Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-1

The following is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus E-3 and Olympus SH-1, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are built by Olympus. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and SH-1 (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and SH-1 (1/2.3") offer different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-3 was released 7 years prior to the SH-1 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-3 scores against the SH-1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-3 & Olympus Stylus SH-1. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Olympus SH-1 Gallery.

If you are aiming to travel with your camera, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 provides exterior dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Olympus SH-1 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).

Examine the Olympus E-3 and Olympus SH-1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-3 vs the SH-1.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and SH-1 is 56 and 88 respectively.

Often, it can be tough to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions only by checking out a spec sheet. The pic below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and SH-1.

Clearly, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-3 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus SH-1 will produce more detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged E-3 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.