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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
42
Overall
38
Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus TG-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 111 x 67 x 29mm
  • Announced June 2013
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Announced June 2010
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-C3
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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

In this article, we will be matching up the Olympus TG-2 iHS versus Sony NEX-3, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the TG-2 iHS (12MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is pretty close but the TG-2 iHS (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The TG-2 iHS was unveiled 3 years later than the NEX-3 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the TG-2 iHS scores vs the NEX-3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-2 iHS over the Sony NEX-3

 TG-2 iHS NEX-3 
AnnouncedJune 2013June 2010More recent by 38 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus TG-2 iHS

 NEX-3 TG-2 iHS 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k610kClearer screen (+310k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony NEX-3

 TG-2 iHS NEX-3 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-2 iHS has got outer measurements of 111mm x 67mm x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") and a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has measurements of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus TG-2 iHS versus Sony NEX-3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the TG-2 iHS compared to the NEX-3.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the TG-2 iHS and NEX-3 is 91 and 89 respectively.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's hard to see the difference in sensor measurements purely by looking through specs. The graphic underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-2 iHS and NEX-3.

All in all, each of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The TG-2 iHS using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-3 will result in extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The newer TG-2 iHS is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Portrait photography advice
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography advice
27
provides face detection focusing
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
72
you can focus manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detect focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Street photography information
Sony NEX-3 Street photography information
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Sports photography camera
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proof
great battery pack (350 CIPA)
max frames per second very slow (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
52
MP count good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
no image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-2 iHS
Travel photography with Sony NEX-3
68
great battery pack (350 per charge)
weather proof
flash built-in
decently wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
no Timelapse mode
low megapixels (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
59
MP count good (14 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-2 iHS
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-3
46
decently wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
great battery pack (350 CIPA)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
no manual exposure
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
no Timelapse mode
68
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
MP count good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Vlogging info
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging info
36
decently wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone jack
27
supports face detect focusing
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of microphone port
Photography Glossary

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus Tough TG-2 iHSSony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS Sony Alpha NEX-3
Category Waterproof Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2013-06-28 2010-06-07
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3968 x 2976 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 25
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 610k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech OLED TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - 12.00 m
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 230g (0.51 lbs) 297g (0.65 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 67 x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 68
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.0
DXO Low light score not tested 830
Other
Battery life 350 images 330 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-90B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 and 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage - SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $380 $0