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Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus TG-870

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus TG-870 Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Launched January 2016
Olympus TG-870
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400 (Increase to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 221g - 113 x 64 x 28mm
  • Introduced January 2016
  • Earlier Model is Olympus TG-860
Photography Glossary

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus TG-870 Overview

In this article, we will be contrasting the Olympus PEN-F and Olympus TG-870, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact and both of them are created by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and TG-870 (16MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and TG-870 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

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The PEN-F was introduced within a month of the TG-870 so they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the PEN-F matches up versus the TG-870 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Olympus TG-870

 PEN-F TG-870 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k921kCrisper screen (+116k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Olympus PEN-F

 TG-870 PEN-F 

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Olympus TG-870

 PEN-F TG-870 
IntroducedJanuary 2016January 2016Same age
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus TG-870 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus PEN-F comes with exterior measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") and a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Olympus TG-870 has sizing of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs).

Look at the Olympus PEN-F and Olympus TG-870 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the PEN-F and the TG-870.

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus TG-870 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the PEN-F and TG-870 is 84 and 91 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus TG-870 top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus TG-870 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very tough to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements just by checking out technical specs. The visual below may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the PEN-F and TG-870.

As you have seen, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The PEN-F having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will provide greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs far more aggressively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus TG-870 sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus TG-870 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Portrait photography information
Olympus TG-870 Portrait photography information
75
has manual focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
delivers RAW files
36
good megapixels (16MP)
comes with face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Street photography camera
Olympus TG-870 as a Street photography camera
84
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
comes with touch to focus
above average ISO range (25,600)
65
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
more heavy than average (221g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Sports photography information
Olympus TG-870 Sports photography information
67
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
terrible battery life (330 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
51
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
weather proofing
great battery power (300 CIPA)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Travel photography details
Olympus TG-870 Travel photography details
75
comes with touch to focus
good MP (20MP)
selfie friendly display
terrible battery life (330 per charge)
69
great battery power (300 shots)
weather proofing
good megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (21mm)
more heavy than average (221 grams)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Landscape photography details
Olympus TG-870 Landscape photography details
76
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
terrible battery life (330 CIPA)
50
quite wide (21mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
weather proofing
great battery power (300 per charge)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Vlogging advice
Olympus TG-870 Vlogging advice
78
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
missing external mic socket
32
quite wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
lack of microphone port
more heavy than average (221 grams)
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Olympus PEN-F vs Olympus TG-870 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Olympus TG-870
 Olympus PEN-FOlympus Stylus Tough TG-870
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN-F Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870
Type Advanced Mirrorless Ultracompact
Launched 2016-01-27 2016-01-06
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor 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 area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Maximum boosted ISO - 12800
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW data
Min boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 81 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash settings Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 427 grams (0.94 pounds) 221 grams (0.49 pounds)
Dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 74 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 894 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 images 300 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $1,000 $280