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Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic G9

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 front
Portability
62
Imaging
61
Features
90
Overall
72

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic G9 Key Specs

Olympus TG-870
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400 (Bump to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 221g - 113 x 64 x 28mm
  • Released January 2016
  • Replaced the Olympus TG-860
Panasonic G9
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 658g - 137 x 97 x 92mm
  • Released November 2017
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Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic G9 Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic G9, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the TG-870 (16MP) and the G9 (20MP) is relatively comparable but the TG-870 (1/2.3") and G9 (Four Thirds) enjoy different sensor size.

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The TG-870 was released 22 months earlier than the G9 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic G9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the TG-870 grades versus the G9 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Panasonic G9

 TG-870 G9 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G9 over the Olympus TG-870

 G9 TG-870 
ReleasedNovember 2017January 2016More modern by 22 months
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k921kClearer screen (+119k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic G9

 TG-870 G9 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic G9 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus TG-870 features outer dimensions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) and the Panasonic G9 has proportions of 137mm x 97mm x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") having a weight of 658 grams (1.45 lbs).

Examine the Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic G9 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the TG-870 and the G9.

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic G9 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-870 and G9 is 91 and 62 respectively.

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic G9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic G9 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizes purely by going through technical specs. The picture underneath will give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-870 and G9.

As you can tell, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The TG-870 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Panasonic G9 will produce greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged TG-870 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic G9 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic G9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic G9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-870 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic G9 as a Portrait photography camera
36
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has face detect autofocus
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
76
focusing manually
MP count good (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Street photography info
Panasonic G9 Street photography info
65
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather proof
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
more heavy than average (221g)
75
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
supports touch to focus
weather sealing
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Sports photography factors
Panasonic G9 Sports photography factors
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has tracking focus
weather proof
good battery (300 CIPA)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
max frames per second high (20.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
weather sealing
not so great battery power (400 CIPA)
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Travel photography factors
Panasonic G9 Travel photography factors
69
good battery (300 per charge)
weather proof
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (21mm)
more heavy than average (221 grams)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
70
weather sealing
has bluetooth
supports touch to focus
MP count good (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
not so great battery power (400 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Landscape photography info
Panasonic G9 Landscape photography info
50
reasonably wide (21mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
weather proof
good battery (300 per charge)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual exposure
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
76
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
has dual storage slots
not so great battery power (400 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Vlogging information
Panasonic G9 Vlogging information
32
reasonably wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone socket
more heavy than average (221g)
77
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with mic jack
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Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic G9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic G9
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Category Ultracompact Pro Mirrorless
Released 2016-01-06 2017-11-08
Body design Ultracompact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Highest boosted ISO 12800 -
Minimum native ISO 125 200
RAW data
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 225
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens focal range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 107
Crop factor 5.8 2.1
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 921k dot 1,040k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,680k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.83x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames per sec 20.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 221 gr (0.49 pounds) 658 gr (1.45 pounds)
Dimensions 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") 137 x 97 x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photos 400 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-50B DMW-BLF19
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported)
Storage slots 1 Two
Price at launch $280 $1,500