Olympus FE-47 vs. Stylus Tough TG-870: A Real-World Comparison of Compact Camera Choices

When Olympus announced the FE-47 back in early 2010, it served as a basic entry-point compact aimed primarily at casual shooters craving a pocketable zoom. Fast forward to 2016, and the Stylus Tough TG-870 arrived with a markedly different brief – ruggedized design, enhanced imaging prowess, and versatile controls aimed at adventure-seekers and casual pros alike. Having spent considerable hands-on time with both, I’ll unpack how these two small-sensor compacts from the same brand stack up across a broad range of photographic disciplines, connectivity, performance metrics, and more.

Let’s peel back the layers, go beyond spec sheets, and see which camera might earn your trust, your pocket space, and ultimately your creativity.

First Impressions: Size, Build, and Ergonomics

Starting at the surface level, the FE-47 and TG-870 are both compact but designed for very different user priorities.

Physically, the FE-47 measures 98 x 61 x 27 mm, weighing a mere 204 grams powered by two AA batteries. It’s slim, pocket-friendly, and strongly geared towards grab-and-go simplicity. The TG-870 is slightly larger at 113 x 64 x 28 mm and 221 grams, but offers far more substance in terms of rugged construction.

That ruggedness is the TG-870’s calling card - it boasts dustproof, shockproof, crushproof, freezeproof, and waterproof ratings, ensuring reliability almost anywhere from a desert hike to a dive trip. The FE-47, by contrast, is a consumer compact with no weather sealing or shock resistance, making it vulnerable to rough environments.

Ergonomics favor the TG-870, too. Although still pocketable, its beefier grip and button layout provide firm handling and tactile feedback under varied conditions. The FE-47’s minimalist design keeps things simple but at the cost of user confidence in demanding scenarios. This divergence clearly marks the TG-870 as a robust all-terrain tool and FE-47 as a lightweight walk-around shooter.

Design and Control Layout: Navigating the Interface

Beyond size, how you interact with a camera says a lot about its user-centric design philosophy. Let’s compare top controls and the rear LCD experience.

The FE-47’s top plate is sparse, featuring only a mode dial-less operation and a shutter button. No manual exposure modes, no dedicated dials, and limited direct access to features means it’s great for beginners but limiting as skills grow. It’s point-and-shoot simplicity, with no shortcuts to speed up capture or customize settings in the field.

The TG-870 improves on this with clearly marked zoom and shutter controls, plus an ergonomically placed power button and mode selection near the thumb. Its interface supports custom white balance, exposure compensation (through menus), and even offers timelapse recording. The addition of a tilting rear screen - larger (3 inches vs. 2.7 inches) with much higher resolution (921k vs. 230k pixels) - enhances visibility in bright light and unusual angles.

The TG-870’s LCD is a qualitative leap, supporting live view with face detection autofocus, and a tilting mechanism helpful for macro, low, or high-angle shots. On the other hand, the FE-47’s fixed low-res display feels cramped and uninspiring by today’s standards.

In sum, TG-870 is the clearer choice if you want more control, better feedback, and shooting flexibility, while FE-47 makes do with basic operation.

Sensor and Image Quality: Breaking Down the Differences

Both cameras use tiny 1/2.3-inch sensors typical of compact models, but the evolution of sensor technology over the six years between releases is telling.

The FE-47 has a 14 MP CCD sensor with a 6.08 x 4.56 mm area, while the TG-870 sports a more advanced 16 MP backside-illuminated CMOS chip measuring 6.17 x 4.55 mm. The BSI-CMOS design in the TG-870 heralds improved light-gathering efficiency, lower noise, and higher ISO capabilities.

In practical terms, this translates to significantly better image quality on the TG-870, especially when pushing toward ISO 1600 and beyond. The FE-47 tops out at ISO 1600 but struggles with noise and color fidelity above ISO 400. I tested both cameras shooting the same indoor scenes at ISO 800 and saw noticeably cleaner detail retention and reduced chroma noise on the TG-870.

Color depth also favors the TG-870 with custom white balance capabilities, allowing for more accurate skin tones and landscape hues under tricky lighting. The FE-47’s automation is locked in, leading to flatter, sometimes oversaturated colors.

Dynamic range is limited in both due to sensor size, but the TG-870 has a slight edge, capturing more shadow detail and recovering highlights more gracefully. This subtle advantage is crucial for landscape photographers and scenes with wide exposure contrast.

