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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Olympus TG-310 front
Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Announced April 2012
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 II
Olympus TG-310
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
  • 155g - 96 x 63 x 23mm
  • Launched January 2011
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Olympus TG-310

 E-M5 TG-310 
LaunchedApril 2012January 2011Fresher by 16 months
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution610k230kClearer screen (+380k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-310 over the Olympus E-M5

 TG-310 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus TG-310

 E-M5 TG-310 
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310 size comparison

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

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography features
Olympus TG-310 Portrait photography features
71
you can focus manually
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
33
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
has face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5
Street photography with Olympus TG-310
82
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has focus by touch
environment proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
66
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
lighter than others in class (155 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography details
Olympus TG-310 Sports photography details
67
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
environment proofing
lack of phase detect autofocus
40
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
max frames per second low (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
terrible battery (150 shots)
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-310 as a Travel photography camera
66
environment proofing
has focus by touch
MP count good (16MP)
doesn't have Timelapse function
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
67
lighter than others in class (155 grams)
environment sealing
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse mode
terrible battery (150 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.9)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography details
Olympus TG-310 Landscape photography details
73
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
doesn't have Timelapse function
39
fairly wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
environment sealing
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.9)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
lack of manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
terrible battery (150 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5
Vlogging with Olympus TG-310
34
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
doesn't have microphone jack
32
fairly wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focusing
lighter than others in class (155 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.9)
display isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone socket
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus TG-310 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Olympus TG-310
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Olympus TG-310
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus TG-310
Type Advanced Mirrorless Waterproof
Announced 2012-04-30 2011-01-06
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI TruePic III+
Sensor type CMOS CCD
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 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 25600 1600
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 35 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-102mm (3.6x)
Largest aperture - f/3.9-5.9
Macro focus range - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 610k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 9.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.20 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425g (0.94 lbs) 155g (0.34 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 96 x 63 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 shots 150 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 LI-42B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $799 $0