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Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-4

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Olympus Tough TG-4 front
Portability
90
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-4 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed September 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL7
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL9
Olympus TG-4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 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
  • 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
  • Announced April 2015
  • Older Model is Olympus TG-3
  • Refreshed by Olympus TG-5
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-4 Overview

Here is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus TG-4, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the TG-4 (16MP) is relatively close but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and TG-4 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL8 was introduced 18 months later than the TG-4 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-4 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-PL8 matches up vs the TG-4 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Olympus TG-4

 E-PL8 TG-4 
AnnouncedSeptember 2016April 2015Fresher by 18 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k460kCrisper screen (+577k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-4 over the Olympus E-PL8

 TG-4 E-PL8 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus TG-4

 E-PL8 TG-4 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-4 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera often, you need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL8 offers outside dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Olympus TG-4 has sizing of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") and a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus TG-4 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL8 compared to the TG-4.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-4 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and TG-4 is 86 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-4 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-4 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to see the gap in sensor sizing purely by looking through technical specs. The visual here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL8 and TG-4.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras posses the exact same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor sizing. The E-PL8 features the bigger sensor which will make obtaining shallower DOF easier. The fresher E-PL8 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-4 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Portrait photography factors
Olympus TG-4 Portrait photography factors
72
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
47
you can focus manually
decent MP (16MP)
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Street photography details
Olympus TG-4 Street photography details
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
provides touch to focus
above average high ISO (25,600)
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
more heavy than competition in class (247 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Sports photography camera
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect AF
48
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
better than average battery power (380 shots)
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Travel photography camera
71
provides touch to focus
good megapixels (16MP)
display is not selfie friendly
74
better than average battery power (380 shots)
environment proofing
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than competition in class (247 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Landscape photography camera
80
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
62
you can focus manually
really wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
better than average battery power (380 shots)
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
lack of manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Vlogging info
Olympus TG-4 Vlogging info
35
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
no external mic socket
34
really wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone socket
more heavy than competition in class (247g)
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-4 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus TG-4
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Olympus Tough TG-4
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL8 Olympus Tough TG-4
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Revealed 2016-09-19 2015-04-13
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII TruePic VII
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 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.0-4.9
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 7.90 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357 gr (0.79 lb) 247 gr (0.54 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 380 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Card slots Single Single
Launch cost $500 $379