Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof and both are manufactured by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the TG-310 (14MP) is relatively close but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and TG-310 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 was brought out 16 months later than the TG-310 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-310 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-M5 scores against the TG-310 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Olympus TG-310. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Olympus TG-310 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 provides physical 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-310 has sizing of 96mm x 63mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") having a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 compared to the TG-310.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and TG-310 is 81 and 94 respectively.

In many cases, it can be hard to envision the difference in sensor sizing simply by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph below will provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and TG-310.

As you can see, both of those cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will provide you with greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.