Nikon S8100 vs Olympus SH-3

Here is a extensive review of the Nikon S8100 and Olympus SH-3, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Nikon and Olympus. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the S8100 (12MP) and SH-3 (16MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The S8100 was announced 6 years earlier than the SH-3 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before diving into a detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the S8100 matches up vs the SH-3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon Coolpix S8100 and Olympus Stylus SH-3. The whole galleries are viewable at Nikon S8100 Gallery and Olympus SH-3 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera often, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Nikon S8100 features outside dimensions of 104mm x 60mm x 30mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs) while the Olympus SH-3 has dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Take a look at the Nikon S8100 and Olympus SH-3 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are using at the time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the S8100 compared to the SH-3.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S8100 and SH-3 is 93 and 88 respectively.

Sometimes, it is difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizing purely by going over technical specs. The photograph below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the S8100 and SH-3.

As you can tell, both cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different megapixels. You should expect to see the Olympus SH-3 to offer you more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos more aggressively. The older S8100 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.