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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
46
Overall
42
Olympus Tough TG-3 front
 
Sony Alpha a5000 front
Portability
89
Imaging
62
Features
62
Overall
62

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 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
  • Introduced March 2014
  • Refreshed by Olympus TG-4
Sony a5000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
  • Revealed January 2014
  • Previous Model is Sony NEX-3N
  • New Model is Sony a5100
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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the TG-3 (16MP) and the a5000 (20MP) is pretty well matched but the TG-3 (1/2.3") and a5000 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The TG-3 was introduced 3 months after the a5000 so they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony a5000 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the TG-3 scores vs the a5000 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-3 over the Sony a5000

 TG-3 a5000 

Reasons to pick Sony a5000 over the Olympus TG-3

 a5000 TG-3 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution461k460kSharper screen (+1k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Sony a5000

 TG-3 a5000 
RevealedMarch 2014January 2014Similar age
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to travel with your camera often, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-3 enjoys outer measurements 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 Sony a5000 has dimensions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Look at the Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the TG-3 versus the a5000.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-3 and a5000 is 90 and 89 respectively.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to envision the gap between sensor dimensions simply by checking specs. The picture below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-3 and a5000.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The TG-3 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony a5000 will resolve more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures more aggressively.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Portrait photography advice
Sony a5000 Portrait photography advice
37
MP count good (16 megapixels)
provides face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
70
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
supports RAW formats
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Street photography features
Sony a5000 Street photography features
59
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
heavier than average (247 grams)
78
tilting screen
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-3 Sports photography factors
Sony a5000 Sports photography factors
47
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16MP)
provides tracking focus
weather proofing
great battery power (330 shots)
slow frames per second (5.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
59
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
good battery pack (420 shots)
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-3 as a Travel photography camera
Sony a5000 as a Travel photography camera
74
great battery power (330 shots)
weather proofing
MP count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
heavier than average (247g)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
78
good battery pack (420 CIPA)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
built-in flash
does not feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony a5000 as a Landscape photography camera
56
relatively wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16MP)
weather proofing
great battery power (330 per charge)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
77
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
good battery pack (420 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-3
Vlogging with Sony a5000
34
relatively wide (25mm)
great max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
missing mic support
heavier than average (247g)
32
provides face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
missing external mic port
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Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-3 and Sony a5000
 Olympus Tough TG-3Sony Alpha a5000
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Tough TG-3 Sony Alpha a5000
Class Waterproof Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2014-03-31 2014-01-07
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.2 x 15.4mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 357.3mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 5456 x 3632
Highest native ISO 6400 16000
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.6
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dot 461k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology TFT-LCD TFT LCD with 180 upward tilt
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames per second 4.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
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) 1920 x 1080 (60i/24p), 1440 x 1080 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 247 grams (0.54 lbs) 269 grams (0.59 lbs)
Physical dimensions 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 1089
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 420 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $350 $448