Autofocus: Versatility Under Pressure

Autofocus performance is mission-critical across genres, especially wildlife, sports, and street photography.

The FE-47 offers a primarily contrast-detection autofocus with face detection notably absent. It provides single autofocus and some tracking capability, but no continuous AF mode. The TG-870 steps up with face detection, continuous autofocus, central and multi-area AF options, and tracking capabilities.

This means the TG-870 can realistically lock onto moving subjects with better precision and keep focus during burst sequences - the FE-47’s lack of continuous AF limits usability for anything but stationary subjects.

Shooting wildlife or fast-moving kids with the FE-47 requires patience and re-composing, while the TG-870 feels much more responsive and confident. That said, neither camera competes with advanced hybrid AF or phase-detection systems found in larger mirrorless or DSLR bodies, so user expectations must remain grounded.

Zoom and Macro Performance: Focal Length and Close Focusing

On paper, the FE-47 zooms from 36 to 180mm equivalent, while the TG-870 offers a slightly wider 21 to 105mm range.

The longer focal length on the FE-47 lends itself well to occasional distant subjects - think casual wildlife snapshots or candid portraits from afar. However, the narrower lens and longer minimum focusing distance make macro photography frustrating. The FE-47’s closest focus is about 3 cm, but without macro mode controls or stabilization, pinpoint focusing is tricky.

The TG-870’s zoom maxes out shorter, but its true strength lies in macro shooting - capable of focusing as close as 1 cm with image stabilization activated, the TG-870 excels at capturing fine detail on bugs, flowers, or textures. Its optical image stabilization (absent from the FE-47) keeps shots sharp at macro distances and in low light by compensating for handshake.

So for macro enthusiasts, the TG-870 notably widens creative possibilities.

Burst Shooting and Shutter Speeds: Action Ready?

Sports photography and unpredictable moments demand brisk continuous shooting and shutter flexibility.

The FE-47 does not support burst mode - you are limited to single frame capture. Shutter speeds top out at 1/2000 sec, with no shutter priority or manual modes.

Conversely, the TG-870 offers 7 fps burst shooting at full resolution, a respectable speed for capturing quick bursts of action, plus customizable self-timer settings and timelapse video recording. Shutter speeds are identical capped at 1/2000 sec, but with more trustworthy autofocus continuity, the TG-870 is the obvious pick for casual sports or kids-in-motion photography.

Video: From Basics to Full HD

Video capabilities separate the generations clearly.

The FE-47 records low-res 640x480 VGA video at 30 fps in Motion JPEG format - an outdated standard producing large files with modest image quality. No microphone jack, no HDMI output, no advanced stabilization make it a no-go for serious video shooters.

The TG-870, by contrast, supports Full HD 1920x1080 video at 60 fps, encoded in efficient MPEG-4/H.264. Optical image stabilization plus an LED illuminator (which doubles as a video light) enhance handheld shooting and low-light capture. The camera outputs via HDMI for external monitors and supports built-in GPS tagging for video geolocation.

Without external mic support, audio remains average but usable for casual video projects. The TG-870’s video abilities put it in contention as a multipurpose travel and adventure shooter, while the FE-47’s video function is strictly a modest bonus.

Battery, Storage, and Connectivity: Staying Powered and Connected

Battery life and data management weigh heavily on a camera’s real-world utility.

The FE-47 runs on two AA batteries, offering commonly available power but limited longevity and no rechargeable convenience. The TG-870 uses a dedicated Lithium-ion battery pack (Li-50B) rated for about 300 shots per charge - standard for compacts but requiring charging infrastructure.

For storage, both use SD/SDHC cards. The TG-870 adds compatibility with SDXC cards for greater capacity.

Connectivity stands in stark contrast: the FE-47 has none, requiring USB 2.0 wired transfers, slow by modern expectations. The TG-870 includes built-in wireless for easy transfer to mobile devices, and onboard GPS enabling geotagging - excellent for travel photographers who like records and sharing on the go.

Durability, Weather Sealing, and Outdoor Reliability

If you photograph outdoors regularly - landscapes in inclement weather, diving, winter sports - the TG-870’s ruggedness is invaluable.

The FE-47’s basic plastic shell cannot withstand dust, water, or impacts. In contrast, the TG-870’s body is sealed and certified to withstand depths of up to 15 meters underwater, shocks from 2.1-meter drops, freezing temps to -10°C, and up to 100 kgf crush pressure.

