Olympus E-510 vs Olympus TG-860

Below is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-510 vs Olympus TG-860, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Waterproof and both of them are sold by Olympus. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and TG-860 (16MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and TG-860 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-510 was unveiled 8 years before the TG-860 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving into a full comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-510 scores vs the TG-860 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-510 & Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Olympus TG-860 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-510 offers outer dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Olympus TG-860 has dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-510 vs Olympus TG-860 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-510 compared to the TG-860.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and TG-860 is 69 and 91 respectively.

Often, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements just by looking at technical specs. The photograph here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-510 and TG-860.

As you have seen, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-510 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus TG-860 will give you greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The older E-510 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.