Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-870

The following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-870, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact and both are sold by Olympus. There is a huge difference among the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and TG-870 (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and TG-870 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizing.

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The E-3 was manufactured 8 years earlier than the TG-870 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-3 matches up vs the TG-870 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery and Olympus TG-870 Gallery.

In case you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 has got physical dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") along with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-870 has specifications of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-870 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-3 vs the TG-870.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and TG-870 is 56 and 91 respectively.

Often, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions merely by viewing specs. The picture here should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and TG-870.

All in all, both of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-3 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus TG-870 will provide you with more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics way more aggressively. The more aged E-3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.