Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus TG-870, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact and both are created by Olympus. The resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the TG-870 (16MP) is very similar but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and TG-870 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 was brought out 4 years prior to the TG-870 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-M5 grades vs the TG-870 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Olympus TG-870 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 features external measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Olympus TG-870 has specifications 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-M5 and Olympus TG-870 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have during that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the E-M5 vs the TG-870.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and TG-870 is 81 and 91 respectively.

More often than not, its hard to envision the difference between sensor measurements just by reviewing technical specs. The visual underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and TG-870.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have the same megapixel count but not the same sensor measurements. The E-M5 features the larger sensor which will make getting bokeh simpler. The older E-M5 is going to be behind in sensor technology.