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Olympus TG-6 vs Panasonic ZS3

Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
54
Overall
45
Olympus Tough TG-6 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus TG-6 vs Panasonic ZS3 Key Specs

Olympus TG-6
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 253g - 113 x 66 x 32mm
  • Announced May 2019
  • Old Model is Olympus TG-5
Panasonic ZS3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Revealed May 2009
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ7
Photography Glossary

Olympus TG-6 vs Panasonic ZS3 Overview

Following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus TG-6 and Panasonic ZS3, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the TG-6 (12MP) and the ZS3 (10MP) is very comparable and they feature the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The TG-6 was revealed 10 years after the ZS3 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go in to a detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the TG-6 scores vs the ZS3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-6 over the Panasonic ZS3

 TG-6 ZS3 
RevealedMay 2019May 2009More modern by 122 months
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display resolution1040k460kClearer display (+580k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Olympus TG-6

 ZS3 TG-6 

Common features in the Olympus TG-6 and Panasonic ZS3

 TG-6 ZS3 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurement
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch display No Touch display

Olympus TG-6 vs Panasonic ZS3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus TG-6 offers exterior measurements of 113mm x 66mm x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") having a weight of 253 grams (0.56 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS3 has specifications of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-6 and Panasonic ZS3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the TG-6 versus the ZS3.

Olympus TG-6 vs Panasonic ZS3 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the TG-6 and ZS3 is 90 and 91 respectively.

Olympus TG-6 vs Panasonic ZS3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-6 vs Panasonic ZS3 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizes purely by seeing technical specs. The pic below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-6 and ZS3.

As you can tell, both of those cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but not the same megapixels. You should expect to see the Olympus TG-6 to show greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos far more aggressively. The younger TG-6 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-6 vs Panasonic ZS3 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-6 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-6 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-6 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic ZS3 Portrait photography highlights
40
you can focus manually
has face detection focus
exports RAW files
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
19
manual focus not available
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
low resolution (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-6
Street photography with Panasonic ZS3
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
more heavy than others (253g)
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (229g)
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-6 Sports photography information
Panasonic ZS3 Sports photography information
47
fast continuous shooting (20.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking autofocus
weather sealing
great battery power (340 shots)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
24
image stabilization (Optical)
slow frames per second (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-6 Travel photography advice
Panasonic ZS3 Travel photography advice
68
great battery power (340 shots)
weather sealing
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than others (253 grams)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
63
lighter than competition in class (229 grams)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
very long zoom (300mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
low resolution (10MP)
does not have selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-6 Landscape photography info
Panasonic ZS3 Landscape photography info
57
you can focus manually
fairly wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
great battery power (340 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
lack of manual exposure
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
35
quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
no manual mode
low resolution (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-6 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS3 as a Vlogging camera
34
fairly wide (25mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have external microphone support
more heavy than others (253 grams)
30
quite wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (229 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not have selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external mic jack
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Olympus TG-6 vs Panasonic ZS3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-6 and Panasonic ZS3
 Olympus Tough TG-6Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus Tough TG-6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ7
Class Waterproof Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2019-05-22 2009-05-14
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VIII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 25 11
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus range 1cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,040k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 20.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, Red Eye Reduction, Slow sync. (1st curtain), Red-eye Slow sync. (1st curtain), Fill- in, Manual, Flash Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PC 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD Lite
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Built-in None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 253 grams (0.56 lbs) 229 grams (0.50 lbs)
Dimensions 113 x 66 x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
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 340 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-92B -
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I support) SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail price $449 $200