Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS15

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic ZS15, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the TG-870 (16MP) and ZS15 (12MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The TG-870 was manufactured 3 years later than the ZS15 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the TG-870 matches up vs the ZS15 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus TG-870 Gallery & Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-870 comes with physical measurements 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 ZS15 has dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic ZS15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select during that time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the TG-870 compared to the ZS15.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-870 and ZS15 is 91 and 92 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to picture the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading through technical specs. The visual below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-870 and ZS15.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different resolution. You can anticipate the Olympus TG-870 to give extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more modern TG-870 provides a benefit in sensor tech.