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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-860

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-860 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Revealed November 2003
  • Replacement is Olympus E-3
Olympus TG-860
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 224g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Announced February 2015
  • Newer Model is Olympus TG-870
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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-860 Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-1 and Olympus TG-860, former is a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Waterproof and both of them are produced by Olympus. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and TG-860 (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and TG-860 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-1 was unveiled 12 years prior to the TG-860 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-1 scores versus the TG-860 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Olympus TG-860

 E-1 TG-860 
Manual focus Very accurate focus

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Olympus E-1

 TG-860 E-1 
AnnouncedFebruary 2015November 2003More modern by 136 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution460k134kClearer screen (+326k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Olympus TG-860

 E-1 TG-860 
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-860 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera, you will need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-1 comes with external measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") having a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Olympus TG-860 has measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-1 and Olympus TG-860 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-1 compared to the TG-860.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-860 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and TG-860 is 59 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-860 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-860 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very hard to envision the contrast between sensor sizes only by reading a spec sheet. The image underneath might provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and TG-860.

As you can see, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-1 having a bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Olympus TG-860 will offer extra detail having an extra 11MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged E-1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-860 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-860 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-860 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-1
Portrait photography with Olympus TG-860
46
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
resolution not great (5MP)
36
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
comes with face detection focusing
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 Street photography features
Olympus TG-860 Street photography features
57
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
lighter than average (735 grams)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
69
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
environment proofing
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-1
Sports photography with Olympus TG-860
40
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment proof
has phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
max fps low (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (5 megapixels)
49
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment proofing
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography advice
Olympus TG-860 Travel photography advice
47
lighter than average (735 grams)
environment proof
doesn't have Timelapse mode
resolution not great (5 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
71
environment proofing
good megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (21mm)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography details
Olympus TG-860 Landscape photography details
46
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
tiny screen (1.8 inch)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (5 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
48
quite wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
environment proofing
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 Vlogging information
Olympus TG-860 Vlogging information
9
can't shoot video
33
quite wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
no external mic socket
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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-860 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Olympus TG-860
 Olympus E-1Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-1 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860
Category Pro DSLR Waterproof
Revealed 2003-11-29 2015-02-06
Physical type Large SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by - TruePic VII
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 5MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 2560 x 1920 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 1.8" 3"
Resolution of display 134k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Yes
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 735g (1.62 lb) 224g (0.49 lb)
Dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1")
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 - 300 pictures
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID - Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $1,700 $279