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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870 Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Launched June 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-410
Olympus TG-870
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • 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
  • Announced January 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus TG-860
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870 Overview

Below, we are comparing the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact and they are both offered by Olympus. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and TG-870 (16MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and TG-870 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-420 was manufactured 8 years prior to the TG-870 which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-420 matches up versus the TG-870 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Olympus TG-870

 E-420 TG-870 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Olympus E-420

 TG-870 E-420 
AnnouncedJanuary 2016June 2008More modern by 91 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Olympus TG-870

 E-420 TG-870 
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-420 enjoys external dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Olympus TG-870 has proportions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs).

See the Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-420 compared to the TG-870.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and TG-870 is 77 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be difficult to see the difference between sensor sizes simply by looking at technical specs. The picture underneath should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and TG-870.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-420 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus TG-870 will give you more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos much more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography advice
Olympus TG-870 Portrait photography advice
56
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
MP count low (10MP)
36
good MP (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 Street photography information
Olympus TG-870 Street photography information
64
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition (426 grams)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
65
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
more heavy than others (221g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 Sports photography info
Olympus TG-870 Sports photography info
38
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
low battery pack (500 CIPA)
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proofing
good battery pack (300 CIPA)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography advice
Olympus TG-870 Travel photography advice
52
lighter than competition (426 grams)
built-in flash
no Timelapse mode
low battery pack (500 CIPA)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
69
good battery pack (300 CIPA)
weather proofing
good MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (21mm)
more heavy than others (221 grams)
does not contain selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography details
Olympus TG-870 Landscape photography details
47
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
low battery pack (500 CIPA)
no Timelapse mode
50
quite wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
weather proofing
good battery pack (300 per charge)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-420
Vlogging with Olympus TG-870
9
can't record video
32
quite wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not contain selfie friendly display
doesn't have external microphone jack
more heavy than others (221g)
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Olympus E-420 vs Olympus TG-870 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Olympus TG-870
 Olympus E-420Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-420 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870
Class Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Launched 2008-06-23 2016-01-06
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Maximum enhanced ISO - 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Macro focus range - 1cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.00 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 grams (0.94 lbs) 221 grams (0.49 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 shots 300 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at release $999 $280