Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS

Below is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Waterproof and they are both offered by Olympus. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and TG-850 iHS (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and TG-850 iHS (1/2.3") feature different sensor size.

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The E-3 was revealed 7 years prior to the TG-850 iHS and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus TG-850 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-3 scores against the TG-850 iHS with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-3 Gallery and Olympus TG-850 iHS Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 enjoys external dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-850 iHS has sizing of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-3 against the TG-850 iHS.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and TG-850 iHS is 56 and 91 respectively.

Usually, its difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements only by checking a spec sheet. The photograph below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and TG-850 iHS.

Clearly, the two cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-3 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus TG-850 iHS will resolve greater detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.