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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS front
Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
42
Overall
38

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS 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
  • Revealed September 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL2
Olympus TG-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 111 x 67 x 29mm
  • Released June 2013
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Overview

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus TG-2 iHS, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Waterproof and both are created by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the TG-2 iHS (12MP) is very close but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and TG-2 iHS (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL3 was announced 21 months prior to the TG-2 iHS making them a generation apart from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-2 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-PL3 scores versus the TG-2 iHS in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Olympus TG-2 iHS

 E-PL3 TG-2 iHS 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-2 iHS over the Olympus E-PL3

 TG-2 iHS E-PL3 
ReleasedJune 2013September 2011Fresher by 21 months
Display resolution610k460kSharper display (+150k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus TG-2 iHS

 E-PL3 TG-2 iHS 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera, you're going to have to factor in its weight and measurements. 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-2 iHS has proportions of 111mm x 67mm x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") along with a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus TG-2 iHS in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL3 and the TG-2 iHS.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and TG-2 iHS is 88 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is tough to see the difference in sensor sizing merely by researching specs. The photograph here may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and TG-2 iHS.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have the same megapixel count but not the same sensor sizing. The E-PL3 contains the larger sensor which will make getting shallow depth of field simpler. The older E-PL3 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography factors
Olympus TG-2 iHS Portrait photography factors
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
27
offers face detect focus
no manual focus
manual mode not available
no external flash support
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography features
Olympus TG-2 iHS Street photography features
84
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography factors
Olympus TG-2 iHS Sports photography factors
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
low fps (6.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
not so great battery life (300 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
40
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking focus
environment sealing
better than average battery (350 shots)
low fps (5.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography information
Olympus TG-2 iHS Travel photography information
44
missing Time Lapse recording
not so great battery life (300 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
68
better than average battery (350 CIPA)
environment sealing
has built in flash
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
lack of Timelapse mode
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography info
Olympus TG-2 iHS Landscape photography info
61
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (300 per charge)
missing Time Lapse recording
46
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
better than average battery (350 per charge)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual mode not available
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging details
Olympus TG-2 iHS Vlogging details
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
missing external mic jack
36
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
lack of microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-2 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus TG-2 iHS
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Revealed 2011-09-20 2013-06-28
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI -
Sensor type CMOS BSI-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 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 3968 x 2976
Maximum native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.0-4.9
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 610 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating OLED
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 rate 6.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) -
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313g (0.69 lbs) 230g (0.51 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 111 x 67 x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photos 350 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 Li-90B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 and 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $399 $380