Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic FZ300

Lets look more closely at the Olympus Tough-3000 versus Panasonic FZ300, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and the FZ300 (12MP) is fairly well matched and both cameras have the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The Tough-3000 was launched 6 years prior to the FZ300 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a brief overview of how the Tough-3000 grades versus the FZ300 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300. The complete galleries are available at Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery & Panasonic FZ300 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus Tough-3000 comes with outside dimensions of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") and a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ300 has dimensions of 132mm x 92mm x 117mm (5.2" x 3.6" x 4.6") along with a weight of 691 grams (1.52 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus Tough-3000 versus Panasonic FZ300 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the Tough-3000 vs the FZ300.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the Tough-3000 and FZ300 is 94 and 59 respectively.

Sometimes, it's difficult to envision the difference between sensor measurements only by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph below might give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the Tough-3000 and FZ300.

Clearly, both of those cameras have the same sensor dimensions and the same resolution therefore you can expect similar quality of pictures though you should take the age of the products into consideration. The older Tough-3000 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.