Clicky

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-3

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Olympus Tough TG-3 front
Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-3 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Bump to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Launched October 2005
  • Also referred to as EVOLT E-500
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-510
Olympus TG-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • 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 March 2014
  • Newer Model is Olympus TG-4
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-3 Overview

Below is a complete overview of the Olympus E-500 and Olympus TG-3, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Waterproof and they are both designed by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and TG-3 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and TG-3 (1/2.3") possess different sensor measurements.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-500 was unveiled 9 years prior to the TG-3 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-500 grades vs the TG-3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Olympus TG-3

 E-500 TG-3 
Manual focus More precise focus

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Olympus E-500

 TG-3 E-500 
RevealedMarch 2014October 2005More recent by 102 months
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k215kCrisper screen (+245k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Olympus TG-3

 E-500 TG-3 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 has external dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-3 has dimensions of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") with a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-500 and 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 differ based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-500 and the TG-3.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-3 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and TG-3 is 70 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-3 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements merely by checking technical specs. The graphic below should give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and TG-3.

As you can tell, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-500 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus TG-3 will resolve more detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots far more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus TG-3 as a Portrait photography camera
48
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no liveview
sensor resolution low (8MP)
37
MP count good (16 megapixels)
includes face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography advice
Olympus TG-3 Street photography advice
56
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lighter than competitors (479 grams)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
59
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proofing
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
heavier than average (247 grams)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography features
Olympus TG-3 Sports photography features
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
no liveview
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
47
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proofing
great battery life (330 per charge)
max fps low (5.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus TG-3 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than competitors (479 grams)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
74
great battery life (330 CIPA)
environment proofing
MP count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
heavier than average (247 grams)
does not have selfie friendly display
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography information
Olympus TG-3 Landscape photography information
43
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is small (2.5")
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
maximum ISO low (400)
does not have Time Lapse function
56
decently wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16MP)
environment proofing
great battery life (330 per charge)
lack of manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging details
Olympus TG-3 Vlogging details
9
no video shooting
34
decently wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
lack of external mic port
heavier than average (247g)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus E-500 vs Olympus TG-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Olympus TG-3
 Olympus E-500Olympus Tough TG-3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-500 Olympus Tough TG-3
Also called as EVOLT E-500 -
Class Advanced DSLR Waterproof
Launched 2005-10-21 2014-03-31
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - TruePic VII
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 400 6400
Maximum enhanced ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.0-4.9
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 215 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology - TFT-LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 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)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479g (1.06 lb) 247g (0.54 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 - 330 shots
Battery form - 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
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $600 $350