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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-860

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-860 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed September 2014
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL6
  • Later Model is Olympus E-PL8
Olympus TG-860
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 224g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Released February 2015
  • Refreshed by Olympus TG-870
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-860 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus TG-860, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof and they are both built by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the TG-860 (16MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and TG-860 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL7 was announced 5 months prior to the TG-860 and they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-PL7 scores against the TG-860 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Olympus TG-860

 E-PL7 TG-860 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Olympus E-PL7

 TG-860 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus TG-860

 E-PL7 TG-860 
ReleasedSeptember 2014February 2015Same age
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-860 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL7 features external measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-860 has specifications of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus TG-860 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at that moment. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-PL7 versus the TG-860.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-860 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL7 and TG-860 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-860 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-860 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to see the gap in sensor measurements merely by going through specifications. The photograph below might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL7 and TG-860.

Plainly, both of these cameras have the same megapixels albeit not the same sensor measurements. The E-PL7 has got the bigger sensor which will make getting shallow DOF simpler.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-860 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-860 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-860 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL7
Portrait photography with Olympus TG-860
71
you can focus manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
exports RAW formats
36
megapixel count decent (16MP)
offers face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL7
Street photography with Olympus TG-860
84
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
provides focus via touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
69
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography factors
Olympus TG-860 Sports photography factors
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect auto focus
49
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proofing
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL7
Travel photography with Olympus TG-860
85
provides focus via touch
MP count good (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
71
weather proofing
megapixel count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (21mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography details
Olympus TG-860 Landscape photography details
79
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
48
rather wide (21mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
weather proofing
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual exposure
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging features
Olympus TG-860 Vlogging features
78
selfie friendly display
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
no external microphone socket
33
rather wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have external mic socket
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-860 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus TG-860
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL7 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Revealed 2014-09-01 2015-02-06
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 81 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate 8.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Yes
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357 grams (0.79 lbs) 224 grams (0.49 lbs)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 873 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 shots 300 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-50 Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $499 $279