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Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic FS12

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42
Olympus Tough TG-3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Key Specs

Olympus TG-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • Updated by Olympus TG-4
Panasonic FS12
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Bump to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 31-124mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 129g - 97 x 55 x 22mm
  • Released April 2009
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Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Overview

Its time to examine more in depth at the Olympus TG-3 versus Panasonic FS12, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the TG-3 (16MP) and FS12 (12MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The TG-3 was introduced 5 years after the FS12 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving in to a complete comparison, below is a short introduction of how the TG-3 scores vs the FS12 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Panasonic FS12

 TG-3 FS12 
ReleasedMarch 2014April 2009Newer by 61 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Olympus TG-3

 FS12 TG-3 

Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic FS12

 TG-3 FS12 
Manual focus No manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus TG-3 features outside dimensions of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") with a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) and the Panasonic FS12 has proportions of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Examine the Olympus TG-3 versus Panasonic FS12 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the TG-3 vs the FS12.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic FS12 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-3 and FS12 is 90 and 95 respectively.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic FS12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to see the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by viewing specs. The picture here might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-3 and FS12.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You should count on the Olympus TG-3 to result in greater detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more recent TG-3 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic FS12 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Portrait photography info
Panasonic FS12 Portrait photography info
37
MP count good (16 megapixels)
has face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
21
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-3
Street photography with Panasonic FS12
59
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
more heavy than competitors (247 grams)
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-3 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FS12 as a Sports photography camera
47
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
environment proof
great battery (330 CIPA)
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second low (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FS12 Travel photography advice
74
great battery (330 CIPA)
environment proof
MP count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than competitors (247g)
display isn't selfie friendly
51
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low resolution sensor (12MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-3
Landscape photography with Panasonic FS12
56
quite wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16MP)
environment proof
great battery (330 shots)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
28
built in image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
lack of manual mode
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Vlogging info
Panasonic FS12 Vlogging info
34
quite wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone port
more heavy than competitors (247 grams)
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
low res video (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have external mic socket
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Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic FS12
 Olympus Tough TG-3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Tough TG-3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
Category Waterproof Ultracompact
Revealed 2014-03-31 2009-04-17
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 6400 1600
Maximum boosted ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) 31-124mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology TFT-LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 6.30 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 247 grams (0.54 lb) 129 grams (0.28 lb)
Dimensions 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9")
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 330 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-92B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $350 $228