Olympus TG-870 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus TG-870 and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Ricoh. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the TG-870 (16MP) and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro (12MP) and the TG-870 (1/2.3") and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The TG-870 was announced 6 years later than the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a in-depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the TG-870 grades versus the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro. The whole galleries are available at Olympus TG-870 Gallery and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-870 offers physical dimensions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) and the Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro has sizing of 114mm x 70mm x 77mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 3.0") with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Check out the Olympus TG-870 and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the TG-870 against the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-870 and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro is 91 and 77 respectively.

Generally, it is very difficult to visualise the difference between sensor measurements merely by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-870 and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro.

As you can see, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The TG-870 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Olympus TG-870 will resolve more detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more recent TG-870 will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.