Clicky

Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
43
Overall
38
Canon PowerShot SX280 HS front
 
Olympus Tough TG-3 front
Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42

Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3 Key Specs

Canon SX280 HS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.5-6.8) lens
  • 233g - 106 x 63 x 33mm
  • Launched March 2013
  • Succeeded the Canon SX270 HS
Olympus TG-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
  • Released March 2014
  • Refreshed by Olympus TG-4
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Waterproof by manufacturers Canon and Olympus. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the SX280 HS (12MP) and TG-3 (16MP) but both cameras provide the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The SX280 HS was unveiled 12 months earlier than the TG-3 which means that they are of a similar age. Both the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the SX280 HS scores vs the TG-3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video
	
	

Reasons to pick Canon SX280 HS over the Olympus TG-3

 SX280 HS TG-3 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Display resolution461k460kCrisper display (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Canon SX280 HS

 TG-3 SX280 HS 
ReleasedMarch 2014March 2013Newer by 12 months

Common features in the Canon SX280 HS and Olympus TG-3

 SX280 HS TG-3 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3 Physical Comparison

If you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Canon SX280 HS has outer dimensions of 106mm x 63mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 233 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Olympus TG-3 has sizing of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") along with a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs).

Check out the Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the SX280 HS against the TG-3.

Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SX280 HS and TG-3 is 91 and 90 respectively.

Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's hard to see the contrast between sensor dimensions just by reading through a spec sheet. The image here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the SX280 HS and TG-3.

As you can see, the two cameras come with the identical sensor size but not the same megapixels. You can expect to see the Olympus TG-3 to give more detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will help you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more aged SX280 HS is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3 sensor size comparison

Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX280 HS Portrait photography features
Olympus TG-3 Portrait photography features
34
has manual focus
has face detect autofocus
external flash not possible
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
37
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
includes face detect focus
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Street Comparison

Canon SX280 HS as a Street photography camera
Olympus TG-3 as a Street photography camera
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (233g)
fixed screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
59
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
more heavy than competition (247g)
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Sports Comparison

Canon SX280 HS as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-3 as a Sports photography camera
36
excellent zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (4.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery life (210 per charge)
has no phase detect autofocus
47
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
good battery power (330 per charge)
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Travel Comparison

Canon SX280 HS Travel photography advice
Olympus TG-3 Travel photography advice
61
lighter than others in class (233g)
flash built-in
decently wide (25mm)
long zoom (500mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
bad battery life (210 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
74
good battery power (330 CIPA)
weather sealing
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than competition (247 grams)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon SX280 HS
Landscape photography with Olympus TG-3
41
has manual focus
decently wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
bad battery life (210 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse function
56
rather wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
weather sealing
good battery power (330 shots)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon SX280 HS
Vlogging with Olympus TG-3
34
decently wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others in class (233 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly display
doesn't have microphone socket
34
rather wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
does not have microphone support
more heavy than competition (247g)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Canon SX280 HS vs Olympus TG-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX280 HS and Olympus TG-3
 Canon PowerShot SX280 HSOlympus Tough TG-3
General Information
Brand Canon Olympus
Model Canon PowerShot SX280 HS Olympus Tough TG-3
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Waterproof
Launched 2013-03-21 2014-03-31
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Digic 6 TruePic VII
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-500mm (20.0x) 25-100mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.5-6.8 f/2.0-4.9
Macro focus range 5cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 461 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - TFT-LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/3200 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.50 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps), 320 x 240 (240 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 233g (0.51 lbs) 247g (0.54 lbs)
Physical dimensions 106 x 63 x 33mm (4.2" x 2.5" x 1.3") 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 210 photos 330 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NB-6L LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Card slots 1 1
Launch pricing $325 $350