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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5 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
  • Launched January 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus TG-860
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Released June 2010
  • Updated by Sony NEX-5N
Photography Glossary

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus TG-870 and Sony NEX-5, former is a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the TG-870 (16MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is fairly close but the TG-870 (1/2.3") and NEX-5 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The TG-870 was released 5 years after the NEX-5 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a full comparison, here is a brief summary of how the TG-870 grades versus the NEX-5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Sony NEX-5

 TG-870 NEX-5 
ReleasedJanuary 2016June 2010Newer by 68 months
Display resolution921k920kCrisper display (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Olympus TG-870

 NEX-5 TG-870 
Manually focus Very precise focusing

Common features in the Olympus TG-870 and Sony NEX-5

 TG-870 NEX-5 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch display Lack of Touch display

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to travel with your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-870 offers exterior dimensions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") having a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Check out the Olympus TG-870 and Sony NEX-5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the TG-870 against the NEX-5.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-870 and NEX-5 is 91 and 89 respectively.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to see the contrast in sensor dimensions only by looking through specifications. The image below will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-870 and NEX-5.

To sum up, both of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The TG-870 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus TG-870 will provide you with greater detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more modern TG-870 will have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Portrait photography information
Sony NEX-5 Portrait photography information
36
good MP (16MP)
comes with face detect focus
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
72
has manual focus
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-870 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Street photography camera
65
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
more heavy than competition (221 grams)
76
tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-870 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Sports photography camera
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
environment sealing
better than average battery life (300 shots)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
52
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Travel photography details
Sony NEX-5 Travel photography details
69
better than average battery life (300 shots)
environment sealing
good MP (16MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (21mm)
more heavy than competition (221 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
59
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse recording
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Landscape photography advice
Sony NEX-5 Landscape photography advice
50
quite wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
environment sealing
better than average battery life (300 per charge)
lack of manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
68
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Vlogging highlights
Sony NEX-5 Vlogging highlights
32
quite wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing microphone jack
more heavy than competition (221 grams)
28
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
does not have microphone support
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Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-870 and Sony NEX-5
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870Sony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Class Ultracompact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2016-01-06 2010-06-07
Physical type Ultracompact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max boosted ISO 12800 -
Lowest native ISO 125 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 921k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
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) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 221g (0.49 pounds) 287g (0.63 pounds)
Physical dimensions 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 69
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.2
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.2
DXO Low light score not tested 796
Other
Battery life 300 photos 330 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-50B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Retail cost $280 $599