Olympus Tough TG-3 vs Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Olympus Tough TG-3 and the Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Olympus Tough TG-3 was introduced in March 2014 and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 was introduced in January 2016. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus Tough TG-3 over Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 over Olympus Tough TG-3.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Olympus Tough TG-3 and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 have 3.0" screens with 460k dot and 921k dot resolutions respectively. Olympus Tough TG-3 has a Fixed screen Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

BSI-CMOS Sensor

Olympus Tough TG-3 features a 16 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 28.1 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode. Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 features a 16.0 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 125 - 6,400 and expands to 125 - 12,800 in boosted mode.

The cameras have BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Cameras are equipped with TruePic VII processor and can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in [y] image stabilization.

Built-in GPS

Cameras have built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Olympus Tough TG-3 has a Micro HDMI and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Olympus Tough TG-3 comes with LI-92B battery pack with battery life of 330 shots and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 comes with Li-50B battery pack with battery life of 300 shots.

External Storage Slots

Olympus Tough TG-3 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory card slot. Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/2000 sec on Olympus Tough TG-3, and up to 1/2000 sec on Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870. Olympus Tough TG-3 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 4.00 m at ISO 1600 on Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870..

Olympus Tough TG-3 body has dimensions of 112 x 66 x 31 mm (4.41 x 2.6 x 1.22") and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 body has dimensions of 113 x 64 x 28 mm (4.45 x 2.52 x 1.1"). Olympus Tough TG-3 weighs 247 g (0.54 lb / 8.71 oz) and Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 weighs 221 g (0.49 lb / 7.80 oz).

Olympus Tough TG-3

Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870

112 mm

66 mm

113 mm

64 mm

31 mm

28 mm