Olympus TG-3 vs Ricoh GR III

Below is a extended comparison of the Olympus TG-3 versus Ricoh GR III, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Ricoh. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the TG-3 (16MP) and GR III (24MP) and the TG-3 (1/2.3") and GR III (APS-C) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The TG-3 was introduced 5 years before the GR III and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera and the Ricoh GR III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going through a in depth comparison, below is a simple summation of how the TG-3 scores against the GR III with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Tough TG-3 and Ricoh GR III. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus TG-3 Gallery and Ricoh GR III Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus TG-3 has outer dimensions of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") and a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) while the Ricoh GR III has specifications of 109mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 257 grams (0.57 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-3 versus Ricoh GR III in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use at the time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the TG-3 vs the GR III.

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

Quite often, it's tough to visualise the gap in sensor measurements purely by looking through specifications. The photograph below will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-3 and GR III.

To sum up, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The TG-3 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Ricoh GR III will render more detail using its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older TG-3 will be behind in sensor tech.