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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-870

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-870 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
  • New Model is Olympus E-3
Olympus TG-870
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400 (Push to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 221g - 113 x 64 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus TG-860
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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-870 Overview

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-1 versus Olympus TG-870, one is a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact and they are both offered by Olympus. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and TG-870 (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and TG-870 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizes.

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The E-1 was announced 13 years earlier than the TG-870 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-1 matches up against the TG-870 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Olympus TG-870

 E-1 TG-870 
Focus manually Dial precise focus

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Olympus E-1

 TG-870 E-1 
RevealedJanuary 2016November 2003More modern by 147 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution921k134kSharper screen (+787k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Olympus TG-870

 E-1 TG-870 
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-870 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-1 features physical dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-870 has dimensions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-1 versus Olympus TG-870 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-1 against the TG-870.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-870 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and TG-870 is 59 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-870 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-870 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizes purely by going through specs. The picture here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and TG-870.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-1 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus TG-870 will show greater detail with its extra 11 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-1 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-870 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 Portrait photography info
Olympus TG-870 Portrait photography info
46
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview
low MP (5MP)
36
MP count good (16MP)
includes face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-1
Street photography with Olympus TG-870
57
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
lighter than competition in class (735g)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
65
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment proofing
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
heavier than competitors (221g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-870 as a Sports photography camera
40
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather sealing
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview
slow fps (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low MP (5MP)
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
environment proofing
better than average battery life (300 per charge)
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-870 as a Travel photography camera
47
lighter than competition in class (735g)
weather sealing
missing Time Lapse mode
low MP (5MP)
display is not selfie friendly
69
better than average battery life (300 shots)
environment proofing
MP count good (16MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (21mm)
heavier than competitors (221 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus TG-870 Landscape photography highlights
46
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
small screen (1.8")
no liveview
lack of image stabilization
low MP (5MP)
missing Time Lapse mode
50
quite wide (21mm)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
environment proofing
better than average battery life (300 shots)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 Vlogging highlights
Olympus TG-870 Vlogging highlights
9
can't shoot video
32
quite wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
no mic port
heavier than competitors (221 grams)
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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus TG-870 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Olympus TG-870
 Olympus E-1Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-1 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870
Category Pro DSLR Ultracompact
Revealed 2003-11-29 2016-01-06
Body design Large SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - TruePic VII
Sensor type CCD BSI-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 5 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 2560 x 1920 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Max enhanced ISO - 12800
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 1.8 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 134k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 735 grams (1.62 pounds) 221 grams (0.49 pounds)
Physical dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 form - Battery Pack
Battery ID - Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail price $1,700 $280