Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-820 iHS
Portability
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49
Portability
92 Imaging
36 Features
37 Overall
36
92 Imaging
36 Features
37 Overall
36
Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Key Specs
Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
- Introduced September 2011
- Replaced the Olympus E-PL2
Olympus TG-820 iHS
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 28-140mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
- 206g - 101 x 65 x 26mm
- Launched February 2012
Photography Glossary Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Overview
The following is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-820 iHS, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Waterproof and they are both built by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the TG-820 iHS (12MP) is very close but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and TG-820 iHS (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsThe E-PL3 was unveiled 4 months prior to the TG-820 iHS and they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-820 iHS being a Compact camera.
Before diving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-PL3 matches up against the TG-820 iHS in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Olympus TG-820 iHS. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Olympus TG-820 iHS Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Olympus TG-820 iHS
| E-PL3 | TG-820 iHS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus |  | Very exact focus | ||
| Display type | Tilting |  | Fixed | Tilting display |
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-820 iHS over the Olympus E-PL3
| TG-820 iHS | E-PL3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display resolution | 1030k |  | 460k | Crisper display (+570k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus TG-820 iHS
| E-PL3 | TG-820 iHS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | September 2011 |  | February 2012 | Same age |
| Display dimension | 3" |  | 3" | Identical display measurement |
| Selfie screen |  | Neither features selfie screen | ||
| Touch friendly display |  | Absent Touch friendly display |
Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Physical Comparison
For those who are going to travel with your camera often, you have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Olympus TG-820 iHS has sizing of 101mm x 65mm x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") along with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-820 iHS in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL3 against the TG-820 iHS.
Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and TG-820 iHS is 88 and 92 respectively.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it is very difficult to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions simply by looking through specs. The picture below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and TG-820 iHS.
All in all, each of the cameras posses the exact same MP but different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 offers the larger sensor which will make obtaining bokeh less difficult.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Screen and ViewFinder
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Portrait Comparison
Olympus E-PL3 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus TG-820 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
low resolution (12MP)
offers face detection focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Olympus E-PL3 Street photography info
Olympus TG-820 iHS Street photography info
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography details
Olympus TG-820 iHS Sports photography details
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
low resolution (12MP)
bad battery power (300 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proofing
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (220 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography information
Olympus TG-820 iHS Travel photography information
lack of Timelapse mode
bad battery power (300 shots)
low resolution (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
weather proofing
has built in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (220 shots)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.9)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoLandscape Comparison
Olympus E-PL3 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus TG-820 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low resolution (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (300 shots)
lack of Timelapse mode
pretty wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.9)
lack of manual exposure
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
not so great battery power (220 shots)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging with Olympus E-PL3
Vlogging with Olympus TG-820 iHS
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external microphone socket
pretty wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f3.9)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing external microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-820 iHS Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Olympus TG-820 iHS | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Olympus | Olympus |
| Model | Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Olympus TG-820 iHS |
| Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Waterproof |
| Introduced | 2011-09-20 | 2012-02-08 |
| Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | Truepic VI | TruePic VI |
| 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 | 12 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | - |
| Highest resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 3968 x 2976 |
| Highest native ISO | 12800 | 6400 |
| Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW images | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| AF touch | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| AF single | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detection focusing | ||
| Contract detection focusing | ||
| Phase detection focusing | ||
| Number of focus points | 35 | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens focal range | - | 28-140mm (5.0x) |
| Largest aperture | - | f/3.9-5.9 |
| Macro focus distance | - | 1cm |
| Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of screen | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Screen sizing | 3" | 3" |
| Screen resolution | 460k dot | 1,030k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch functionality | ||
| Screen tech | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | HyperCrystal III TFT Color LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | None |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 4 seconds |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/2000 seconds |
| Continuous shooting speed | 6.0 frames per sec | 5.0 frames per sec |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash range | no built-in flash | 3.50 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AEB | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | 1/160 seconds | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) |
| Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Microphone input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 313 grams (0.69 lb) | 206 grams (0.45 lb) |
| Dimensions | 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 101 x 65 x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") |
| 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 pictures | 220 pictures |
| Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | BLS-5 | LI-50B |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Storage slots | One | One |
| Price at launch | $399 | $500 |