Olympus TG-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro
90 Imaging
40 Features
46 Overall
42


77 Imaging
51 Features
31 Overall
43
Olympus TG-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Key Specs
(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
- Successor is Olympus TG-4
(Full Review)
- 12MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 200 - 3200
- 1280 x 720 video
- 50mm (F2.5) lens
- 453g - 114 x 70 x 77mm
- Launched November 2009

Olympus TG-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Overview
Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus TG-3 versus Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Ricoh. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the TG-3 (16MP) and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro (12MP) and the TG-3 (1/2.3") and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

The TG-3 was announced 4 years later than the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera and the Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before diving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the TG-3 scores versus the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus TG-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Tough TG-3 and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus TG-3 Gallery and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro
TG-3 | GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | March 2014 | ![]() | November 2009 | Fresher by 54 months |
Reasons to pick Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro over the Olympus TG-3
GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro | TG-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | More precise focus | ||
Display resolution | 920k | ![]() | 460k | Clearer display (+460k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro
TG-3 | GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent display dimensions |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lacking selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Lacking Touch friendly display |
Olympus TG-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Physical Comparison
If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus TG-3 has got external measurements of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") and a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) and the Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro has specifications of 114mm x 70mm x 77mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).
Examine the Olympus TG-3 versus Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is the front view scale comparison of the TG-3 versus the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-3 and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro is 90 and 77 respectively.

Olympus TG-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it's difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing only by reading through specs. The graphic underneath will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-3 and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro.
All in all, the two cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The TG-3 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Olympus TG-3 will give extra detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a little more aggressively. The newer TG-3 is going to have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus TG-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Specifications
Olympus Tough TG-3 | Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Ricoh |
Model | Olympus Tough TG-3 | Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro |
Category | Waterproof | Advanced Mirrorless |
Announced | 2014-03-31 | 2009-11-10 |
Physical type | Compact | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic VII | GR engine III |
Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.6 x 15.7mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 370.5mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4288 x 2848 |
Max native ISO | 6400 | 3200 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | 25-100mm (4.0x) | 50mm (1x) |
Highest aperture | f/2.0-4.9 | f/2.5 |
Macro focus distance | 1cm | 1cm |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Screen resolution | 460 thousand dots | 920 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Screen technology | TFT-LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | Electronic (optional) |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 4s | 180s |
Max shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/3200s |
Continuous shutter rate | 5.0 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | - | 3.00 m |
Flash modes | Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
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) | 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 480 (24 fps), 320 x 240 (24 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | H.264, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
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 | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 247g (0.54 lb) | 453g (1.00 lb) |
Dimensions | 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") | 114 x 70 x 77mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 3.0") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall 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 shots | 320 shots |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | LI-92B | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images) ) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory | SD/SDHC, Internal |
Card slots | One | One |
Launch cost | $350 | $566 |