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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Revealed April 2012
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M5 II
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
  • Introduced January 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus TG-860
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Olympus TG-870

 E-M5 TG-870 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Olympus E-M5

 TG-870 E-M5 
IntroducedJanuary 2016April 2012More recent by 44 months
Display resolution921k610kCrisper display (+311k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus TG-870

 E-M5 TG-870 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870 size comparison

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

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5
Portrait photography with Olympus TG-870
71
you can focus manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
saves RAW files
36
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
features face detection autofocus
no manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5
Street photography with Olympus TG-870
82
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
features touch to focus
weather proofing
above average high ISO (25,600)
65
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
environment proof
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
more heavy than average in class (221g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography factors
Olympus TG-870 Sports photography factors
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proofing
lack of phase detect AF
51
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
environment proof
great battery power (300 shots)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography features
Olympus TG-870 Travel photography features
66
weather proofing
features touch to focus
good resolution (16MP)
no Time Lapse mode
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
69
great battery power (300 CIPA)
environment proof
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (21mm)
more heavy than average in class (221g)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography info
Olympus TG-870 Landscape photography info
73
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
no Time Lapse mode
50
rather wide (21mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
environment proof
great battery power (300 CIPA)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging info
Olympus TG-870 Vlogging info
34
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
no external mic socket
32
rather wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of external microphone port
more heavy than average in class (221g)
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-870 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Olympus TG-870
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870
Type Advanced Mirrorless Ultracompact
Revealed 2012-04-30 2016-01-06
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Maximum boosted ISO - 12800
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW images
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 610k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 9.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 425g (0.94 lb) 221g (0.49 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 images 300 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $799 $280