Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5
90 Imaging
40 Features
46 Overall
42


89 Imaging
48 Features
54 Overall
50
Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 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
- 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
- Announced March 2014
- New Model is Olympus TG-4
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 160 - 12800
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 267g - 108 x 67 x 37mm
- Launched April 2012
- Superseded the Panasonic GF3
- New Model is Panasonic GF6

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 Overview
Let's examine more in depth at the Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic GF5, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the TG-3 (16MP) and GF5 (12MP) and the TG-3 (1/2.3") and GF5 (Four Thirds) come with totally different sensor measurements.

The TG-3 was released 2 years later than the GF5 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GF5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summation of how the TG-3 scores against the GF5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Tough TG-3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus TG-3 Gallery & Panasonic GF5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Panasonic GF5
TG-3 | GF5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | March 2014 | ![]() | April 2012 | Fresher by 25 months |
Reasons to pick Panasonic GF5 over the Olympus TG-3
GF5 | TG-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Dial accurate focusing | ||
Screen resolution | 920k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+460k dot) |
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic GF5
TG-3 | GF5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen measurements |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Absent selfie screen |
Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-3 provides external dimensions of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") having a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) while the Panasonic GF5 has measurements of 108mm x 67mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 267 grams (0.59 lbs).
Examine the Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic GF5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the TG-3 vs the GF5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the TG-3 and GF5 is 90 and 89 respectively.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, its difficult to envision the contrast in sensor sizing purely by checking out specs. The graphic here should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-3 and GF5.
All in all, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The TG-3 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Olympus TG-3 will show greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more modern TG-3 will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 Specifications
Olympus Tough TG-3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus Tough TG-3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 |
Type | Waterproof | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Announced | 2014-03-31 | 2012-04-05 |
Body design | Compact | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic VII | Venus Engine FHD |
Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | Four Thirds |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 17.3 x 13mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 224.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
Max native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 160 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Total focus points | - | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | Micro Four Thirds |
Lens zoom range | 25-100mm (4.0x) | - |
Maximal aperture | f/2.0-4.9 | - |
Macro focusing range | 1cm | - |
Number of lenses | - | 107 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 460k dot | 920k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Display technology | TFT-LCD | TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | None |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 4 secs | 60 secs |
Max shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shutter speed | 5.0fps | 4.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | - | 6.30 m |
Flash settings | Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | - | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
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 | BuiltIn | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 247 grams (0.54 pounds) | 267 grams (0.59 pounds) |
Dimensions | 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") | 108 x 67 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | 50 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 20.5 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 10.0 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 573 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 330 shots | 360 shots |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | LI-92B | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Cost at release | $350 | $600 |