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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
26
Overall
31
Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 front
Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15 Key Specs

Olympus Tough-3000
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.5-5.1) lens
  • 159g - 96 x 65 x 23mm
  • Announced January 2010
  • Alternate Name is mju Tough 3000
Panasonic ZS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Announced June 2012
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ25
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS20
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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15 Overview

Here, we will be reviewing the Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and the ZS15 (12MP) is pretty well matched and both cameras posses the identical sensor size (1/2.3").

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The Tough-3000 was announced 3 years before the ZS15 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick view of how the Tough-3000 matches up versus the ZS15 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus Tough-3000 over the Panasonic ZS15

 Tough-3000 ZS15 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Olympus Tough-3000

 ZS15 Tough-3000 
AnnouncedJune 2012January 2010Newer by 30 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus Tough-3000 and Panasonic ZS15

 Tough-3000 ZS15 
Manual focus No manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus Tough-3000 comes with outside measurements of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") along with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS15 has measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Check the Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the Tough-3000 vs the ZS15.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the Tough-3000 and ZS15 is 94 and 92 respectively.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its hard to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by checking specs. The pic below should give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the Tough-3000 and ZS15.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras come with the identical sensor size and the identical resolution and you should expect similar quality of photographs but you might want to factor the production date of the products into consideration. The more aged Tough-3000 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15 sensor size comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus Tough-3000
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS15
21
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
resolution not great (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
21
lack of manual focus
can't use external flash
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Street photography info
Panasonic ZS15 Street photography info
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (208g)
fixed screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Sports photography features
Panasonic ZS15 Sports photography features
36
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking focus
environment proof
low fps (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
36
great zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (260 shots)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Travel photography factors
Panasonic ZS15 Travel photography factors
61
environment proof
built-in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
resolution not great (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
61
lighter than others (208 grams)
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
long reach (384mm)
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery power (260 shots)
low megapixels (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS15 Landscape photography information
35
relatively wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7")
lack of manual mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse mode
37
quite wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
not so great battery power (260 per charge)
lack of Timelapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus Tough-3000
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS15
28
relatively wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have microphone jack
33
quite wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others (208 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external microphone socket
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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus Tough-3000 and Panasonic ZS15
 Olympus Stylus Tough-3000Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
Also called as mju Tough 3000 Lumix DMC-TZ25
Category Waterproof Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2010-01-07 2012-06-29
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3968 x 2976 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 64 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 23
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-102mm (3.6x) 24-384mm (16.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.5-5.1 f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing distance 2cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 15s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.00 m 6.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD
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 None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 159 gr (0.35 lb) 208 gr (0.46 lb)
Physical dimensions 96 x 65 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
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 - 260 photographs
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $0 $279