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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS front
Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
40
Overall
37

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS 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
  • Introduced September 2012
Olympus TG-1 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 112 x 67 x 30mm
  • Revealed May 2012
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Overview

On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-PL5 versus Olympus TG-1 iHS, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Waterproof and they are both manufactured by Olympus. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and TG-1 iHS (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and TG-1 iHS (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL5 was manufactured 5 months after the TG-1 iHS which means that they are of a similar generation. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-1 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-PL5 grades against the TG-1 iHS in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus TG-1 iHS

 E-PL5 TG-1 iHS 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-1 iHS over the Olympus E-PL5

 TG-1 iHS E-PL5 
Screen resolution610k460kCrisper screen (+150k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus TG-1 iHS

 E-PL5 TG-1 iHS 
RevealedSeptember 2012May 2012Same generation
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Physical Comparison

When you are planning to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL5 features physical dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Olympus TG-1 iHS has specifications of 112mm x 67mm x 30mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL5 versus Olympus TG-1 iHS in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have during that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL5 against the TG-1 iHS.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and TG-1 iHS is 88 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very hard to picture the gap in sensor dimensions merely by looking through technical specs. The picture here should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and TG-1 iHS.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will result in extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus TG-1 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
27
comes with face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL5
Street photography with Olympus TG-1 iHS
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features focus by touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-1 iHS as a Sports photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
has no phase detect AF
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with tracking focus
weather sealing
great battery (350 per charge)
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography advice
Olympus TG-1 iHS Travel photography advice
75
features focus by touch
resolution is good (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse function
68
great battery (350 shots)
weather sealing
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
lack of Timelapse mode
resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-1 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
74
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
does not have Timelapse function
46
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
great battery (350 shots)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual mode not possible
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging features
Olympus TG-1 iHS Vlogging features
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have microphone socket
36
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
lack of microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-1 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus TG-1 iHS
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Introduced 2012-09-17 2012-05-08
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - TruePic VI
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
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 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 3968 x 2976
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 35 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.0-4.9
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 460k dots 610k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 8.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) -
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 lb) 230g (0.51 lb)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 112 x 67 x 30mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 images 350 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 LI90B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 and 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $400 $399