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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-310

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Olympus TG-310 front
Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-310 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Launched September 2012
Olympus TG-310
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
  • 155g - 96 x 63 x 23mm
  • Announced January 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-310 Overview

Here is a in-depth review of the Olympus E-PL5 versus Olympus TG-310, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Waterproof and both of them are produced by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the TG-310 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and TG-310 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was manufactured 21 months later than the TG-310 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-310 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a more detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-PL5 scores against the TG-310 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus TG-310

 E-PL5 TG-310 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012January 2011Fresher by 21 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-310 over the Olympus E-PL5

 TG-310 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus TG-310

 E-PL5 TG-310 

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-310 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with physical dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Olympus TG-310 has sizing of 96mm x 63mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") along with a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL5 versus Olympus TG-310 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the TG-310.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-310 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and TG-310 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-310 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-310 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizing purely by checking specs. The visual below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and TG-310.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL5 will give more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The younger E-PL5 is going to have an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-310 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-310 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-310 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography features
Olympus TG-310 Portrait photography features
71
focusing manually
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
33
good resolution (14MP)
comes with face detection focus
manual focus not available
no manual control
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography details
Olympus TG-310 Street photography details
85
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
provides focus via touch
very good ISO range (25,600)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
lighter than average in class (155g)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography features
Olympus TG-310 Sports photography features
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
does not have phase detect autofocus
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment proof
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery pack (150 CIPA)
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography info
Olympus TG-310 Travel photography info
75
provides focus via touch
decent MP (16MP)
screen is selfie friendly
no Time Lapse recording
67
lighter than average in class (155g)
environment proof
good resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low battery pack (150 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL5
Landscape photography with Olympus TG-310
74
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
no Time Lapse recording
39
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
environment proof
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual control
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
low battery pack (150 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging features
Olympus TG-310 Vlogging features
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
no mic port
32
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focus
lighter than average in class (155 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone port
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-310 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus TG-310
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Olympus TG-310
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Olympus TG-310
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Launched 2012-09-17 2011-01-06
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - 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 area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 25600 1600
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 35 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-102mm (3.6x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.9-5.9
Macro focus range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 4.20 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 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 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325 grams (0.72 pounds) 155 grams (0.34 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 96 x 63 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 shots 150 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 LI-42B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $400 $0