Clicky

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N

Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36
Olympus TG-820 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3N front
Portability
89
Imaging
57
Features
52
Overall
55

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N Key Specs

Olympus TG-820 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
  • 206g - 101 x 65 x 26mm
  • Announced February 2012
Sony NEX-3N
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 62 x 35mm
  • Released February 2013
  • Succeeded the Sony NEX-F3
  • Updated by Sony a5000
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N Overview

In this write-up, we will be analyzing the Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference between the sensor resolutions of the TG-820 iHS (12MP) and NEX-3N (16MP) and the TG-820 iHS (1/2.3") and NEX-3N (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The TG-820 iHS was brought out 12 months prior to the NEX-3N and they are of a similar generation. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-820 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a full comparison, below is a brief summary of how the TG-820 iHS scores vs the NEX-3N when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus TG-820 iHS over the Sony NEX-3N

 TG-820 iHS NEX-3N 
Screen resolution1030k460kSharper screen (+570k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3N over the Olympus TG-820 iHS

 NEX-3N TG-820 iHS 
ReleasedFebruary 2013February 2012More modern by 12 months
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Olympus TG-820 iHS and Sony NEX-3N

 TG-820 iHS NEX-3N 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-820 iHS has got exterior measurements of 101mm x 65mm x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3N has measurements of 110mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the TG-820 iHS compared to the NEX-3N.

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-820 iHS and NEX-3N is 92 and 89 respectively.

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be tough to see the gap between sensor sizes merely by checking technical specs. The pic below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-820 iHS and NEX-3N.

As you can tell, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The TG-820 iHS because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony NEX-3N will give more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged TG-820 iHS is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS Portrait photography information
Sony NEX-3N Portrait photography information
27
provides face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
66
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
external flash not possible
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Street Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS Street photography highlights
Sony NEX-3N Street photography highlights
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
77
screen tilts up and down
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-820 iHS
Sports photography with Sony NEX-3N
34
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
max fps low (5.0 fps)
no shutter priority
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery (220 shots)
has no phase detect auto focus
53
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great battery power (480 CIPA)
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS Travel photography factors
Sony NEX-3N Travel photography factors
59
environment sealing
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery (220 per charge)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
71
great battery power (480 CIPA)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS Landscape photography info
Sony NEX-3N Landscape photography info
38
really wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
lack of manual exposure
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
low battery (220 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
70
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
great battery power (480 CIPA)
no image stabilization
does not have Timelapse recording
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-820 iHS Vlogging information
Sony NEX-3N Vlogging information
33
really wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of external microphone support
28
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
does not have external microphone support
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Sony NEX-3N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-820 iHS and Sony NEX-3N
 Olympus TG-820 iHSSony Alpha NEX-3N
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus TG-820 iHS Sony Alpha NEX-3N
Type Waterproof Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2012-02-08 2013-02-25
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3968 x 2976 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 16000
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.9-5.9 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,030k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech HyperCrystal III TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 4.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.50 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 206 grams (0.45 lbs) 269 grams (0.59 lbs)
Dimensions 101 x 65 x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") 110 x 62 x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 74
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.5
DXO Low light score not tested 1067
Other
Battery life 220 shots 480 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) -
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Launch price $500 $399