG-5 has a built-in lens but Sony A500 doesn't. Once you put a lens on A500, its thickness will increase significantly.
Here is the back view size comparison of the Olympus TG-5 and Sony A500.
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus TG-5 and Sony A500.
Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Olympus TG-5 is significantly lighter (380g ) than the Sony A500 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on A500, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
Thanks to the weather-sealed body of the TG-5, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to the A500.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Olympus TG-5 and Sony A500's LCD screens have the same diagonal size of 3.00 inches.
On the other hand, Sony A500 features a
Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over-the-head levels whereas the Olympus TG-5 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A500.