Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Olympus TG-870

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Olympus TG-870, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Ultracompact and both of them are designed by Olympus. The image resolution of the SP-800 UZ (14MP) and the TG-870 (16MP) is pretty comparable and they use the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The SP-800 UZ was announced 7 years before the TG-870 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the SP-800 UZ matches up vs the TG-870 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SP-800 UZ & Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus SP-800 UZ Gallery & Olympus TG-870 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus SP-800 UZ comes with outside measurements of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") with a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs) and 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).

Check the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Olympus TG-870 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the SP-800 UZ against the TG-870.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SP-800 UZ and TG-870 is 69 and 91 respectively.

Normally, it is difficult to see the gap in sensor sizing purely by going through technical specs. The graphic here may give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-800 UZ and TG-870.

As you can tell, both of these cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Olympus TG-870 to show extra detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older SP-800 UZ will be behind in sensor innovation.