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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS front
Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Launched November 2010
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL1
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-PL2
Olympus TG-850 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 218g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2014
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Overview

Here, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Waterproof and both are created by Olympus. There exists a big gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and TG-850 iHS (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and TG-850 iHS (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL1s was announced 4 years prior to the TG-850 iHS and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-850 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a in depth comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-PL1s scores vs the TG-850 iHS in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Olympus TG-850 iHS

 E-PL1s TG-850 iHS 
Manual focus Very exact focus

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-850 iHS over the Olympus E-PL1s

 TG-850 iHS E-PL1s 
RevealedJanuary 2014November 2010More recent by 39 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus TG-850 iHS

 E-PL1s TG-850 iHS 
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1s enjoys physical measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-850 iHS has dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL1s vs the TG-850 iHS.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and TG-850 iHS is 86 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to visualise the gap in sensor measurements merely by looking through specifications. The graphic here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1s and TG-850 iHS.

To sum up, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s with its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus TG-850 iHS will provide you with extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PL1s will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
35
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Street photography camera
Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Street photography camera
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
fixed screen
69
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
weather proof
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Sports photography advice
Olympus TG-850 iHS Sports photography advice
44
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (290 CIPA)
does not have phase detect AF
51
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
good battery pack (330 per charge)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography advice
Olympus TG-850 iHS Travel photography advice
51
has built in flash
no Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (290 CIPA)
low megapixels (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
72
good battery pack (330 per charge)
weather proof
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (21mm)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
55
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
small screen (2.7")
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery pack (290 shots)
no Time Lapse mode
50
rather wide (21mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
weather proof
good battery pack (330 CIPA)
lack of manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not available
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging advice
Olympus TG-850 iHS Vlogging advice
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external mic port
33
rather wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus TG-850 iHS
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sOlympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1s Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Launched 2010-11-16 2014-01-29
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic V TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
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 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4616 x 3464
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 1/2 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Yes
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334g (0.74 pounds) 218g (0.48 pounds)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 290 photographs 330 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 sec, 12 sec, Custom Self-Timer (1-30 sec start timer, 1-10 pictures, 1-3 sec interval))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $599 $250