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Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS3

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42
Olympus Tough TG-3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS3 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
  • Announced March 2014
  • Updated by Olympus TG-4
Panasonic ZS3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Introduced May 2009
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ7
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Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS3 Overview

Following is a thorough overview of the Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic ZS3, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the TG-3 (16MP) and ZS3 (10MP) but they feature the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The TG-3 was announced 4 years after the ZS3 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short summary of how the TG-3 scores against the ZS3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Panasonic ZS3

 TG-3 ZS3 
IntroducedMarch 2014May 2009More modern by 60 months

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Olympus TG-3

 ZS3 TG-3 

Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic ZS3

 TG-3 ZS3 
Manually focus Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Screen resolution460k460kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS3 Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry around your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-3 has exterior dimensions of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") and a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS3 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic ZS3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the TG-3 versus the ZS3.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-3 and ZS3 is 90 and 91 respectively.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's hard to see the gap in sensor sizes purely by going through specifications. The picture below will give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-3 and ZS3.

To sum up, each of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You should expect the Olympus TG-3 to produce greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots much more aggressively. The fresher TG-3 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS3 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic ZS3 Portrait photography highlights
37
MP count good (16MP)
provides face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no external flash support
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
19
no manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
low MP (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS3 Street photography highlights
59
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
heavier than competitors in class (247 grams)
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (229g)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Sports photography features
Panasonic ZS3 Sports photography features
47
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
great battery (330 CIPA)
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
24
image stabilization (Optical)
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low MP (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-3
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS3
74
great battery (330 CIPA)
weather sealing
MP count good (16MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
heavier than competitors in class (247 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
63
lighter than average in class (229g)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (300mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
low MP (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic ZS3 Landscape photography factors
56
relatively wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
weather sealing
great battery (330 shots)
focusing manually not possible
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
35
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
no manual control
low MP (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-3
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS3
34
relatively wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
missing external mic support
heavier than competitors in class (247g)
30
rather wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (229 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone jack
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Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic ZS3
 Olympus Tough TG-3Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus Tough TG-3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ7
Class Waterproof Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2014-03-31 2009-05-14
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
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 - 11
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus range 1cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT-LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD Lite
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 247 gr (0.54 lbs) 229 gr (0.50 lbs)
Dimensions 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photographs -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-92B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $350 $200