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Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
46
Overall
43
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3 Key Specs

Olympus TG-870
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400 (Increase to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 221g - 113 x 64 x 28mm
  • Announced January 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus TG-860
Panasonic ZS3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Revealed May 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ7
Photography Glossary

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3 Overview

Here, we will be reviewing the Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the TG-870 (16MP) and ZS3 (10MP) but both cameras posses the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The TG-870 was unveiled 6 years after the ZS3 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-870 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a full comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the TG-870 scores versus the ZS3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-870 over the Panasonic ZS3

 TG-870 ZS3 
RevealedJanuary 2016May 2009More modern by 81 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Olympus TG-870

 ZS3 TG-870 

Common features in the Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic ZS3

 TG-870 ZS3 
Manual focus No manual focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus TG-870 enjoys outer measurements of 113mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS3 has specifications of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check out the Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the TG-870 vs the ZS3.

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-870 and ZS3 is 91 and 91 respectively.

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizes simply by going over specifications. The picture here will give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-870 and ZS3.

To sum up, both cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same MP. You can count on the Olympus TG-870 to offer you greater detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The fresher TG-870 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic ZS3 Portrait photography factors
36
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has face detect focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
19
manual focus not available
no manual control
no external flash support
low resolution (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Street photography details
Panasonic ZS3 Street photography details
65
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
environment proof
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
heavier than competition (221g)
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (229g)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-870
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS3
51
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
has tracking focus
environment proof
great battery pack (300 per charge)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
24
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Travel photography features
Panasonic ZS3 Travel photography features
69
great battery pack (300 CIPA)
environment proof
resolution is good (16MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (21mm)
heavier than competition (221g)
does not feature selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.5)
63
lighter than others (229 grams)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
very long reach (300mm)
does not have Timelapse function
low resolution (10 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-870
Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS3
50
decently wide (21mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
environment proof
great battery pack (300 shots)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
35
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
no manual control
low resolution (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-870 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic ZS3 Vlogging highlights
32
decently wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly display
lack of mic port
heavier than competition (221 grams)
30
relatively wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (229 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have microphone socket
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Olympus TG-870 vs Panasonic ZS3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-870 and Panasonic ZS3
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ7
Category Ultracompact Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2016-01-06 2009-05-14
Physical type Ultracompact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Max boosted ISO 12800 -
Minimum native ISO 125 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.5-5.7 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focusing range 1cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 921k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (at ISO 1600) 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, off, LED illuminator Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure 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 (60p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (60p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD Lite
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 221 gr (0.49 lbs) 229 gr (0.50 lbs)
Physical dimensions 113 x 64 x 28mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.1") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" 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 300 photos -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID Li-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $280 $200