Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic ZS5

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic ZS5, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference among the resolutions of the TG-860 (16MP) and ZS5 (12MP) but they possess the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The TG-860 was brought out 4 years later than the ZS5 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a brief summation of how the TG-860 grades against the ZS5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus TG-860 Gallery and Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-860 offers exterior dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") having a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS5 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Look at the Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic ZS5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at that moment. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the TG-860 against the ZS5.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-860 and ZS5 is 91 and 92 respectively.

Often, it can be hard to see the difference in sensor sizing purely by researching technical specs. The graphic below will help give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-860 and ZS5.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same resolution. You should expect to see the Olympus TG-860 to result in greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The younger TG-860 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.