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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870 Key Specs

Olympus E-520
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 552g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
  • Launched August 2008
  • Older Model is Olympus E-510
Olympus TG-870
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400 (Boost 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
  • Earlier Model is Olympus TG-860
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870 Overview

Below is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and TG-870 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and TG-870 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-520 was introduced 8 years prior to the TG-870 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-520 scores vs the TG-870 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Olympus TG-870

 E-520 TG-870 
Focus manually More exact focus

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Olympus E-520

 TG-870 E-520 
AnnouncedJanuary 2016August 2008More recent by 89 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Olympus TG-870

 E-520 TG-870 
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 offers physical dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-870 has measurements of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-520 compared to the TG-870.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and TG-870 is 68 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is tough to see the difference between sensor measurements just by looking at specs. The visual underneath may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and TG-870.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-520 with its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus TG-870 will give you greater detail using its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-520
Portrait photography with Olympus TG-870
59
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW files
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
36
decent MP (16MP)
has face detect focusing
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography details
Olympus TG-870 Street photography details
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
fixed screen
65
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment proofing
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
heavier than average in class (221 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography factors
Olympus TG-870 Sports photography factors
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great battery (650 per charge)
comes with phase detect AF
slow fps (4.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (10MP)
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
great battery pack (300 shots)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-870 as a Travel photography camera
52
great battery (650 shots)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
69
great battery pack (300 per charge)
environment proofing
decent MP (16MP)
built-in flash
really wide (21mm)
heavier than average in class (221g)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography features
Olympus TG-870 Landscape photography features
58
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
great battery (650 CIPA)
small screen (2.7 inches)
resolution not great (10MP)
missing Timelapse mode
50
really wide (21mm)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
environment proofing
great battery pack (300 CIPA)
manual focus not available
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging details
Olympus TG-870 Vlogging details
9
no video
32
really wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
does not have mic jack
heavier than average in class (221g)
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Olympus E-520 vs Olympus TG-870 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Olympus TG-870
 Olympus E-520Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-520 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870
Category Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Launched 2008-08-20 2016-01-06
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor - TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias 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
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 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 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported 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
Mic 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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 552g (1.22 lbs) 221g (0.49 lbs)
Physical dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 548 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 photographs 300 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Launch pricing $400 $280