Olympus E-330 vs Olympus TG-870

Here, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-330 and Olympus TG-870, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact and both of them are sold by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-330 (7MP) and TG-870 (16MP) and the E-330 (Four Thirds) and TG-870 (1/2.3") have different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-330 was introduced 10 years before the TG-870 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-330 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-330 scores against the TG-870 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-330 & Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-330 Gallery & Olympus TG-870 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera, you should consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-330 features external measurements of 140mm x 87mm x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) while the Olympus TG-870 has sizing of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-330 and Olympus TG-870 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the E-330 vs the TG-870.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-330 and TG-870 is 65 and 91 respectively.

In many cases, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements just by looking through technical specs. The graphic here will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-330 and TG-870.

As you have seen, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-330 using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus TG-870 will result in more detail using its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older E-330 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.