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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Olympus Tough TG-6 front
Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
54
Overall
45

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6 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
  • Revealed September 2012
Olympus TG-6
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 253g - 113 x 66 x 32mm
  • Revealed May 2019
  • Superseded the Olympus TG-5
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6 Overview

Below is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof and both are created by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and TG-6 (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and TG-6 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was announced 7 years prior to the TG-6 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-6 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the E-PL5 grades vs the TG-6 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus TG-6

 E-PL5 TG-6 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-6 over the Olympus E-PL5

 TG-6 E-PL5 
RevealedMay 2019September 2012More recent by 81 months
Screen resolution1040k460kSharper screen (+580k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus TG-6

 E-PL5 TG-6 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys physical measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-6 has proportions of 113mm x 66mm x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") having a weight of 253 grams (0.56 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL5 against the TG-6.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and TG-6 is 88 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very tough to picture the contrast in sensor measurements purely by seeing a spec sheet. The visual below might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and TG-6.

Clearly, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will provide extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL5 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography advice
Olympus TG-6 Portrait photography advice
71
focusing manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
40
manual focus
supports face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography advice
Olympus TG-6 Street photography advice
85
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/2.3")
more heavy than competition in class (253g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography info
Olympus TG-6 Sports photography info
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
has no phase detect AF
47
fast continuous shooting (20.0 frames per second)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking autofocus
environment sealing
good battery pack (340 shots)
lack of shutter priority mode
low MP (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-6 as a Travel photography camera
75
has focus via touch
MP count good (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse recording
68
good battery pack (340 shots)
environment sealing
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than competition in class (253g)
low MP (12 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-6 as a Landscape photography camera
74
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
missing Timelapse recording
57
manual focus
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
good battery pack (340 per charge)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
manual mode not available
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus TG-6 as a Vlogging camera
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
missing microphone support
34
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
doesn't have external microphone socket
more heavy than competition in class (253g)
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus TG-6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus TG-6
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Olympus Tough TG-6
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Olympus Tough TG-6
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Revealed 2012-09-17 2019-05-22
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - TruePic VIII
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 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.0-4.9
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames/s 20.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Red Eye Reduction, Slow sync. (1st curtain), Red-eye Slow sync. (1st curtain), Fill- in, Manual, Flash Off
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PC
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325g (0.72 pounds) 253g (0.56 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 113 x 66 x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photographs 340 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I support)
Card slots One One
Retail cost $400 $449