Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic ZS50

Its time to look closer at the Olympus TG-860 and Panasonic ZS50, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the TG-860 (16MP) and ZS50 (12MP) but they feature the same exact sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The TG-860 was manufactured 2 months later than the ZS50 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the TG-860 grades vs the ZS50 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus TG-860 Gallery & Panasonic ZS50 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus TG-860 comes with outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") having a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS50 has specifications of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).

Look at the Olympus TG-860 and Panasonic ZS50 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the TG-860 against the ZS50.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the TG-860 and ZS50 is 91 and 90 respectively.

Usually, it can be hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements purely by looking through technical specs. The photograph here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-860 and ZS50.

As you can tell, both of the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Olympus TG-860 to provide you with more detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images a little more aggressively.