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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-860

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
42
Overall
41

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-860 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
  • Launched September 2011
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL2
Olympus TG-860
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 224g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Revealed February 2015
  • Successor is Olympus TG-870
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-860 Overview

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus TG-860, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof and both of them are produced by Olympus. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and TG-860 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and TG-860 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL3 was released 4 years prior to the TG-860 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-PL3 matches up versus the TG-860 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Olympus TG-860

 E-PL3 TG-860 
Manual focus More accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Olympus E-PL3

 TG-860 E-PL3 
RevealedFebruary 2015September 2011Newer by 41 months

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus TG-860

 E-PL3 TG-860 
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Screen resolution460k460kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither offers Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-860 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL3 offers outer dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Olympus TG-860 has specifications of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") along with a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus TG-860 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL3 and the TG-860.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-860 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and TG-860 is 88 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-860 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-860 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be difficult to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions simply by reading specs. The pic here may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and TG-860.

All in all, the two cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus TG-860 will offer extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-860 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-860 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-860 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography advice
Olympus TG-860 Portrait photography advice
60
you can focus manually
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
36
good resolution (16 megapixels)
offers face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography info
Olympus TG-860 Street photography info
84
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
69
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-860 as a Sports photography camera
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
low fps (6.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery life (300 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
49
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
environment sealing
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography information
Olympus TG-860 Travel photography information
44
does not have Time Lapse mode
low battery life (300 per charge)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
71
environment sealing
good resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
relatively wide (21mm)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography details
Olympus TG-860 Landscape photography details
61
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery life (300 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse mode
48
relatively wide (21mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging features
Olympus TG-860 Vlogging features
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have external mic jack
33
relatively wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone port
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-860 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus TG-860
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Launched 2011-09-20 2015-02-06
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic VI TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 21-105mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.7
Macro focus range - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 1600)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG H.264
Microphone 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 Yes
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313 grams (0.69 lbs) 224 grams (0.49 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photographs 300 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $399 $279