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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Olympus Stylus SH-2 front
Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2 Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Released February 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-1
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-5
Olympus SH-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Introduced March 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus SH-1
  • Updated by Olympus SH-3
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2 Overview

Here is a in depth comparison of the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are offered by Olympus. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and SH-2 (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and SH-2 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-3 was announced 8 years before the SH-2 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-3 grades against the SH-2 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus SH-2

 E-3 SH-2 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-2 over the Olympus E-3

 SH-2 E-3 
IntroducedMarch 2015February 2008Fresher by 85 months
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus SH-2

 E-3 SH-2 

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 comes with exterior measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Olympus SH-2 has specifications of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that moment. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-3 vs the SH-2.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and SH-2 is 56 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizing just by going through a spec sheet. The graphic below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-3 and SH-2.

Clearly, the 2 cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-3 having a bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Olympus SH-2 will show more detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The older E-3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-3
Portrait photography with Olympus SH-2
56
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
resolution not great (10MP)
44
decent MP (16 megapixels)
offers face detect focus
saves RAW files
lack of manual focus
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-3
Street photography with Olympus SH-2
69
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
70
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
includes focus via touch
lighter than competitors in class (271g)
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography details
Olympus SH-2 Sports photography details
57
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (5.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
51
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
great battery (380 CIPA)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography features
Olympus SH-2 Travel photography features
55
weather proofing
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
lack of Time Lapse function
resolution not great (10MP)
74
great battery (380 CIPA)
lighter than competitors in class (271g)
includes focus via touch
decent MP (16MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography advice
Olympus SH-2 Landscape photography advice
56
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse function
55
rather wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
saves RAW files
great battery (380 shots)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus SH-2 as a Vlogging camera
18
no video recording
35
rather wide (25mm)
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors in class (271g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of mic jack
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SH-2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Olympus SH-2
 Olympus E-3Olympus Stylus SH-2
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-3 Olympus Stylus SH-2
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2008-02-20 2015-03-11
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focus range - 3cm
Available lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames per second 11.5 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 8.30 m (at ISO 3200)
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - H.264
Mic 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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890g (1.96 lb) 271g (0.60 lb)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light score 571 not tested
Other
Battery life - 380 images
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery model - LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $670 $399