Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS

The following is a extended comparison of the Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Waterproof and both are designed by Olympus. There is a big difference among the resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and TG-850 iHS (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and TG-850 iHS (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL1 was brought out 4 years earlier than the TG-850 iHS which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-850 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-PL1 scores versus the TG-850 iHS in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Olympus TG-850 iHS Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1 features outer dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-850 iHS has proportions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL1 compared to the TG-850 iHS.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and TG-850 iHS is 86 and 91 respectively.

In many cases, it's hard to see the difference in sensor dimensions simply by researching specs. The pic below might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and TG-850 iHS.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus TG-850 iHS will provide you with extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.