Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-870

Below is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-870, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Ultracompact and they are both built by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the TG-870 (16MP) is relatively similar but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and TG-870 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL7 was unveiled 16 months prior to the TG-870 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving in to a complete comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-PL7 scores versus the TG-870 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL7 and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL7 Gallery and Olympus TG-870 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL7 comes with exterior dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Olympus TG-870 has dimensions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus TG-870 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-PL7 versus the TG-870.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL7 and TG-870 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Sometimes, it's hard to picture the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reading technical specs. The photograph here should give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL7 and TG-870.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have got the exact same megapixel count albeit different sensor measurements. The E-PL7 has got the bigger sensor which should make obtaining shallow DOF simpler. The older E-PL7 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.