Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5R

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5R, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the TG-870 (16MP) and the NEX-5R (16MP) is very similar but the TG-870 (1/2.3") and NEX-5R (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

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The TG-870 was revealed 3 years later than the NEX-5R and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the TG-870 grades vs the NEX-5R with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 & Sony Alpha NEX-5R. The full galleries are available at Olympus TG-870 Gallery & Sony NEX-5R Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-870 features outside dimensions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5R has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony NEX-5R in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you use at that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the TG-870 vs the NEX-5R.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-870 and NEX-5R is 91 and 89 respectively.

Usually, it is tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading a spec sheet. The photograph here will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-870 and NEX-5R.

As you can see, both of the cameras posses the exact same MP but not the same sensor measurements. The TG-870 includes the tinier sensor which is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder. The newer TG-870 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.