Olympus TG-860 vs Olympus TG-4

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Olympus TG-860

16 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CMOS Sensor

$279.00

BUY from B&H PHOTO

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Olympus TG-4

16 MP | 1/2.3 BSI-CMOS Sensor

$379.00

BUY from B&H PHOTO

Olympus TG-860 vs Olympus TG-4 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Waterproof cameras by Olympus. Both cameras have 16.0MP sensors but Olympus TG-860's sensor is 1/2.3" sized whereas Olympus TG-4 has a 1/2.3 sensor. We can expect this to be a close match up because both models are ranked amongst the best in Waterproof cameras. Out of 71 cameras in this class, Olympus TG-860 is ranked #9 with an overall score of 55 and Olympus TG-4 is ranked #1 with an overall score of 64.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Olympus TG-860 and Olympus TG-4 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Olympus TG-860 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2015-02-06

16MP - 1/2.3" CMOS Sensor

ISO 125 - 6400

21-105 mm F3.5-5.7 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3″ Tilting Screen

7.0 fps continuous shooting

1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

224g. 110 x 64 x 28 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Olympus TG-4 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2015-04-13

16MP - 1/2.3 BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400

25-100 mm F2.0-4.9 Zoom Lens

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3″ Fixed Type Screen

5.0 fps continuous shooting

1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

Built-in GPS

247g. 112 x 66 x 31 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Olympus Tough TG-3 Compare

Olympus TG-4 was replaced by Olympus Tough TG-5. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus Tough TG-5 vs Olympus Tough TG-4
Olympus Tough TG-5 vs Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860

Reasons to choose Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 over Olympus Tough TG-4

Articulating Screen	Yes vs No	Flexible shooting positions
Continuous Shooting	7.0fps vs 5.0fps	2 fps faster
Weight	224 g vs 247 g	23 g lighter
Focal Length - Wide	21mm vs 25mm	4 mm wider coverage
Focal Length - Tele	105mm vs 100mm	5 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom	5× vs 4x	more flexible focal coverage
Price	$279 vs $379	$100 cheaper

Reasons to choose Olympus Tough TG-4 over Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860

RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Battery Life	380 shots vs 300 shots	80 more frames with a single charge
Manual Focusing	Yes vs No	more focusing options
Max Aperture - Wide	2.00 vs 3.50	faster lens at wide
Max Aperture - Tele	4.90 vs 5.70	faster lens at tele
Flash Coverage	7.9m vs 4.0m	3.9m longer range
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Focus Bracketing	Yes vs No	Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking	Yes vs No	Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field

Common Strengths of Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 and Olympus Tough TG-4

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
Image Stabilization	Optical vs Sensor-shift	All the lenses are stabilized
Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs Yes	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs Yes	creative shooting
Smartphone Remote Control	Yes vs Yes	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Common Weaknesses of Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 and Olympus Tough TG-4

External Flash Shoe	No vs No	Not suitable for flash photography
Viewfinder	None vs None	No eye-level shooting option
LCD Screen Resolution	460k dots vs 460k dots	Low resolution screens
Manual Exposure	No vs No	No manual exposure control

Olympus TG-860 vs Olympus TG-4: Physical Specs Comparison

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus TG-860 and Olympus TG-4. Olympus TG-860 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 2mm narrower, 2mm shorter and 3mm thinner than Olympus TG-4.

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus TG-860 and Olympus TG-4.

Olympus TG-860 vs Olympus TG-4 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus TG-860 is 23g lighter than the Olympus TG-4 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

TG-860

TG-4

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

TG-860

TG-4

Min

Average

Max

Olympus TG-860 vs Olympus TG-4: Sensor Comparison

Both Olympus TG-860 and Olympus TG-4 have 16.0 MP resolution sensors but Olympus TG-860's sensor is 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) and Olympus TG-4's sensor is 1/2.3 (6.17 x 4.55 mm ).

Since Olympus TG-4's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Olympus TG-860.

Below you can see the TG-860 and TG-4 sensor size comparison.

Olympus TG-860 and Olympus TG-4 have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

Olympus TG-860 vs Olympus TG-4 Lens Specs Comparison

Olympus TG-860 features a 21-105 mm F3.5-5.7 5× zoom lens whereas Olympus TG-4 features a 25-100 mm F2.0-4.9 4x zoom lens.

Olympus TG-860 has 4mm wider coverage than the Olympus TG-4. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f2.00, Olympus TG-4 is faster at widest end. On the tele end, Olympus TG-860 has 5mm longer reach than the Olympus TG-4. However, with a max aperture of f4.90, Olympus TG-4 is faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

TG-860

TG-4

Widest - Ricoh WG-M1

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

TG-860

TG-4

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

TG-860

TG-4

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

TG-860

TG-4

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

What types of Photography are Olympus TG-860 and Olympus TG-4 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Olympus TG-860 and Olympus TG-4 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Olympus TG-860 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Olympus TG-4 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
Manual Focus Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Olympus TG-860 for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus TG-4 for Street Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
21 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
Manual Focus Mode
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.00
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Olympus TG-860 for Sports Photography

POOR

Olympus TG-4 for Sports Photography

POOR

Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Wireless Connection
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Focus Points
105 mm Tele Lens
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details

Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
Manual Focus Mode
Environmental Sealings
25 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
100 mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Olympus TG-860 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Olympus TG-4 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Compact Body
Environmental Sealings
224g
5X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

RAW shooting capability
Compact Body
247g
Environmental Sealings
4X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3 sensor
Read the details

Olympus TG-860 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus TG-4 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

21 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Environmental Sealings
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Read the details

Manual Focus Mode
Environmental Sealings
Built-in GPS
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No Manual Exposure Mode
Read the details

Olympus TG-860 vs Olympus TG-4: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Olympus TG-860 and Olympus TG-4, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Olympus TG-860 and Olympus TG-4 scores compare:

Olympus TG-860

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #4 out of 154 in Ultracompact cameras
Ranked #410 out of 1141 in all Cameras

Olympus TG-4

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #15 out of 468 in Compact cameras
Ranked #263 out of 1141 in all Cameras

Olympus TG-4 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus TG-860 in all criterias except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Olympus TG-860. Otherwise, Olympus TG-4 is the better camera overall.

Olympus TG-860

$279.00

Olympus TG-4

$379.00

Olympus TG-4 vs Olympus TG-860 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860	Olympus Tough TG-4
Brand	Olympus	Olympus
Announced	2015-02-06	2015-04-13
Body Type	Ultracompact	Compact
Price	$279.00	$379.00
Sensor
Type	CMOS	BSI-CMOS
Size	1/2.3"	1/2.3
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area	28.07mm²	28.07mm²
Megapixels	16 megapixels	16 megapixels
Max Resolution	4608 x 3456	4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	125 ISO	100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	n/a	25
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	21-105 mm (5×)	25-100 mm (4x)
Max Aperture	F3.5-5.7	F2.0-4.9
Macro Focus Range	1cm	1cm
Screen
Type	Tilting	Fixed type
Size	3″	3″
Resolution	460k dots	460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	None
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed	1/2000s	1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Optical	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	4.00 m (at ISO 1600)	7.90 m (at ISO 1600)
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	7.0 fps	5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	H.264	H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	224g	247g
Dimensions	110 x 64 x 28mm	112 x 66 x 31mm
Battery Life	300 shots	380 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Yes	BuiltIn
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction