Olympus E-520 vs Olympus SH-3

In this write-up, we will be looking at the Olympus E-520 versus Olympus SH-3, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both produced by Olympus. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and SH-3 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and SH-3 (1/2.3") possess different sensor measurements.

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The E-520 was introduced 8 years prior to the SH-3 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-520 grades vs the SH-3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-520 & Olympus Stylus SH-3. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Olympus SH-3 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry around your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 features external measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Olympus SH-3 has sizing of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-520 versus Olympus SH-3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the E-520 versus the SH-3.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and SH-3 is 68 and 88 respectively.

Sometimes, it is difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes simply by checking technical specs. The pic below will offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-520 and SH-3.

As you have seen, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-520 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus SH-3 will resolve more detail using its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-520 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.