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Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus TG-870

Portability
80
Imaging
55
Features
75
Overall
63
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus TG-870 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10 III
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 410g - 122 x 84 x 50mm
  • Introduced August 2017
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M10 II
  • New Model is Olympus E-M10 IV
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
  • Revealed January 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus TG-860
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus TG-870 Overview

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-M10 III and Olympus TG-870, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact and both are created by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-M10 III (16MP) and the TG-870 (16MP) is very similar but the E-M10 III (Four Thirds) and TG-870 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-M10 III was unveiled 21 months later than the TG-870 making them a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M10 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting right into a detailed comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-M10 III grades against the TG-870 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 III over the Olympus TG-870

 E-M10 III TG-870 
RevealedAugust 2017January 2016Fresher by 21 months
Focus manually More accurate focus
Display resolution1040k921kClearer display (+119k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Olympus E-M10 III

 TG-870 E-M10 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 III and Olympus TG-870

 E-M10 III TG-870 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus TG-870 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M10 III features outer dimensions of 122mm x 84mm x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 410 grams (0.90 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-870 has dimensions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M10 III and Olympus TG-870 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M10 III and the TG-870.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus TG-870 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M10 III and TG-870 is 80 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus TG-870 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus TG-870 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to picture the difference between sensor sizing simply by reviewing specifications. The visual underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M10 III and TG-870.

To sum up, both of these cameras feature the identical resolution but different sensor sizing. The E-M10 III features the larger sensor which will make getting shallower DOF easier. The more modern E-M10 III should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus TG-870 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M10 III
Portrait photography with Olympus TG-870
73
you can focus manually
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW formats
36
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has face detection focus
manual focus not available
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Street photography camera
Olympus TG-870 as a Street photography camera
77
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
supports touch focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
heavier than average in class (410g)
65
screen tilts
image stabilization (Optical)
weather proof
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
heavier than competition in class (221 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Sports photography factors
Olympus TG-870 Sports photography factors
69
quiet mode (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
51
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
great battery life (300 shots)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Travel photography info
Olympus TG-870 Travel photography info
67
supports touch focus
MP count good (16MP)
flash built-in
heavier than average in class (410g)
display is not selfie friendly
69
great battery life (300 shots)
weather proof
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (21mm)
heavier than competition in class (221 grams)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-870 as a Landscape photography camera
80
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
50
pretty wide (21mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
weather proof
great battery life (300 per charge)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not available
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Vlogging info
Olympus TG-870 Vlogging info
32
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
missing external mic port
heavier than average in class (410 grams)
32
pretty wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
no external mic port
heavier than competition in class (221 grams)
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus TG-870 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 III and Olympus TG-870
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IIIOlympus Stylus Tough TG-870
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Introduced 2017-08-31 2016-01-06
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VIII TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Max enhanced ISO - 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 125
RAW format
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,040k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 8.6fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.80 m (at ISO 100) 4.00 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash modes Auto, redeye, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, redeye slow sync, fill-in, manual, off Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 410 grams (0.90 lbs) 221 grams (0.49 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 84 x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 330 pictures 300 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-50 Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I/II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $650 $280