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Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus TG-860

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus TG-860 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • Successor is Olympus E-P2
Olympus TG-860
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 224g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Replacement is Olympus TG-870
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Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus TG-860 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-P1 and Olympus TG-860, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Waterproof and they are both designed by Olympus. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and TG-860 (16MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and TG-860 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-P1 was announced 6 years earlier than the TG-860 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-P1 scores vs the TG-860 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Olympus TG-860

 E-P1 TG-860 
Focus manually Dial exact focus

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Olympus E-P1

 TG-860 E-P1 
LaunchedFebruary 2015July 2009More recent by 67 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Olympus TG-860

 E-P1 TG-860 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch display Neither includes Touch display

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus TG-860 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-P1 features physical dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Olympus TG-860 has specifications of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-P1 and Olympus TG-860 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-P1 against the TG-860.

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus TG-860 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and TG-860 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus TG-860 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus TG-860 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to envision the difference between sensor measurements purely by checking technical specs. The visual underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P1 and TG-860.

As you have seen, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus TG-860 will resolve extra detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The older E-P1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus TG-860 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus TG-860 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus TG-860 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography info
Olympus TG-860 Portrait photography info
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
36
megapixel count good (16MP)
comes with face detect focusing
no manual focus
no manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P1
Street photography with Olympus TG-860
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no articulating screen
69
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather sealing
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Sports photography information
Olympus TG-860 Sports photography information
40
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
low battery (300 CIPA)
does not have phase detect autofocus
49
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
weather sealing
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Travel photography advice
Olympus TG-860 Travel photography advice
43
no Time Lapse function
low battery (300 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
71
weather sealing
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (21mm)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-860 as a Landscape photography camera
60
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
low battery (300 CIPA)
no Time Lapse function
48
relatively wide (21mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16MP)
weather sealing
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging factors
Olympus TG-860 Vlogging factors
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
screen is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic port
33
relatively wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
does not have mic socket
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Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus TG-860 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Olympus TG-860
 Olympus PEN E-P1Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-P1 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Revealed 2009-07-29 2015-02-06
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic V TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Macro focus range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Yes
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 355g (0.78 pounds) 224g (0.49 pounds)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photos 300 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $182 $279