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Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic GF3

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
42
Overall
40
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 front
Portability
90
Imaging
48
Features
48
Overall
48

Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic GF3 Key Specs

Olympus TG-860
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 224g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Announced February 2015
  • Successor is Olympus TG-870
Panasonic GF3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 264g - 108 x 67 x 32mm
  • Released August 2011
  • Old Model is Panasonic GF2
  • Renewed by Panasonic GF5
Photography Glossary

Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic GF3 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus TG-860 versus Panasonic GF3, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the TG-860 (16MP) and GF3 (12MP) and the TG-860 (1/2.3") and GF3 (Four Thirds) use totally different sensor sizes.

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The TG-860 was revealed 3 years after the GF3 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-860 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic GF3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a simple summation of how the TG-860 matches up against the GF3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-860 over the Panasonic GF3

 TG-860 GF3 
ReleasedFebruary 2015August 2011More modern by 43 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF3 over the Olympus TG-860

 GF3 TG-860 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-860 and Panasonic GF3

 TG-860 GF3 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions
Display resolution460k460kIdentical display resolution
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic GF3 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry around your camera, you will have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus TG-860 has got external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 224 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Panasonic GF3 has proportions of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus TG-860 versus Panasonic GF3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the TG-860 compared to the GF3.

Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic GF3 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-860 and GF3 is 91 and 90 respectively.

Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic GF3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic GF3 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizes purely by looking through a spec sheet. The image here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-860 and GF3.

As you can see, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The TG-860 using its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus TG-860 will render more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The newer TG-860 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic GF3 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic GF3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic GF3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus TG-860
Portrait photography with Panasonic GF3
35
decent MP (16 megapixels)
features face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
55
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
saves RAW files
can't use external flash
MP count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-860 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GF3 as a Street photography camera
69
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
70
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
boasts touch to focus
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic GF3 Sports photography highlights
48
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
weather proofing
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
38
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
bad battery (300 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-860
Travel photography with Panasonic GF3
71
weather proofing
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (21mm)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
58
boasts touch to focus
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
bad battery (300 shots)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic GF3 Landscape photography factors
47
rather wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
weather proofing
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not available
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
55
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
MP count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery (300 per charge)
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-860 Vlogging details
Panasonic GF3 Vlogging details
33
rather wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external microphone socket
32
touch screen
includes face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
no mic port
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Olympus TG-860 vs Panasonic GF3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-860 and Panasonic GF3
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3
Category Waterproof Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2015-02-06 2011-08-11
Body design Ultracompact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 125 160
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens focal range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Available lenses - 107
Crop factor 5.8 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 6.30 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264 AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Yes None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 224 grams (0.49 pounds) 264 grams (0.58 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 108 x 67 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 50
DXO Color Depth score not tested 20.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 10.1
DXO Low light score not tested 459
Other
Battery life 300 images 300 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $279 $360