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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-860

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-860 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Bump to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Introduced October 2005
  • Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Successor is Olympus E-510
Olympus TG-860
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 224g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Revealed February 2015
  • Updated by Olympus TG-870
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-860 Overview

Following is a thorough review of the Olympus E-500 and Olympus TG-860, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Waterproof and both are offered by Olympus. There is a huge difference between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and TG-860 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and TG-860 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The E-500 was revealed 10 years prior to the TG-860 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-500 scores vs the TG-860 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Olympus TG-860

 E-500 TG-860 
Manual focus Very precise focus

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Olympus E-500

 TG-860 E-500 
RevealedFebruary 2015October 2005More modern by 113 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k215kSharper display (+245k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Olympus TG-860

 E-500 TG-860 
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch display Neither comes with Touch display

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-860 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 comes with outside dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Olympus TG-860 has sizing of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-500 and Olympus TG-860 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use at that moment. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-500 vs the TG-860.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-860 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and TG-860 is 70 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-860 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-860 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very difficult to envision the gap between sensor sizes only by checking technical specs. The pic below might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and TG-860.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-500 having a larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus TG-860 will resolve extra detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-860 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-860 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-860 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography factors
Olympus TG-860 Portrait photography factors
48
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
resolution not great (8MP)
36
decent MP (16 megapixels)
comes with face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Street photography camera
Olympus TG-860 as a Street photography camera
56
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (479g)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
69
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography factors
Olympus TG-860 Sports photography factors
37
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (8MP)
49
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
weather proofing
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 Travel photography information
Olympus TG-860 Travel photography information
52
lighter than competition in class (479g)
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
resolution not great (8MP)
display is not selfie friendly
71
weather proofing
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (21mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-860 as a Landscape photography camera
43
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
48
pretty wide (21mm)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
weather proofing
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging factors
Olympus TG-860 Vlogging factors
9
no video recording
33
pretty wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone support
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Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-860 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Olympus TG-860
 Olympus E-500Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-500 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860
Also Known as EVOLT E-500 -
Category Advanced DSLR Waterproof
Introduced 2005-10-21 2015-02-06
Physical type Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - TruePic VII
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 400 6400
Max boosted ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Macro focus range - 1cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 215 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 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
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 grams (1.06 pounds) 224 grams (0.49 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 300 photos
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - 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), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $600 $279