Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-500 and Olympus TG-850 iHS, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Waterproof and they are both created by Olympus. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and TG-850 iHS (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and TG-850 iHS (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

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The E-500 was brought out 9 years prior to the TG-850 iHS and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus TG-850 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-500 matches up vs the TG-850 iHS when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Olympus TG-850 iHS Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-500 enjoys physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Olympus TG-850 iHS has measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 and Olympus TG-850 iHS in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at the time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the E-500 against the TG-850 iHS.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and TG-850 iHS is 70 and 91 respectively.

More often than not, it is tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing only by going through technical specs. The photograph below should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and TG-850 iHS.

As you can tell, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-500 featuring a larger sensor will make getting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus TG-850 iHS will show more detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older E-500 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.