Clicky

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-3

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Olympus Tough TG-3 front
Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Launched September 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL7
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL9
Olympus TG-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 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
  • 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • Successor is Olympus TG-4
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-3 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-PL8 versus Olympus TG-3, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Waterproof and both are created by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the TG-3 (16MP) is very close but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and TG-3 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor size.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The E-PL8 was released 2 years after the TG-3 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-PL8 matches up versus the TG-3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Olympus TG-3

 E-PL8 TG-3 
RevealedSeptember 2016March 2014Newer by 31 months
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k460kSharper display (+577k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Olympus E-PL8

 TG-3 E-PL8 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus TG-3

 E-PL8 TG-3 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-3 Physical Comparison

If you're going to travel with your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL8 features outside measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Olympus TG-3 has specifications of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL8 versus Olympus TG-3 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL8 against the TG-3.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-3 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and TG-3 is 86 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-3 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions just by looking through specs. The image underneath should provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL8 and TG-3.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras offer the same exact MP but different sensor dimensions. The E-PL8 provides the larger sensor which is going to make obtaining shallower DOF simpler. The newer E-PL8 provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Portrait photography information
Olympus TG-3 Portrait photography information
72
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
37
MP count decent (16MP)
has face detect autofocus
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Street photography info
Olympus TG-3 Street photography info
84
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
above average high ISO (25,600)
59
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
more heavy than competition (247 grams)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus TG-3 as a Sports photography camera
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
no phase detect autofocus
47
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
good battery (330 CIPA)
max frames per second low (5.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL8
Travel photography with Olympus TG-3
71
boasts focus by touch
good MP (16MP)
does not offer selfie friendly display
74
good battery (330 CIPA)
weather proofing
MP count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than competition (247g)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL8
Landscape photography with Olympus TG-3
80
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
56
really wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
weather proofing
good battery (330 CIPA)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Vlogging information
Olympus TG-3 Vlogging information
35
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
doesn't have microphone socket
34
really wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
missing microphone jack
more heavy than competition (247 grams)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus TG-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus TG-3
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Olympus Tough TG-3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL8 Olympus Tough TG-3
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Launched 2016-09-19 2014-03-31
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 81 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.0-4.9
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT-LCD
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 8.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357 grams (0.79 lbs) 247 grams (0.54 lbs)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photos 330 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $500 $350