Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus TG-810

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Olympus TG-810, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof and both are manufactured by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the TG-810 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and TG-810 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1 was unveiled 15 months before the TG-810 which makes them a generation apart from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-810 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-PL1 grades against the TG-810 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Olympus TG-810. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Olympus TG-810 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera, you have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1 has outside measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Olympus TG-810 has specifications of 100mm x 65mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.6" x 1.0") and a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL1 versus Olympus TG-810 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL1 compared to the TG-810.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and TG-810 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizing purely by seeing specs. The graphic here will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1 and TG-810.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 with its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus TG-810 will show more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.