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Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42
Olympus Tough TG-3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
54
Overall
50

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 Key Specs

Olympus TG-3
(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
Panasonic GF5
(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  • Superseded the Panasonic GF3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
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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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Panasonic GF5

 TG-3 GF5 
LaunchedMarch 2014April 2012Fresher by 25 months

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF5 over the Olympus TG-3

 GF5 TG-3 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen resolution920k460kSharper screen (+460k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic GF5

 TG-3 GF5 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Portrait photography features
Panasonic GF5 Portrait photography features
37
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
provides face detection focus
lack of manual focus
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
55
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
external flash not possible
low MP (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-3 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GF5 as a Street photography camera
59
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
more heavy than competition in class (247g)
70
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
offers focus via touch
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-3
Sports photography with Panasonic GF5
47
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proofing
great battery pack (330 shots)
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
40
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
lack of phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Travel photography information
Panasonic GF5 Travel photography information
74
great battery pack (330 per charge)
weather proofing
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than competition in class (247 grams)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
61
offers focus via touch
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-3
Landscape photography with Panasonic GF5
56
rather wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
weather proofing
great battery pack (330 shots)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
59
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-3 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic GF5 as a Vlogging camera
34
rather wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone socket
more heavy than competition in class (247g)
32
touchscreen capability
supports face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
missing external mic port
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Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic GF5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic GF5
 Olympus Tough TG-3Panasonic 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