Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus Tough-3000
86 Imaging
47 Features
43 Overall
45
94 Imaging
34 Features
26 Overall
30
Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
- Announced May 2010
- Later Model is Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 64 - 1600
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-102mm (F3.5-5.1) lens
- 159g - 96 x 65 x 23mm
- Introduced January 2010
- Alternate Name is mju Tough 3000
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Overview
Here is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus Tough-3000, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Waterproof and both of them are created by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the Tough-3000 (12MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and Tough-3000 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor measurements.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe E-PL1 was announced 5 months later than the Tough-3000 so they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera.
Before diving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-PL1 scores versus the Tough-3000 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Olympus Stylus Tough-3000. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Olympus Tough-3000
| E-PL1 | Tough-3000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus | More exact focus |
Reasons to pick Olympus Tough-3000 over the Olympus E-PL1
| Tough-3000 | E-PL1 |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus Tough-3000
| E-PL1 | Tough-3000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | May 2010 | January 2010 | Same age | |
| Display type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed display | |
| Display dimensions | 2.7" | 2.7" | Equal display measurements | |
| Display resolution | 230k | 230k | Same display resolution | |
| Selfie screen | Lacking selfie screen | |||
| Touch display | Lacking Touch display |
Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1 features physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Olympus Tough-3000 has proportions of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus Tough-3000 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at that moment. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL1 compared to the Tough-3000.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and Tough-3000 is 86 and 94 respectively.
Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it is hard to envision the gap in sensor sizing merely by going through technical specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and Tough-3000.
As you have seen, both cameras have the same resolution but not the same sensor sizing. The E-PL1 comes with the larger sensor which will make getting shallower depth of field less difficult.
Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Screen and ViewFinder
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firmsStreet Comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modesSports Comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthTravel Comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banLandscape Comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneVlogging Comparison
Photography Glossary
Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus Tough-3000 Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-PL1 | Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Olympus | Olympus |
| Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL1 | Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 |
| Other name | - | mju Tough 3000 |
| Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Waterproof |
| Announced | 2010-05-17 | 2010-01-07 |
| Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor | Truepic V | TruePic III |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
| Max resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 3968 x 2976 |
| Max native ISO | 3200 | 1600 |
| Min native ISO | 100 | 64 |
| RAW files | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Autofocus touch | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detection focus | ||
| Contract detection focus | ||
| Phase detection focus | ||
| Total focus points | 11 | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | - | 28-102mm (3.6x) |
| Maximal aperture | - | f/3.5-5.1 |
| Macro focusing distance | - | 2cm |
| Available lenses | 107 | - |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Screen sizing | 2.7 inches | 2.7 inches |
| Screen resolution | 230 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch screen | ||
| Screen tech | HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 60s | 4s |
| Max shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/2000s |
| Continuous shutter rate | 3.0 frames per second | 1.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | 10.00 m | 4.00 m |
| Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Max flash synchronize | 1/160s | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) |
| Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 1280x720 |
| Video format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
| Microphone support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | None |
| 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 | 334 gr (0.74 lb) | 159 gr (0.35 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") | 96 x 65 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | 54 | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 21.5 | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.1 | not tested |
| DXO Low light rating | 487 | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 290 photos | - |
| Style of battery | Battery Pack | - |
| Battery ID | BLS-1 | - |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 seconds) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC card | SD/SDHC, Internal |
| Card slots | 1 | 1 |
| Launch pricing | $288 | $0 |