Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus TG-870

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus TG-870, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Ultracompact and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the TG-870 (16MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and TG-870 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL9 was launched 2 years after the TG-870 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving through a full comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-PL9 matches up versus the TG-870 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL9 and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery and Olympus TG-870 Gallery.

If you are intending to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL9 enjoys external dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) while the Olympus TG-870 has proportions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus TG-870 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL9 compared to the TG-870.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and TG-870 is 85 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions simply by going through specs. The image below will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and TG-870.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have got the exact same megapixels albeit different sensor dimensions. The E-PL9 contains the bigger sensor which is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier. The newer E-PL9 should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.