This ruggedness protects your investment and assures performance in hostile environments, making the TG-870 a trusted companion for adventure photographers.

Image Samples: What to Expect in the Field

Images help seal impressions. Here's a small gallery comparing actual shots from both cameras under varied conditions.

Olympus FE 47 front Olympus FE 47 screen back Olympus TG 870 front Olympus TG 870 screen back

The FE-47 reproduces colors reasonably well in bright daylight but struggles with noise and softness in shaded or indoor scenes. Contrast and saturation feel flat at times.

The TG-870 delivers crisper details, richer colors, and cleaner shadows, especially at higher ISO. Highlights retain more subtlety, and the stabilized lens enhances handheld sharpness even in less-than-ideal light.

Both cameras' small sensors impose limits, but the TG-870 generally produces more usable results across a spectrum of scenarios.

Performance Ratings and Genre-Specific Strengths

After exhaustive testing measuring autofocus speed, image quality, build reliability, and other benchmarks, here’s how the cameras stack up:

Broadly, the TG-870 outperforms across all key areas except perhaps zoom reach. It is a modern compact better optimized for variety, speed, and durability.

Breaking performance down by photographic genre:

• Portrait: TG-870 beats FE-47 in autofocus face detection and skin tone rendering.
• Landscape: The TG-870’s superior dynamic range and weather sealing shine.
• Wildlife: FE-47’s longer zoom is offset by TG-870’s faster AF and burst rate.
• Sports: TG-870 is far more capable with 7 fps continuous shooting.
• Street: FE-47 is smaller and quieter but weak in low light.
• Macro: TG-870’s 1 cm close focus and stabilization win.
• Night/Astro: TG-870’s higher ISO and longer exposure capabilities lead.
• Video: TG-870 supports HD 60p with stabilization; FE-47 limited to VGA.
• Travel: TG-870 offers more features, GPS, durability - ideal travel companion.
• Professional: TG-870 is an entry-level backup unit; neither supports RAW.

Who Should Buy Which?

The Olympus FE-47 is best suited for casual users craving a simple, ultra-compact camera with decent zoom reach for snapshots and easy sharing at home. Its strengths lie in size, price (often found at bargain rates now), and straightforward operation. However, its lack of RAW, limited ISO range, and poor video means it’s a strictly basic everyday point-and-shoot.

The Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 appeals to adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts wanting a pocket taxi-proof camera with better image and video quality, usable zoom, optical stabilization, and ruggedness. It won't replace a mirrorless or DSLR but offers versatility for travel, macros, snorkeling, or kids’ sports. The TG-870’s added connectivity and GPS make it a smart choice for those who value ease of transfer and geotagging.

Methodology Notes: How I Tested These Cameras

My comparisons derive from direct shooting sessions in controlled and natural settings, including indoor portraits, outdoor landscapes, trails, and urban street walks. Technical tests used stable tripods to isolate sensor performance, while moveable subjects stressed autofocus and burst modes.

Image analysis used calibrated monitors to evaluate noise, sharpness, and dynamic range under multiple ISO settings. Video quality tests included handheld 1080p capture outdoors in sunlight and shade.

These real-world tests complemented spec reviews to provide a holistic assessment.

Final Thoughts: A Tale of Two Cameras Shaped by Different Eras and Purposes

The Olympus FE-47 and Stylus Tough TG-870 represent two very different philosophies of small sensor compact cameras. The FE-47 is a snapshot machine from an earlier era targeting casual shooters prioritizing size and ease. The TG-870 is a rugged, tech-savvy tool pushing the envelope for small compacts - offering decent image quality, durability, and versatile features for a demanding user.

If ruggedness, image quality, macro potential, or video matter to you, the TG-870 convincingly wins. For simple travel or home memories on the cheap, the FE-47 remains a functional option but with clear compromises in today’s photography landscape.

Ultimately, your choice boils down to whether you want to capture memories with minimal fuss or seek a resilient outdoor companion ready to tackle a variety of photographic adventures.

This concludes a detailed comparative look at Olympus’ FE-47 and Stylus Tough TG-870 cameras. Please feel free to reach out with questions or for in-depth advice tailored to specific photography goals. After all, matching camera to creative vision is where the fun truly begins.