Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus SH-50
94 Imaging
35 Features
14 Overall
26


88 Imaging
39 Features
48 Overall
42
Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 1600
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 640 x 480 video
- 35-140mm (F2.7-5.6) lens
- 165g - 97 x 58 x 28mm
- Revealed January 2010
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 125 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
- 269g - 112 x 63 x 42mm
- Announced January 2013

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Overview
Below is a in-depth assessment of the Canon A3100 IS and Olympus SH-50, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Canon and Olympus. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the A3100 IS (12MP) and SH-50 (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

The A3100 IS was introduced 4 years earlier than the SH-50 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).
Before diving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a short summation of how the A3100 IS scores versus the SH-50 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot A3100 IS & Olympus SH-50. The whole galleries are available at Canon A3100 IS Gallery & Olympus SH-50 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon A3100 IS over the Olympus SH-50
A3100 IS | SH-50 |
---|
Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Canon A3100 IS
SH-50 | A3100 IS | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | January 2013 | ![]() | January 2010 | More recent by 36 months |
Focus manually | ![]() | Very accurate focus | ||
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+230k dot) |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Canon A3100 IS and Olympus SH-50
A3100 IS | SH-50 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither comes with selfie screen |
Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Physical Comparison
When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Canon A3100 IS comes with external dimensions of 97mm x 58mm x 28mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs) and the Olympus SH-50 has sizing of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).
Contrast the Canon A3100 IS and Olympus SH-50 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the A3100 IS vs the SH-50.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the A3100 IS and SH-50 is 94 and 88 respectively.

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it is very tough to envision the contrast between sensor measurements only by going over specs. The graphic underneath should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the A3100 IS and SH-50.
All in all, the 2 cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You can anticipate the Olympus SH-50 to deliver more detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older A3100 IS is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon A3100 IS vs Olympus SH-50 Specifications
Canon PowerShot A3100 IS | Olympus SH-50 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Canon | Olympus |
Model type | Canon PowerShot A3100 IS | Olympus SH-50 |
Category | Small Sensor Compact | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2010-01-05 | 2013-01-08 |
Body design | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | TruePic VI |
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 | 12MP | 16MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4608 x 3456 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 125 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | 9 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 35-140mm (4.0x) | 25-600mm (24.0x) |
Highest aperture | f/2.7-5.6 | f/3.0-6.9 |
Macro focusing distance | 3cm | 5cm |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 2.7" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 230 thousand dot | 460 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 15 secs | 15 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/1600 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 1.0fps | 12.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 3.00 m | 4.00 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) |
Maximum video resolution | 640x480 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
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 | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 165g (0.36 pounds) | 269g (0.59 pounds) |
Dimensions | 97 x 58 x 28mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 1.1") | 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery ID | NB-8L | SLB-10A |
Self timer | Yes (2, 10, Custom, Face) | Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HD MMCplus | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Retail cost | $159 | $300 |