Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus TG-4

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus TG-4, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Waterproof and both of them are built by Olympus. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and TG-4 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and TG-4 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL3 was brought out 4 years before the TG-4 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-4 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-PL3 scores vs the TG-4 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Olympus Tough TG-4. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Olympus TG-4 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys external 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) whilst the Olympus TG-4 has sizing of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") having a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus TG-4 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL3 against the TG-4.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and TG-4 is 88 and 90 respectively.

Usually, it is hard to see the gap between sensor sizing merely by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and TG-4.

Clearly, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 featuring a larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus TG-4 will give more detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics far more aggressively. The older E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.