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Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic LZ20

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20 front
Portability
71
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic LZ20 Key Specs

Olympus TG-870
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400 (Boost 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
  • Succeeded the Olympus TG-860
Panasonic LZ20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-525mm (F3.1-5.8) lens
  • 499g - 120 x 76 x 80mm
  • Launched July 2012
  • Renewed by Panasonic LZ30
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Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic LZ20 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic LZ20, one being a Ultracompact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the TG-870 (16MP) and the LZ20 (16MP) is very close and they enjoy the same exact sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The TG-870 was revealed 3 years later than the LZ20 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic LZ20 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a simple summation of how the TG-870 scores versus the LZ20 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Panasonic LZ20

 TG-870 LZ20 
LaunchedJanuary 2016July 2012Fresher by 43 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution921k460kCrisper display (+461k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic LZ20 over the Olympus TG-870

 LZ20 TG-870 

Common features in the Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic LZ20

 TG-870 LZ20 
Manually focus Lack of manual focusing
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurements
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic LZ20 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry your camera, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-870 provides exterior measurements of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Panasonic LZ20 has dimensions of 120mm x 76mm x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1") along with a weight of 499 grams (1.10 lbs).

Check the Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic LZ20 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is the front view size comparison of the TG-870 compared to the LZ20.

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic LZ20 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-870 and LZ20 is 91 and 71 respectively.

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic LZ20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic LZ20 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's hard to picture the gap in sensor sizing just by researching specs. The visual below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-870 and LZ20.

All in all, the two cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing and the identical resolution so you should expect comparable quality of photos although you really should factor the production date of the cameras into account. The more recent TG-870 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic LZ20 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic LZ20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic LZ20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Portrait photography info
Panasonic LZ20 Portrait photography info
35
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has face detect autofocus
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
36
good MP (16MP)
offers face detection focus
no manual focus
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-870
Street photography with Panasonic LZ20
65
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
heavier than others (221 grams)
45
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
more heavy than competition in class (499g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Sports photography features
Panasonic LZ20 Sports photography features
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has tracking focus
environment sealing
good battery (300 shots)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
47
long zoom range (25-525mm 21.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
great battery pack (380 shots)
slow fps (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic LZ20 Travel photography highlights
69
good battery (300 CIPA)
environment sealing
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (21mm)
heavier than others (221 grams)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.5)
58
great battery pack (380 shots)
good MP (16MP)
has built in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
great reach (525mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
more heavy than competition in class (499 grams)
does not have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-870 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic LZ20 as a Landscape photography camera
50
really wide (21mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
environment sealing
good battery (300 shots)
no manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
45
fairly wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
great battery pack (380 shots)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-870
Vlogging with Panasonic LZ20
32
really wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
doesn't have mic jack
heavier than others (221g)
25
fairly wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not have a selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone socket
more heavy than competition in class (499g)
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Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic LZ20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic LZ20
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20
Type Ultracompact Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2016-01-06 2012-07-18
Physical type Ultracompact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 1600
Highest enhanced ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) 25-525mm (21.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.5-5.7 f/3.1-5.8
Macro focusing distance 1cm 2cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 921k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - TFT Screen LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 15 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 6.80 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) 1280 x 720p ( 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 221 gr (0.49 lbs) 499 gr (1.10 lbs)
Dimensions 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") 120 x 76 x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 380 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at release $280 $250