Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, we are going to illustrate the Olympus TG-870 and Olympus E-PL2 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Olympus TG-870 has external dimensions of 113 x 64 x 28 mm (4.45 x 2.52 x 1.1″) and weighs 221 g (0.49 lb / 7.80 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-PL2 has external dimensions of 114 x 72 x 42 mm (4.49 x 2.83 x 1.65″) and weighs 362 g (0.80 lb / 12.77 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Olympus TG-870 and the Olympus E-PL2. Olympus TG-870 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 1mm narrower, 8mm shorter and 14mm thinner than Olympus E-PL2. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Olympus TG-870 has a built-in lens but Olympus E-PL2 doesn't. Once you put a lens on E-PL2, its thickness will increase significantly.
Here is the back view size comparison of the Olympus TG-870 and Olympus E-PL2.
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus TG-870 and Olympus E-PL2.
Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Olympus TG-870 is significantly lighter (141g ) than the Olympus E-PL2 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on E-PL2, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
Thanks to the weather-sealed body of the TG-870, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to the E-PL2.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Olympus TG-870 and Olympus E-PL2's LCD screens have the same diagonal size of 3.00 inches.
On the other hand, Olympus TG-870 features a
Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over-the-head levels whereas the Olympus E-PL2 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to TG-870.