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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-4

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Olympus Tough TG-4 front
Portability
90
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-4 Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Introduced February 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-1
  • Renewed by Olympus E-5
Olympus TG-4
(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
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus TG-3
  • Successor is Olympus TG-5
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-4 Overview

The following is a complete review of the Olympus E-3 versus Olympus TG-4, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Waterproof and both of them are built by Olympus. There is a significant difference between the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and TG-4 (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and TG-4 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor size.

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The E-3 was unveiled 8 years before the TG-4 which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus TG-4 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-3 matches up vs the TG-4 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus TG-4

 E-3 TG-4 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-4 over the Olympus E-3

 TG-4 E-3 
RevealedApril 2015February 2008Newer by 86 months
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus TG-4

 E-3 TG-4 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-4 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 has exterior 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) and the Olympus TG-4 has dimensions of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") and a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Olympus E-3 versus Olympus TG-4 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the E-3 vs the TG-4.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-4 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and TG-4 is 56 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-4 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-4 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is hard to picture the gap between sensor dimensions only by going over a spec sheet. The pic here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and TG-4.

Clearly, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-3 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus TG-4 will offer you greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images far more aggressively. The more aged E-3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-4 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-4 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Portrait photography camera
56
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
low megapixels (10MP)
47
manual focus
good MP (16MP)
offers face detect focus
saves RAW files
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography factors
Olympus TG-4 Street photography factors
69
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
heavier than others (247 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography information
Olympus TG-4 Sports photography information
57
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
comes with phase detect AF
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
48
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
environment proofing
good battery (380 shots)
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Travel photography camera
55
environment sealing
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
74
good battery (380 shots)
environment proofing
good MP (16MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
heavier than others (247g)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-4 as a Landscape photography camera
56
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
screen is small (2.5")
low megapixels (10MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
62
manual focus
quite wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
good battery (380 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging factors
Olympus TG-4 Vlogging factors
18
no video recording
34
quite wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have mic support
heavier than others (247g)
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus TG-4 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Olympus TG-4
 Olympus E-3Olympus Tough TG-4
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-3 Olympus Tough TG-4
Type Advanced DSLR Waterproof
Introduced 2008-02-20 2015-04-13
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor 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 aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.0-4.9
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m 7.90 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890g (1.96 lbs) 247g (0.54 lbs)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light score 571 not tested
Other
Battery life - 380 photos
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Card slots Single Single
Retail cost $670 $379