Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000
90 Imaging
40 Features
46 Overall
42


89 Imaging
62 Features
62 Overall
62
Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 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
- Introduced March 2014
- Refreshed by Olympus TG-4
(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

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.

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.

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Tough TG-3 & Sony Alpha a5000. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus TG-3 Gallery & Sony a5000 Gallery.
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 type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 461k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+1k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus TG-3 and Sony a5000
TG-3 | a5000 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | March 2014 | ![]() | January 2014 | Similar age |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-3 vs Sony a5000 Specifications
Olympus Tough TG-3 | Sony 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 |