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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS front
Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Announced February 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-1
  • Replacement is Olympus E-5
Olympus TG-850 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 218g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Announced January 2014
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus TG-850 iHS

 E-3 TG-850 iHS 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-850 iHS over the Olympus E-3

 TG-850 iHS E-3 
AnnouncedJanuary 2014February 2008More recent by 72 months
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus TG-850 iHS

 E-3 TG-850 iHS 
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS size comparison

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

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography advice
Olympus TG-850 iHS Portrait photography advice
56
focusing manually
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
low MP (10 megapixels)
35
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focusing
no manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography information
Olympus TG-850 iHS Street photography information
69
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
69
screen tilts
image stabilization (Optical)
environment proof
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Olympus TG-850 iHS
57
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second low (5.0 frames/s)
low MP (10 megapixels)
51
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
environment proof
great battery power (330 per charge)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Travel photography camera
55
environment sealing
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
no Time Lapse recording
low MP (10 megapixels)
72
great battery power (330 CIPA)
environment proof
MP count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (21mm)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography info
Olympus TG-850 iHS Landscape photography info
56
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
small screen (2.5")
low MP (10MP)
no Time Lapse recording
50
pretty wide (21mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
environment proof
great battery power (330 per charge)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging info
Olympus TG-850 iHS Vlogging info
18
lack of video recording
33
pretty wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-850 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Olympus TG-850 iHS
 Olympus E-3Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-3 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS
Category Advanced DSLR Waterproof
Announced 2008-02-20 2014-01-29
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4616 x 3464
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 11 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 2.5" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 1/2s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye -
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Yes
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890g (1.96 lbs) 218g (0.48 lbs)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 571 not tested
Other
Battery life - 330 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 sec, 12 sec, Custom Self-Timer (1-30 sec start timer, 1-10 pictures, 1-3 sec interval))
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $670 $250