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Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS50

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42
Olympus Tough TG-3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 front
Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
57
Overall
45

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS50 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
  • Successor is Olympus TG-4
Panasonic ZS50
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 243g - 111 x 65 x 34mm
  • Announced January 2015
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ70
  • Older Model is Panasonic ZS45
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS60
Photography Glossary

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Overview

On this page, we are contrasting the Olympus TG-3 versus Panasonic ZS50, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the TG-3 (16MP) and ZS50 (12MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The TG-3 was revealed 9 months earlier than the ZS50 so they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief summation of how the TG-3 grades versus the ZS50 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Panasonic ZS50

 TG-3 ZS50 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS50 over the Olympus TG-3

 ZS50 TG-3 
AnnouncedJanuary 2015March 2014Fresher by 9 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Display resolution1040k460kSharper display (+580k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic ZS50

 TG-3 ZS50 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-3 offers outer 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 ZS50 has measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-3 versus Panasonic ZS50 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the TG-3 compared to the ZS50.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS50 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-3 and ZS50 is 90 and 90 respectively.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizing only by going over a spec sheet. The graphic here may offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-3 and ZS50.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You should anticipate the Olympus TG-3 to offer you extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics more aggressively. The older TG-3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS50 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus TG-3
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS50
37
decent MP (16 megapixels)
features face detection focus
no manual focus
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
42
has manual focus
includes face detect focus
exports RAW formats
external flash not possible
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-3
Street photography with Panasonic ZS50
59
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proofing
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
heavier than competitors in class (247g)
68
has image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
lighter than average (243g)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-3
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS50
47
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
features tracking autofocus
environment proofing
better than average battery pack (330 per charge)
low fps (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
43
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes tracking focus
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-3
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS50
74
better than average battery pack (330 shots)
environment proofing
decent MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
heavier than competitors in class (247 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
66
lighter than average (243g)
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
very long reach (720mm)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Landscape photography features
Panasonic ZS50 Landscape photography features
56
really wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
environment proofing
better than average battery pack (330 CIPA)
no manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
51
has manual focus
pretty wide (24mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Vlogging info
Panasonic ZS50 Vlogging info
34
really wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic jack
heavier than competitors in class (247 grams)
34
pretty wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average (243g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
does not have mic support
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Olympus TG-3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-3 and Panasonic ZS50
 Olympus Tough TG-3Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Tough TG-3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ70
Class Waterproof Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2014-03-31 2015-01-06
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 23
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance 1cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT-LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,166 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.46x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 6.40 m
Flash options Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
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 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 247 grams (0.54 lbs) 243 grams (0.54 lbs)
Physical dimensions 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 111 x 65 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 44
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 138
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 300 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Launch pricing $350 $350