Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-870

Below is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus TG-870, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact and they are both built by Olympus. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and TG-870 (16MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and TG-870 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL2 was manufactured 5 years prior to the TG-870 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-PL2 matches up against the TG-870 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL2 and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery and Olympus TG-870 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera, you will have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL2 features physical dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-870 has sizing of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus TG-870 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have during that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL2 vs the TG-870.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL2 and TG-870 is 85 and 91 respectively.

Normally, its hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements just by reading through specs. The photograph below will provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and TG-870.

All in all, both of those cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 due to its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus TG-870 will give you extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos far more aggressively. The older E-PL2 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.