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Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-3

Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
19
Overall
29
Canon PowerShot A1200 front
 
Olympus Stylus SH-3 front
Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-3 Key Specs

Canon A1200
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 185g - 98 x 63 x 31mm
  • Released January 2011
Olympus SH-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Introduced February 2016
  • Old Model is Olympus SH-2
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Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-3 Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Canon A1200 and Olympus SH-3, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Canon and Olympus. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the A1200 (12MP) and SH-3 (16MP) but they feature the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The A1200 was unveiled 6 years earlier than the SH-3 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a short introduction of how the A1200 grades vs the SH-3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon A1200 over the Olympus SH-3

 A1200 SH-3 

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-3 over the Canon A1200

 SH-3 A1200 
IntroducedFebruary 2016January 2011More modern by 62 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Canon A1200 and Olympus SH-3

 A1200 SH-3 
Manual focus Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-3 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Canon A1200 comes with physical measurements of 98mm x 63mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.5" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs) whilst the Olympus SH-3 has specifications of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Check out the Canon A1200 and Olympus SH-3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view scale comparison of the A1200 versus the SH-3.

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-3 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the A1200 and SH-3 is 92 and 88 respectively.

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-3 top view buttons comparison

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-3 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reading specifications. The image here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the A1200 and SH-3.

To sum up, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Olympus SH-3 to deliver more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged A1200 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-3 sensor size comparison

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A1200 Portrait photography factors
Olympus SH-3 Portrait photography factors
27
provides face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
44
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
provides face detect focusing
saves RAW files
lack of manual focus
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Canon A1200 Street photography details
Olympus SH-3 Street photography details
46
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
70
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
provides touch to focus
lighter than average (271g)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Canon A1200 Sports photography advice
Olympus SH-3 Sports photography advice
24
provides tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery life (200 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
51
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
provides tracking focus
great battery (380 shots)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Canon A1200 Travel photography information
Olympus SH-3 Travel photography information
55
has built in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse recording
low battery life (200 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
74
great battery (380 per charge)
lighter than average (271g)
provides touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon A1200 Landscape photography details
Olympus SH-3 Landscape photography details
27
pretty wide (28mm)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
low battery life (200 CIPA)
no Time Lapse recording
55
really wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
saves RAW files
great battery (380 shots)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon A1200 Vlogging advice
Olympus SH-3 Vlogging advice
27
pretty wide (28mm)
provides face detect autofocus
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic support
35
really wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focusing
high video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
lighter than average (271 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone socket
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Canon A1200 vs Olympus SH-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A1200 and Olympus SH-3
 Canon PowerShot A1200Olympus Stylus SH-3
General Information
Brand Name Canon Olympus
Model Canon PowerShot A1200 Olympus Stylus SH-3
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2011-01-05 2016-02-08
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology TruePic VII
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 80 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) 25-600mm (24.0x)
Max aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/3.0-6.9
Macro focus distance 3cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (tunnel) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0fps 11.5fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m 8.30 m (at ISO 3200)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (15 fps), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 185 grams (0.41 pounds) 271 grams (0.60 pounds)
Dimensions 98 x 63 x 31mm (3.9" x 2.5" x 1.2") 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 200 photos 380 photos
Battery type AA Battery Pack
Battery model 2 x AA LI-92B
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HCMMCplus SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $109 $579