Olympus TG-870 vs Sony HX5

Lets look closer at the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony HX5, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the TG-870 (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the TG-870 (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The TG-870 was released 5 years later than the HX5 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a short introduction of how the TG-870 matches up versus the HX5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus TG-870 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry your camera, you will want to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-870 provides external dimensions of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Sony HX5 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-870 vs Sony HX5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the TG-870 against the HX5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-870 and HX5 is 91 and 92 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to see the difference between sensor sizing simply by reading a spec sheet. The photograph here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-870 and HX5.

As you can see, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The TG-870 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus TG-870 will offer you extra detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics more aggressively. The fresher TG-870 is going to have an edge in sensor innovation.