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Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus TG-5

Portability
67
Imaging
62
Features
96
Overall
75
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
 
Olympus Tough TG-5 front
Portability
90
Imaging
38
Features
51
Overall
43

Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus TG-5 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
  • Revealed February 2020
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M1 II
Olympus TG-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 12800)
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 250g - 113 x 66 x 32mm
  • Announced May 2017
  • Superseded the Olympus TG-4
  • Successor is Olympus TG-6
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus TG-5 Overview

Below is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-M1 III versus Olympus TG-5, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof and both of them are offered by Olympus. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and TG-5 (12MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and TG-5 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 III was introduced 2 years later than the TG-5 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-M1 III grades against the TG-5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 III over the Olympus TG-5

 E-M1 III TG-5 
AnnouncedFebruary 2020May 2017More recent by 34 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-5 over the Olympus E-M1 III

 TG-5 E-M1 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 III and Olympus TG-5

 E-M1 III TG-5 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements

Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus TG-5 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 III has exterior dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) and the Olympus TG-5 has specifications of 113mm x 66mm x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M1 III versus Olympus TG-5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using during that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M1 III versus the TG-5.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus TG-5 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 III and TG-5 is 67 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus TG-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus TG-5 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very hard to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements only by checking out a spec sheet. The photograph here will give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 III and TG-5.

As you can see, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 III having a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 III will provide greater detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more modern E-M1 III provides a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus TG-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus TG-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus TG-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Portrait photography factors
Olympus TG-5 Portrait photography factors
77
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
39
manual focus
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Street photography features
Olympus TG-5 Street photography features
78
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
supports focus via touch
weather sealing
great high ISO (25,600)
64
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
environment proof
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
heavier than others (250 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M1 III
Sports photography with Olympus TG-5
81
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
fast shooting (60.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
46
max frames per second high (20.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking focus
environment proof
good battery pack (340 per charge)
lack of shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Travel photography features
Olympus TG-5 Travel photography features
79
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
supports focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
68
good battery pack (340 shots)
environment proof
built-in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
heavier than others (250 grams)
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-5 as a Landscape photography camera
81
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
no anti-alias filter
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
2 card slots
57
manual focus
reasonably wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
environment proof
good battery pack (340 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
lack of manual mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III as a Vlogging camera
Olympus TG-5 as a Vlogging camera
79
selfie friendly display
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
great video quality (4096 x 2160 resolution)
comes with external microphone support
34
reasonably wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no mic port
heavier than others (250g)
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M1 III vs Olympus TG-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 III and Olympus TG-5
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIIOlympus Tough TG-5
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Olympus Tough TG-5
Type Pro Mirrorless Waterproof
Revealed 2020-02-11 2017-05-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic IX TruePic VIII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 12800
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO 64 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 121 25
Cross focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.0-4.9
Macro focus range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Max silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 60.0 frames per sec 20.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash -
Flash modes Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, redeye reduction, slow sync, redeye slow sync, fill, manual, off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 580g (1.28 pounds) 250g (0.55 pounds)
Dimensions 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") 113 x 66 x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3")
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 420 shots 340 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLH-1 LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot) SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I compatible)
Storage slots Dual One
Launch pricing $1,800 $449