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Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Olympus TG-320 front
Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Introduced February 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Later Model is Olympus E-PL3
Olympus TG-320
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.5-5.1) lens
  • 155g - 96 x 63 x 23mm
  • Announced January 2012
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320 Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof and both of them are sold by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the TG-320 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and TG-320 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL2 was brought out 11 months earlier than the TG-320 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-320 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-PL2 grades versus the TG-320 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Olympus TG-320

 E-PL2 TG-320 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-320 over the Olympus E-PL2

 TG-320 E-PL2 
AnnouncedJanuary 2012February 2011Fresher by 11 months

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus TG-320

 E-PL2 TG-320 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL2 has got outer dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-320 has specifications of 96mm x 63mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL2 and the TG-320.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and TG-320 is 85 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is hard to see the difference in sensor sizing just by going through technical specs. The visual below may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL2 and TG-320.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL2 featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus TG-320 will show extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The older E-PL2 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography highlights
Olympus TG-320 Portrait photography highlights
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
supports RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
33
good MP (14MP)
has face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Street photography advice
Olympus TG-320 Street photography advice
73
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is fixed
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
lighter than competition (155 grams)
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Sports photography advice
Olympus TG-320 Sports photography advice
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
low fps (3.0 fps)
resolution not great (12MP)
bad battery pack (280 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (14 megapixels)
has tracking focus
weather sealing
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (150 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-320 as a Travel photography camera
51
has built in flash
no Timelapse mode
bad battery pack (280 per charge)
resolution not great (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
67
lighter than competition (155 grams)
weather sealing
good MP (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (150 shots)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus TG-320 Landscape photography highlights
61
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
bad battery pack (280 CIPA)
no Timelapse mode
39
quite wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (14 megapixels)
weather sealing
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
not so great battery power (150 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging features
Olympus TG-320 Vlogging features
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
display isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no microphone port
32
quite wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect autofocus
lighter than competition (155g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus TG-320 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus TG-320
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Olympus TG-320
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Olympus TG-320
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Introduced 2011-02-11 2012-01-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V TruePic III+
Sensor type CMOS CCD
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 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 6400 1600
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-102mm (3.6x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.1
Macro focus range - 3cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m 5.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362g (0.80 lb) 155g (0.34 lb)
Physical dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 96 x 63 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 not tested
DXO Low light score 573 not tested
Other
Battery life 280 images 150 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 LI-42B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $0 $0